IndyPL Staff Picks 2025- Best of Nonfiction: Science and Technology
This year, we had so many nonfiction faves we had to split our list in two. In this list, find the best of science and technology. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, climate change, and disease, we need books more than ever to help us make sense of the changing landscape. Learn about the ongoing tuberculosis health crisis (Everything is Tuberculosis), how environmental toxins might have helped create serial killers (Murderland), and the history of Sam Altman and Open AI (Empire of AI).
#IndyPLAdults #IndyPLStaffPicks
"Critically important book on the world’s largest public health crisis. Even though tuberculosis is preventable and treatable, at least 1 million people die from it every year – usually the poorest people in the world. Heart-breakingly written by…
"Fraser makes the link between the rise in toxic waste from manufacturing and a wave of serial killers born and raised in the shadows of industrial complexes. Dives into the details of several serial killers (Bundy, BTK, the Green River Killer) but…
"In his late 30s Jeff Chu left his job as a magazine writer to go to seminary where he found himself working on Princeton Theological Seminary’s “Farminary”. The Farminary is a 21 acre working farm where seminary students learn about farming while…
"If you like fungi, unique animal facts, or queer memoirs, this book is for you! This unique memoir gives insight into the queerness that has always existed in nature and details how this helped inform Kaishan's identities both as a queer,…
"Mary takes you on a delightful tour of the strange hows of organ transplants, reconstructive surgery, and the minds, and pigs, behind the ideas. Great for those who enjoy medical hisitory, a sense of humor, and endless curiousity." -…
"We increasingly understand the current iteration of social media to be a problem, but we aren't any closer to workable soluations. Does a nice job covering the history and evolution of social media." - IndyPL_ChrisM, Adult Nonfiction Selector, and…
"This book is an upsetting but eye-opening read that follows the journey of our trash, revealing the harsh realities behind recycling and wastemanagement. It takes readers through ship-wrecking yards and Indonesian trash piles, exposing the human…
"Hao draws from her time as a journalist to build a strong narrative that is accesible for most readers, including those with no technical background but who want to understand how we found ourselves suddenly in the age of AI. This title explores…
BEST OF THE BACK CATALOG- "In a world that is increasingly filled with technology, sometimes you need a 200 page manifesto to remind you to break some things-- it might be good for you. As Legacy Russell says 'We want the fail. We strive for…
