The 25 best science and ideas books
The 25 highest-ranked science and ideas books in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 119 science and ideas books in all. How we rank
- 1
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer93.3Must-Read ScoreThe Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
It turns a frightening subject into a thrilling story of brilliant, stubborn people, and it explains the science so clearly that you'll actually understand how cancer works.
- 2
The Body Keeps the Score92.1Must-Read ScoreThe Body Keeps the Score
It changed how a whole generation understands trauma, and readers often say it helped them make sense of themselves or someone they love.
- 3
A Brief History of Time89.6Must-Read ScoreA Brief History of Time
It's one of the best-selling science books ever because Hawking makes mind-expanding ideas feel within reach, with wit and wonder.
- 4Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind88.8Must-Read Score
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
It's one of the best-selling nonfiction books ever, with about 25 million copies sold, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and on the Guardian's list of the best books of the 21st century.
- 5Braiding Sweetgrass88.2Must-Read Score
Braiding Sweetgrass
Published by a small press in 2013, it found its readers by word of mouth and went on to spend more than 130 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 6
Cosmos87.7Must-Read ScoreCosmos
Sagan makes science feel like wonder, and his prose can make you see the night sky differently for the rest of your life.
- 7
The Anxious Generation87.3Must-Read ScoreThe Anxious Generation
It's one of the most influential books of the decade, already reshaping school phone policies and family rules around the world.
- 8
Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity86.8Must-Read ScoreFar From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity
It's a monumental, deeply compassionate book that won the NBCC Award, and readers say it changed how they think about parenting, difference and what makes a family.
- 9Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It86.8Must-Read Score
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
It's one of the most widely recommended books on negotiation, and it has spent 48 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in the last year alone.
- 10Thinking, Fast and Slow86.8Must-Read Score
Thinking, Fast and Slow
It brought a lifetime of research into one book and changed how people think about judgment and decision-making, in business, medicine and everyday life.
- 11
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History86.1Must-Read ScoreThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
It won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction and is on the Guardian's lists of the best nonfiction ever written.
- 12
Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World85.9Must-Read ScoreFire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World
The fire chapters are as gripping as any thriller, and the bigger story is essential for understanding the world we're entering.
- 13
Everything Is Tuberculosis85.7Must-Read ScoreEverything Is Tuberculosis
It's short, compassionate and surprisingly gripping, and it makes the history of a disease feel personal and urgent.
- 14
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals85.2Must-Read ScoreThe Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
It was a National Book Critics Circle finalist and is on the Guardian's list of the best books of the century.
- 15
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity83.8Must-Read ScoreOutlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and a #1 bestseller.
- 16
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression83.7Must-Read ScoreThe Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
It won the National Book Award and was a Pulitzer finalist.
- 17
Outliers: The Story of Success83.3Must-Read ScoreOutliers: The Story of Success
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and popularized the "10,000-hour rule." It's fast, entertaining and full of conversation-starting stories.
- 18Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End82.9Must-Read Score
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
It spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and changed how many doctors and families talk about aging and dying.
- 19
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us82.9Must-Read ScoreAn Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
It was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Goodreads Choice Award.
- 20
Silent Spring82.8Must-Read ScoreSilent Spring
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and is on both the Modern Library and Guardian lists of the best nonfiction ever written.
- 21
How to Be an Antiracist82.6Must-Read ScoreHow to Be an Antiracist
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and became one of the most widely read books of 2020.
- 22
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks82.3Must-Read ScoreThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century.
- 23Maybe You Should Talk to Someone82.0Must-Read Score
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
It spent 54 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 24
The Selfish Gene81.9Must-Read ScoreThe Selfish Gene
It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time.
- 25
The Soul of a New Machine80.9Must-Read ScoreThe Soul of a New Machine
It won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.