Must Read Non-Fiction for October 2024

What do you want when no one is watching?
Who do you fantasise about when the lights are off?
When you think about sex, what do you really want?

When we talk about sex, we talk about womanhood and motherhood, infidelity and exploitation, consent and respect, fairness and egalitarianism, love and hate, pleasure and pain. And yet so many of us don’t talk about it at all.

In this groundbreaking book, Gillian Anderson collects and introduces the anonymous sexual fantasies of women from around the world (along with her own anonymous submission). They are all extraordinary: full of desire, fear, intimacy, shame, satisfaction and, ultimately, liberation. From dreaming about someone off-limits to conjuring a scene with multiple partners, from sex that is gentle and tender to passionate and playful, from women who have never had sex to women who have had more sex than they can remember, these fantasies provide a window into the most secret part of our minds.

Want reveals how women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally themselves.

MONEY. The object of our desires. The engine of our genius. Humanity’s greatest invention.

Whether we like it or not, our world revolves around money, but we rarely stop to think about it. What is money, where does it come from, and can it run out? What is this substance that drives trade, revolutions and discoveries; inspires art, philosophy and science?

In this illuminating, sometimes irreverent, and often surprising journey, economist David McWilliams charts the relationship between humans and money – from a tally stick in ancient Africa to coins in Republican Greece, from mathematics in the medieval Arab world to the French Revolution, and from the emergence of the US dollar right up to today’s cryptocurrency and beyond.

Along the way, we meet a host of characters who have innovated with money, disrupting society and changing the way we live, in an ongoing monetary evolution that has, for the last 5000 years, animated human progress. McWilliams unlocks the mysteries and power of money, explaining why it matters and how it shapes our world

The behind-the-scenes story of a four-year investigation into Andrew Tate, exploring how a failed reality TV star turned accused organised criminal managed to become one of the most famous influencers in the world.

In 2022 Andrew Tate went from a little-known kickboxer and failed reality TV star to a figure that would define a new era of misogyny. Tate started the year as a fringe internet celebrity, but by August he was the most Googled man in the world. In that same month, the journalists and filmmakers Matt Shea and Jamie Tahsin were inside his compound, making a documentary that would result in the first women coming forward to accuse him of sexual and physical violence. Tate would end the year in a Romanian jail, facing charges of human trafficking, rape, and being part of an organised crime unit. But the investigations wouldn’t stop there.

Part Gonzo journalism, part masculinity rabbit hole, this book takes you on Shea and Tahsin’s journey to reveal the dark secrets of Andrew Tate, the machine that brought him here, and the ideology he has unleashed on a generation of young men.

The remarkable story of the most influential book in human history.

The Bible is the world’s best-known text. Yet, it is a book that never was – its original form does not exist and likely never did. What we have is the inheritance of generation after generation of Christians who have sought to hear God speak. Available in over 3,000 languages and taking innumerable forms, each version is a revelation, evolving as a reflection of its own culture and moment.

Bruce Gordon traces the Bible’s astounding journey from its emergence as a codex in the second century, to the Reformation of the Middle Ages, to the spectacular growth of Christianity in the Global South today. It has been a tool for violence and oppression, weaponised in the name of colonialism, and it has expressed hopes for freedom in the struggle for liberation. Found in desert monasteries and Chinese house churches, in Byzantine cathedrals and Guatemalan villages, it has been a book in motion from its very beginnings, a product of more than two thousand years of wandering, restlessness and change.

Breathtakingly global in scope, The Bible is a sweeping history of this sacred book told through the stories of its diverse human encounters in search of the divine – revealing not a static text but a living, dynamic cultural force.

Throughout her multi-faceted career, Venus Williams has earned four Olympic gold medals, 21 Grand Slam titles, and built two companies. Along with her sister, Venus became the first female African American minority owner of an NFL team, Miami Dolphins. All her successes are tied to one simple promise to herself: make everything in life easy, enjoyable – but most of all – exciting.

