For whatever reason, changing one’s mind is one of the hardest things in the world—if not the hardest thing in the world. Especially these days. With the invention of algorithms that are being more and more attuned to what we like and serving only what we want to see, it is rare that we find ourselves in an environment that challenges how we view the world and question what we know about it. This is my biggest argument for reading books. While you can always just pick up a book that you think you’ll like, you can never fully control what’s inside of it—perhaps you’ll stumble into a new piece of information that you never thought of before. Technology is great, it’ll give you what you want—but books are awesome, because it’ll give you what you didn’t know you needed.
And, if you’re open to having your views challenged or your perspective widened, this is the post for you. Listed down below are books that have brought a new point-of-view as I dove into them—some knowingly, some unknowingly. Some of these titles can be pretty hard to read—mostly on the very top of the list, at the very bottom of this post—some are just filled with fun discoveries. Either way, I really hope these books help you form new opinions of the world around you.
For whatever reason, changing one’s mind is one of the hardest things in the world—if not the hardest thing in the world. Especially these days. With the invention of algorithms that are being more and more attuned to what we like and serving only what we want to see, it is rare that we find ourselves in an environment that challenges how we view the world and question what we know about it. This is my biggest argument for reading books. While you can always just pick up a book that you think you’ll like, you can never fully control what’s inside of it—perhaps you’ll stumble into a new piece of information that you never thought of before. Technology is great, it’ll give you what you want—but books are awesome, because it’ll give you what you didn’t know you needed.
And, if you’re open to having your views challenged or your perspective widened, this is the post for you. Listed down below are books that have brought a new point-of-view as I dove into them—some knowingly, some unknowingly. Some of these titles can be pretty hard to read—mostly on the very top of the list, at the very bottom of this post—some are just filled with fun discoveries. Either way, I really hope these books help you form new opinions of the world around you.
#10: Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance
You might know this book from its Netflix adaptation released in 2020—but if you thought that the film did it justice at all, you’ve got another thing coming. In today’s world, people often associate social injustice and economical inequality with race—thinking that white people are always better off than the rest of humanity. The truth, however, is that’s a pretty narrow way of looking at society.
This memoir by J.D. Vance tells the story of his people, the Appalachian hillbillies who have little access to a good education and a stable home life—which often lead to a pretty bleak future that repeats the pattern all over again. While he tells his story, he also analyses the facts and figures he has found to pinpoint the real problem in his community. And—not going to lie—it’s so sobering and eye-opening.
#10: Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance
You might know this book from its Netflix adaptation released in 2020—but if you thought that the film did it justice at all, you’ve got another thing coming. In today’s world, people often associate social injustice and economical inequality with race—thinking that white people are always better off than the rest of humanity. The truth, however, is that’s a pretty narrow way of looking at society.
This memoir by J.D. Vance tells the story of his people, the Appalachian hillbillies who have little access to a good education and a stable home life—which often lead to a pretty bleak future that repeats the pattern all over again. While he tells his story, he also analyses the facts and figures he has found to pinpoint the real problem in his community. And—not going to lie—it’s so sobering and eye-opening.
#9: Never Home Alone
by Rob Dunn
When looking at the world around us, we often focus on the big stuff—grizzly bears, whales, airplanes—but we never realise that everyday we are surrounded by the small creatures. And it’s actually the small ones who make such a giant impact on us. This book—with more than apt a name for what it contains—explores the various creatures, visible or invisible to the naked eye, who may bump into us on a day-to-day basis and possibly even live under the same roof as we do.
Rob Dunn, a biologist and professor in Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University, leads us on an exploration of the hidden worlds around our homes. Microbiomes and little critters who may crawl all over our place of dwellings. It may seem scary, sure, but he’s got an exciting finding that will benefit us: It turns out the more of these creatures live in our homes—meaning, the more biodiverse our ecosystem is—the more resilient our immune system will be. Don’t you want to know about this world now?
#9: Never Home Alone
by Rob Dunn
When looking at the world around us, we often focus on the big stuff—grizzly bears, whales, airplanes—but we never realise that everyday we are surrounded by the small creatures. And it’s actually the small ones who make such a giant impact on us. This book—with more than apt a name for what it contains—explores the various creatures, visible or invisible to the naked eye, who may bump into us on a day-to-day basis and possibly even live under the same roof as we do.
