It’s finally here: Juneteenth, a national holiday to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. It’s a time to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come as a nation—and reckon with the work that still needs to be done.
Because the hard truth is that being Black in America still comes with unique and pervasive challenges. Racism is alive and well. So how can we better understand the harsh realities of yesterday and today, while building a better society for tomorrow? Check out the nine sobering yet hopeful reads below to find out.
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
By Heather McGhee
One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Heather McGhee, in the Next Big Idea App
I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays
By Nell Irvin Painter
From the New York Times bestselling author of The History of White People and Old in Art School, a finalist for the NBCC Award, comes a comprehensive new collection of essays spanning art, politics, and the legacy of racism that shapes American history as we know it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nell Irvin Painter, in the Next Big Idea App
Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery’s Borderland
By Scott Shane
A riveting account of the extraordinary abolitionist, liberator, and writer Thomas Smallwood, who bought his own freedom, led hundreds out of slavery, and named the underground railroad. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Scott Shane, in the Next Big Idea App
Speaking of Race: Why Everybody Needs to Talk About Racism―and How to Do It
By Celeste Headlee
An award-winning journalist draws from the latest research on bias, communication, and neuroscience to provide practical advice and insight for talking about race that will facilitate better conversations that can actually bring us closer together. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Celeste Headlee, in the Next Big Idea App
How We Ended Racism: Realizing a New Possibility in One Generation
By Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski
A guide that dares to envision a world beyond typical diversity, equity, and inclusion work while providing tools and action steps to create a liberated future―so that our descendants can look back at this era as the time when we decided to end racism for the good of all. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski, in the Next Big Idea App
The Myth That Made Us: How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It)
By Jeff Fuhrer
How our false narratives about post-racism and meritocracy have been used to condone egregious economic outcomes—and what we can do to fix the system. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jeff Fuhrer, in the Next Big Idea App
The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations
By Robert Livingston
From a Harvard social psychologist comes an essential guide for individuals, organizations, and communities of all sizes to jump-start dialogue on racism and bias, and to transform well-intentioned statements on diversity into concrete actions. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Robert Livingston, in the Next Big Idea App
Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine
By Uché Blackstock
The rousing, captivating story of a Black physician, her career in medicine, and the deep inequities that still exist in the U.S. healthcare system. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Uché Blackstock, in the Next Big Idea App
How to Talk to Your Boss About Race: Speaking Up Without Getting Shut Down
By Y-Vonne Hutchinson
A diversity and inclusion strategist equips employees with a framework to think about race at work, prepares them to have frank and effective conversations with more powerful leaders, helps them center marginalized perspectives, and explains how to leverage power dynamics to get results while navigating backlash and gaslighting. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Y-Vonne Hutchinson, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