In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease which causes uncomfortable symptoms such as dry eyes and mouth, achiness and fatigue. But the diagnosis did not hold her back – in fact, she grew wiser and stronger. Venus has always believed that it shouldn’t be hard to be healthy, which is why in STRIVE, she introduces readers to the strategy that has allowed her to reach any goal she has ever set for herself much faster with less effort or stress. She delivers an innovative approach that asks readers to simply consider eight tiny but essential tenets: Observe, Appreciate, Balance, Enrich, Soothe, Believe, Inspire, and Strive.

By staying true to these eight tenets – even if just for a few minutes a day – the immediate and long-term health and wellness goals you have for yourself fall into place, quickly transforming smart, healthy choices into life-long habits. Through STRIVE, you’ll finally forge a lifestyle you’ll always return to because you ‘want’ to – not because you have to – and that’s when you start winning.

‘I share to normalise talking about those shameful, hurtful things we keep hidden. I share because shame loses its power when we find safe spaces to share our truth … and when women heal, generations heal.’

To her thousands of fans, Wisdom & Wellness founder and celebrity influencer Mpoomy Ledwaba is a symbol of strength and women empowerment. But going from university dropout to Forbes magazine’s list of 30 Under 30 wasn’t always easy – it took a lot of guts and a commitment to personal growth.

How did we get here? is her coming-of-age story. Looking back on her upbringing, major milestones and the challenges she’s faced, Mpoomy takes us on her journey of self-discovery. Behind the Instagram likes and thousands of YouTube subscribers is a bright girl who sometimes bit off more than she could chew. This mother of two, who is married to a popular musician, didn’t always have a plan and rarely fit the mould of ‘the good wife’.

In this frank account, Mpoomy writes openly about the hurt she’s experienced, the mistakes she’s made and some of the hard truths she’s had to learn about life, but also how her faith has been a guiding light. As a firm believer in the power of stories, she uses her personal history to show how to live a purposeful life on all levels.

Bestselling historian William Dalrymple reinstates India as the great intellectual and philosophical superpower of Ancient Asia, tracing the cultural flow of its religion, science and mathematics.

India is the forgotten heart of the ancient world

For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation, creating around it a vast empire of ideas. Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world, along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific.

William Dalrymple draws from a lifetime of scholarship to highlight India’s oft ­forgotten position as the heart of ancient Eurasia. For the first time, he gives a name to this spread of Indian ideas that transformed the world. From the largest Hindu temple in the world at Angkor Wat to the Buddhism of Japan, from the trade that helped fund the Roman Empire to the creation of the numerals we use today (including zero), India transformed the culture and technology of its ancient world – and our world today as we know it.

Life is so busy, right? Whether it’s a been a long day of work, a busy day juggling kids or just a jam-packed day in general, it can be a challenge to face the never-ending daily dilemma: what’s for dinner? You stare into the fridge or pantry and, though the possibilities are endless, you also feel like you just have zero creativity to throw anything tasty together.

Donna Hay is here to answer that age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” with a treasure trove of simple, fast dinner recipes that are beautiful and flavorful. She also includes expert tips for stocking your pantry with all the clever flavor boosters and shortcut ingredients you’ll need to make that dinner question a too-easy one to answer.

Donna Hay wants to make cooking easy, simple, quick and fun. In her new cookbook, Too Easy, you’ll find everything you need to make everything you want—from Ten Minute Snacks, to Tossed Together Dinners, to One Pot Pastas and much, much more.

Award-winning science journalist and author of The Expectation Effect David Robson explores why social connection matters even more than we thought, how to build better relationships and improve our lives

In the early 1960s scientists at the University of California, Berkeley set out to establish the key factors affecting health and longevity. Their results, known as the ‘Alameda 7’, you already know: don’t smoke, drink in moderation, sleep seven to eight hours a night, exercise, eat regular meals, maintain a moderate weight, eat breakfast. Years later, however, the same team discovered an eighth factor, one that proved more important than all the others: social connection.