Rob Dunn, a biologist and professor in Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University, leads us on an exploration of the hidden worlds around our homes. Microbiomes and little critters who may crawl all over our place of dwellings. It may seem scary, sure, but he’s got an exciting finding that will benefit us: It turns out the more of these creatures live in our homes—meaning, the more biodiverse our ecosystem is—the more resilient our immune system will be. Don’t you want to know about this world now?
#8: Sentient
by Jackie Higgins
Similarly to the previous title, when we think of nature, we often do not include humans in it. Nature to us often consists only of flora and fauna—while forgetting completely that humans are also technically animals. We think we’re so different from other animals that we can never learn anything about ourselves from them. This book makes us reconsider that point of view.
Through this book, Jackie Higgins, a film-maker and author who studied zoology as a student of Richard Dawkins, takes us on a tour of our own physical capabilities and test its boundaries beyond our wildest imaginations through the way other animals behave and utilise their physical features. It will change how you view your own body—it has more than aesthetics value.
#8: Sentient
by Jackie Higgins
Similarly to the previous title, when we think of nature, we often do not include humans in it. Nature to us often consists only of flora and fauna—while forgetting completely that humans are also technically animals. We think we’re so different from other animals that we can never learn anything about ourselves from them. This book makes us reconsider that point of view.
Through this book, Jackie Higgins, a film-maker and author who studied zoology as a student of Richard Dawkins, takes us on a tour of our own physical capabilities and test its boundaries beyond our wildest imaginations through the way other animals behave and utilise their physical features. It will change how you view your own body—it has more than aesthetics value.
#7: Masyarakat Adat & Kedaulatan Pangan
by Ahmad Arif
Food is a major part of our everyday life. We consume on average 3 meals a day—depending on your diet, it may be more or less—yet it is very rarely that we think about where our food comes from. I’m not talking about where we buy it—the supermarket or the farmer’s market?—but beyond that. Even beyond the farmer who planted the vegetables or slaughtered the meat. Like is it locally grown or is it imported? Is it a native plant to our country and what history or cultural significance does it harbour? There are so many plants that we can consume on this planet but, apparently, 75% of our food comes from just 12 plants and 5 species of animals. Talk about lack of exploration!
In this third installment to his Pangan Nusantara series, Ahmad Arif goes into the detail of the role indigenous peoples have in cultivating and preserving numerous variety of foods. Previously, he has showcased Sago and Sorghum as two native Indonesian foods with a rich cultural history from all across the archipelago that have, unfortunately, been forgotten by people today. Now he dives deeper on a more massive scale to advocate for the indigenous people of Indonesia and their food sovereignty. It will make you look at food on a whole new light.
#6: Indonesia Etc.
by Elizabeth Pisani
We Indonesians are trained to believe from a very early age that our country is all about togetherness—that we are stronger together, that we are united despite our many differences. So, my whole life I have always believed that the 17,000-or-so islands are tightly knit and deeply connected in ways that no other country can manage—that’s 17,000 islands, 1,300 ethnic groups and 700 languages. But that, in reality, is a little bit of a pipe dream. And that’s what this book uncovers for me.
Elizabeth Pisani is no stranger to Indonesia. She had been here many times before, due to her journalism work. In this book, we follow her discoveries as she explores the archipelago and meet the Indonesian people from all corners of the country. It opened her eyes to the reality of Indonesia—more than what it aspires to be and markets to its people and the rest of the world. And it opened my eyes too. It showed me how big Indonesia is and what the means for the people not living in the capital. As someone who sits too close to the center, I suppose I’ve been blinded to see far and wide. But this book changed it all.
#7: Masyarakat Adat & Kedaulatan Pangan
by Ahmad Arif
Food is a major part of our everyday life. We consume on average 3 meals a day—depending on your diet, it may be more or less—yet it is very rarely that we think about where our food comes from. I’m not talking about where we buy it—the supermarket or the farmer’s market?—but beyond that. Even beyond the farmer who planted the vegetables or slaughtered the meat. Like is it locally grown or is it imported? Is it a native plant to our country and what history or cultural significance does it harbour? There are so many plants that we can consume on this planet but, apparently, 75% of our food comes from just 12 plants and 5 species of animals. Talk about lack of exploration!
In this third installment to his Pangan Nusantara series, Ahmad Arif goes into the detail of the role indigenous peoples have in cultivating and preserving numerous variety of foods. Previously, he has showcased Sago and Sorghum as two native Indonesian foods with a rich cultural history from all across the archipelago that have, unfortunately, been forgotten by people today. Now he dives deeper on a more massive scale to advocate for the indigenous people of Indonesia and their food sovereignty. It will make you look at food on a whole new light.
