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History and Current Events August 2025 |
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The singularity is nearer : when we merge with Al
by Ray Kurzweil
Since it was first published in 2005, Ray Kurzweils The Singularity Is Near Duckworth and its vision of the future have been influential in spawning a worldwide movement with millions of followers, hundreds of books, and major films Her, Lucy, Ex Machina. During the succeeding decade many of his predictions about tech advancements have been borne out. In this entirely new book Kurzweil takes a fresh perspective on advances in the singularity - assessing many of his predictions and examining the novel advancements to a revolution in knowledge and an expansion of human potential.
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Dealings with dictators : a CEO's guide to defending democracy
by Mathias Dèopfner
In Dealing with Dictators, one of the world’s most powerful business leaders traces the rise and costs of Western dependency on China and Russia. And he suggests a radical new approach to free trade: The establishment of a new values-based alliance of democracies. Membership is based on the adherence to three very simple criteria: the rule of law, human rights, and sustainability targets. Countries that comply with these criteria can engage in tariff-free trade with others. Those who don’t will pay prohibitive tariffs.
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Submersed : wonder, murder, and the beguiling world of amateur submarines
by Matthew Gavin Frank
An exquisite, lyrical foray into the world of deep-sea divers, the obsession and madness that oceans inspire in us, and the story of submarine inventor Peter Madsen's murder of journalist Kim Wall-a captivating blend of literary prose, science writing, and true crime.
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Lone wolf : walking the line between civilization and wildness
by Adam Weymouth
In 2011, a wolf named Slavc left his home territory of Slovenia for a wide-ranging journey across the Alps. Tracked by a GPS collar, he traveled over 1,200 miles, where he would mate with a female wolf on a walkabout of her own-the only two wolves for hundreds of square miles-and start the first pack to call the Italian Alps home in more than a century. A decade later and there are more than a hundred wolves in the area, the result of their remarkable meeting. Now, journalist Adam Weymouth follows Slavc's path on foot, and in doing so, interrogates the fears and realities of those living on land that is being repopulated by wolves; a metaphor for economic, political, and climate upheaval in a region that is seeing a centuries-old way of life being upended.
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By the ghost light : wars, memory, and families
by R. H. Thomson
From one of Canada's most beloved performing artists comes an audacious work of non-fiction that explores the stories that shape us and the reach that the past can have across generations.
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| Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights... by Sam KeanBestselling science writer Sam Kean (The Icepick Surgeon) offers a lively chronicle of how experimental archeologists utilize evidence found at dig sites to replicate ancient rituals and customs, including hunting with period-appropriate weaponry, playing an Aztec ballgame, brewing ancient Egyptian beer, and even mummifying corpses. Further reading: Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive by Eliot Stein. |
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Hubris maximus : the shattering of Elon Musk
by Faiz Siddiqui
At a moment when America’s tech gods are more influential than ever, Hubris Maximus is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of lionizing magnetic leaders. Washington Post journalist Faiz Siddiqui offers a gripping, detailed portrait of a singularly messy and lucrative period in Musk’s career, as well as a case study in the power of using one’s platform to shape the public narrative in a world that can’t turn away from its screens.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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