When we form meaningful bonds with others, our wounds heal faster, we shake off infections more quickly and our blood pressure drops. We are less likely to have Alzheimer’s, heart attacks or strokes. When people feel that they have strong social support, they perform better on tests of mental focus, memory and problem solving. Greater connection can fuel creativity, increase our financial stability and enhance our work productivity. But making friends can also be daunting.

In The Laws of Connection, David Robson does two important things: he takes us through the fascinating science behind the effects of social connection and he unpacks the research that shows that we are all better at being social than we might think. We meet ideas such as ‘the liking gap’ and ‘the gratitude gap’, learn to recognise ‘frenemies’ and discover a powerful conversational strategy known as the ‘fast-friends procedure’ that promotes instant rapport. Being social doesn’t have to mean having dozens of friends, it can also mean having one true, deep connection with another person. As Robson shows, we can all benefit from the laws of connection.

The elegant and insightful memoir from the bestselling author of Call Me By Your Name, Find Me and The Gentleman From Peru.

Rome, 1964. As 13 year old André stands at the foot of the gangway to the ship, his mother fusses over their luggage – 32 suitcases, trunks and tea chests that contain their world. The ship will refuel and return to Alexandria, the home where they have left their father, as the Aciman family begin a new adventure. André is now head of the family, with a little brother to keep in line and a mother to translate for – for although she’s mute, she is nothing if not communicative.

Equal parts transporting and beautiful, this coming of age memoir shares the luminous, fragile truth of life for a family forever in exile, living in Rome, but still yet to find a home

A grand, sweeping history of the evolution of morality across the entire existence of humankind

For almost five million years, humans have been locked in a relationship with morality, inventing and reinventing the concepts of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, and weaving them into our cities, laws and customs.

Morality is a concept that can feel joyless and claustrophobic, associated with restraint and coercion, restriction and sacrifice, inquisition, confession and a guilty conscience. For many, it is a device used to shame us into compliance. This impression is not necessarily incorrect, but it is most certainly incomplete.

Hanno Sauer traces humanity’s fundamental moral transformations from our earliest ancestors through to the present day, when it can often seem that we have never disagreed more over what it means to be good, and what it means to be right. But we can use our past as a basis for a new understanding of our future. Our current political disagreements may feel like the end of the world, but where will the evolution of morality take us next?

Artificial Intelligence will create gigantic benefits for humankind but will become more powerful than many governments, with purposes and plans of its own, and the ability to alter the very basis of life on earth. Many believe that AI poses a threat to human dominance.

In this punchy, follow-up to his bestselling The Future of (Almost) Everything, leading futurist Patrick Dixon has written an in-depth but accessible exploration of AI, looking at the future of the subject and assessing both threats and benefits – from health and education to cybersecurity, business and the world of work.

How AI Will Change Your Life looks at likely outcomes for both individuals and businesses in all areas of life and provides advice for the reader and a charter for governments to exploit the benefits and avoid the risks.

One of the first books to examine the wide breadth of the African Diaspora and its influence on international fashion.

Tracing the local and global impact of Black Diasporic designers, Africa’s Fashion Diaspora is one of the first books to explore the diverse perspectives and significant roles that Black designers have contributed to the creation of international fashion culture. With a focus on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, this book features some of the best examples of innovative fashion throughout the period and contextualizes how diasporic designers’ work can speak to contemporary issues, including decolonization, sustainability, and social equity. Diasporic designers cannot be monolithically defined they come from varied cultures and their work speaks to their personal experiences, as well as wide ranges of influence.

Featuring cutting-edge designers such as Oliver Rousteing, Tremaine Emory, Virgil Abloh and their work in the major fashion houses of Balmain, Denim Tears and Off-White, as well as Pathé’O, Stephen Burrows, Patrick Kelly and the iconic designs from the 1970s and 1980s. Hylan Booker‘s creative output during his time as Head of the House of Worth during the 1960s London relaunch is also explored. Africa’s Fashion Diaspora introduces readers to important, yet unexamined fashion histories that form our current fashion ecosystem and support the impactful designers who are shaping contemporary culture.