#6: Indonesia Etc.
by Elizabeth Pisani
We Indonesians are trained to believe from a very early age that our country is all about togetherness—that we are stronger together, that we are united despite our many differences. So, my whole life I have always believed that the 17,000-or-so islands are tightly knit and deeply connected in ways that no other country can manage—that’s 17,000 islands, 1,300 ethnic groups and 700 languages. But that, in reality, is a little bit of a pipe dream. And that’s what this book uncovers for me.
Elizabeth Pisani is no stranger to Indonesia. She had been here many times before, due to her journalism work. In this book, we follow her discoveries as she explores the archipelago and meet the Indonesian people from all corners of the country. It opened her eyes to the reality of Indonesia—more than what it aspires to be and markets to its people and the rest of the world. And it opened my eyes too. It showed me how big Indonesia is and what the means for the people not living in the capital. As someone who sits too close to the center, I suppose I’ve been blinded to see far and wide. But this book changed it all.
#5: Sprache und sein
by Kübra Gümüşay
I’ve mentioned Kübra Gümüşay before in the Muslim Content Creators post. She has been an inspiration to me for years now, so when she published her first book, I was intrigued to find out. I knew her as a writer who advocates for marginalised groups and Muslim women, but her take in this book was revelating.
Often we don’t realise how the languages we speak affect the way we think—and that’s why multilingual people tend to have a wider perspective on the world. We are formed by the words that we learn, as it was also formed by the culture they originate from. And, although our language may set us free, it can also box us in. Through this book and how we connect with our languages, Kübra takes us on a journey to consider the immigrant experience—as we all are immigrants—and question our cultural identity.
#5: Sprache und sein
by Kübra Gümüşay
I’ve mentioned Kübra Gümüşay before in the Muslim Content Creators post. She has been an inspiration to me for years now, so when she published her first book, I was intrigued to find out. I knew her as a writer who advocates for marginalised groups and Muslim women, but her take in this book was revelating.
Often we don’t realise how the languages we speak affect the way we think—and that’s why multilingual people tend to have a wider perspective on the world. We are formed by the words that we learn, as it was also formed by the culture they originate from. And, although our language may set us free, it can also box us in. Through this book and how we connect with our languages, Kübra takes us on a journey to consider the immigrant experience—as we all are immigrants—and question our cultural identity.
#4: Prisoners of Geogprahy
by Tim Marshall
If you think you’ve learnt about the world from your school history books, you may want to re-check that thought. The world we know today—the national borders, the cultural divide, the governmental regions—are, apparently, not shaped by mistake, let alone nature. A lot of the countries of the world are man-made.
Tim Marshall goes deep into ten different maps to unravel the origins of various nations of the world. Among the countries he mentions are China, India, Russia, the US and the Middle East. Through learning about their geographical history, we can learn a lot about the inner workings of the country. It explains why, for instance, India is so divided in its diversity, why the US is a superpower nation and why the “Middle East” has always been war-torn even today. And it might not be what you think.
#4: Prisoners of Geogprahy
by Tim Marshall
If you think you’ve learnt about the world from your school history books, you may want to re-check that thought. The world we know today—the national borders, the cultural divide, the governmental regions—are, apparently, not shaped by mistake, let alone nature. A lot of the countries of the world are man-made.
Tim Marshall goes deep into ten different maps to unravel the origins of various nations of the world. Among the countries he mentions are China, India, Russia, the US and the Middle East. Through learning about their geographical history, we can learn a lot about the inner workings of the country. It explains why, for instance, India is so divided in its diversity, why the US is a superpower nation and why the “Middle East” has always been war-torn even today. And it might not be what you think.
#3: Worn
by Sofi Thanhauser
As someone who advocates for slow and sustainable fashion, this book was pretty much a must-read for me. I’ve always been intrigued by the history of clothes—and fashion—and how it became the behemoth that it is today. But I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to find out.
Sofi Thanhauser takes us on a trip down memory lane, from the very first commonly used clothing material—in which she names linen—to the more modern synthetic materials, such rayons and nylons. She unravels the history of these materials, including cotton and silk, which turns out to be deeply enforced by slavery and environmental damage. In fact, the slavery still persists today—think Uyghur, which is also covered in great detail in this book. It will make you look at clothes in a whole new light.
#3: Worn
by Sofi Thanhauser
As someone who advocates for slow and sustainable fashion, this book was pretty much a must-read for me. I’ve always been intrigued by the history of clothes—and fashion—and how it became the behemoth that it is today. But I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to find out.
Sofi Thanhauser takes us on a trip down memory lane, from the very first commonly used clothing material—in which she names linen—to the more modern synthetic materials, such rayons and nylons. She unravels the history of these materials, including cotton and silk, which turns out to be deeply enforced by slavery and environmental damage. In fact, the slavery still persists today—think Uyghur, which is also covered in great detail in this book. It will make you look at clothes in a whole new light.
#2: The Uninhabitable Earth
by David Wallace-Wells
I’ve talked about this book multiple times before—and even went into it in great detail here—so I hope you’re not sick of it by now. It’s just that I cannot stress how mind-blowing and revelating this book was for me. You might find it a little extreme, but it is actually scientifically accurate. It just goes to show how scary things are going to be, if we don’t make changes now.
Lately, the media has been more and more obsessed with talking about the 1.5ºC earth temperature limit that we’re not supposed to surpass—especially since it’s actually projected to happen in 2027. Through this book, you will learn why the earth needs to stay within said limit and what will happen when it does break it. This book isn’t for the faint-hearted, though, as it paints some really horrifying picture of our absolutely possible future.
#2: The Uninhabitable Earth
by David Wallace-Wells
I’ve talked about this book multiple times before—and even went into it in great detail here—so I hope you’re not sick of it by now. It’s just that I cannot stress how mind-blowing and revelating this book was for me. You might find it a little extreme, but it is actually scientifically accurate. It just goes to show how scary things are going to be, if we don’t make changes now.
Lately, the media has been more and more obsessed with talking about the 1.5ºC earth temperature limit that we’re not supposed to surpass—especially since it’s actually projected to happen in 2027. Through this book, you will learn why the earth needs to stay within said limit and what will happen when it does break it. This book isn’t for the faint-hearted, though, as it paints some really horrifying picture of our absolutely possible future.
#1: The Shock Doctrine
by Naomi Klein
Did you know that the world’s economy was forever changed in the ’70s when the US meddled on other countries’ inner workings? Yep, neither did I. Naomi Klein unravels this underbelly of society through this book as she goes from one country to another, dissecting the chronological incidents that led to the demise of the world’s economy and the victory of capitalism that destroys the world today from the inside out. Among the countries she mentioned are Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Indonesia—yes, my home country! It’s hard not to get emotionally distressed at everything that I read here, especially considering the alternative where our archipelago could fare much better off, with a more equal distribution of wealth and power, had the meddling never happened.
Let me just leave this here: this book wasn’t easy to read. In fact, it was very, very draining to flip through. Not so much that it comes with a difficult subject, but more because it takes a toll on your emotional health. Naomi Klein is a brilliant writer who can take such a mind-blowing topic and lay it out on the pages for the readers to easily understand—and react accordingly. And, boy, did she unravel some really sick shit that we let happen on this earth. It’s really not just about money, but also the lives of hundreds of people the world sacrificed for the sake of capitalism.
What title did you read recently that changed your mind?
Do leave them in the comment!
#1: The Shock Doctrine
by Naomi Klein
Did you know that the world’s economy was forever changed in the ’70s when the US meddled on other countries’ inner workings? Yep, neither did I. Naomi Klein unravels this underbelly of society through this book as she goes from one country to another, dissecting the chronological incidents that led to the demise of the world’s economy and the victory of capitalism that destroys the world today from the inside out. Among the countries she mentioned are Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Indonesia—yes, my home country! It’s hard not to get emotionally distressed at everything that I read here, especially considering the alternative where our archipelago could fare much better off, with a more equal distribution of wealth and power, had the meddling never happened.
Let me just leave this here: this book wasn’t easy to read. In fact, it was very, very draining to flip through. Not so much that it comes with a difficult subject, but more because it takes a toll on your emotional health. Naomi Klein is a brilliant writer who can take such a mind-blowing topic and lay it out on the pages for the readers to easily understand—and react accordingly. And, boy, did she unravel some really sick shit that we let happen on this earth. It’s really not just about money, but also the lives of hundreds of people the world sacrificed for the sake of capitalism.
What title did you read recently that changed your mind?
Do leave them in the comment!