2024-09-01 08:41:40
Discover how people spend their time most beautifully. Find out how our democracy is in crisis. And read how the human story is told from the point of view of women. With non-fiction books you have your say.
At this point we recommend the non-fiction books of the month. Media partners are “Die Literarische Welt”, RBB Kultur, “NZZ” and Radio Österreich 1. Experts from an independent jury choose ten titles from the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and economics. In September it is right:
1. Michaela Krutzen:
Waste of time. Drama, suspense, drama in film and literature. S. Fischer, 960 pages, 38 euros.
The film scholar looks at famous bon vivants and fictional characters from books and films, from Ilija Oblomov to Hans Castorp on Magic Mountain to “The Big Lebowski”.
2. Steve Ayan:
The magic of the soul. From Vienna to the world. A century of psychology. dtv, 400 pages, 26 euros.
Science journalist Ayan tells how science became the institutional discipline of the 20th century. After the books by Dagmar Herzog (“Freud’s Cold War”) and Andreas Petersen (“The East and the Unconscious. How Freud Disappeared in the Common”), the history of mental medicine has now also reached the popular science of non-fiction.
3. Armin Nassehi:
Against the grand leadership. Think differently about social change. CH Beck, 224 pages, 18 euros.
The sociologist Armin Nassehi warned: Even in times of climate change, there can be no major economic restructuring planned. All modern society is slow and can only take small steps. Read the book review here.
4. Raphael Scheck:
Spring 1940. How people in Europe experienced the Western campaign. Hoffmann and Campe, 448 pages, 28 euros.
Scheck teaches history at Colby College in the US. Based on some unpublished reports, letters and diary entries, the historian tells clearly about the months of May and June 1940 from the perspective of ordinary soldiers and civilians on both sides of the front.
5. Maximilian Steinbeis:
Democracy is vulnerable. Wisdom against the populist takeover. Hanser, 304 pages, 25 euros.
Are situations like in Hungary, where the government can no longer be voted into practice, also possible in Germany? Lawyer Steinbeis (“Verfassungsblog”) finds legal gateways for political obstruction, obstruction and manipulation. Read a detailed review of the book here.
6. Bohannon’s Cat:
Eve. The wonder of the female body and how it has shaped the evolution of life on Earth for 200 million years. C. Bertelsmann, 768 pages, 30 euros.
The US author’s decision is great: he wants to tell the story of a woman and pick up where Harari’s “Homo Sapiens” left off.
7. Philipp Schönthaler:
How rational thinking becomes romantic. AI, creativity and algorithmic postrationality. Mathes & Seitz, 223 pages, 16 euros.
Schönthaler was long concerned with the interaction between poetry and the computer of our writing. Your new essay also links in there.
8. René Aguigah:
James Baldwin. witness A picture. CH Beck, 233 pages, 24 pages.
This book explores his literary life and work and explains what makes Baldwin a black, gay writer so attractive for our time marked by identity politics. Read more about James Baldwin here.
9 Tim Henning:
Scholarly freedom and ethics. Suhkamp, 319 pages, 30 euros.
The pandemic has shown that scientists are not very good at estimating the errors or the practical costs of government measures, said economist Tim Henning. Read an interview with the author here.
10. Florian Klenk:
About life and death. In forensic medicine. Zsolnay, 192 pages, 23 euros.
Using the example of the Viennese forensic pathologist Christian Reiter, who dissected more than 7,000 corpses in his professional life, the reporter shows a job that many people find macabre.
Additional recommendations:
In addition to the ten tips from the panel, there is an additional recommendation from the guest every month. This time to Volker Perthes (Former Director of Science and Political Science). It guarantees:
“A scientific study about the social unrest area in Germany that clearly shows certain risks, but at the same time de-dramatizes them. The results of the data-based study contradict the common theory of social polarization. Even if society as a whole is not polarized, there are causal points – “points of rupture … where anger and opposition are expressed” (page 387) – and which can contribute to radicalization, especially on the ends.
The policy that tries to act prospectively should take into account where these causal points are, namely, according to the authors, where people see “unfair treatment”, are challenged in “the the hope of ‘normality'”, fearing the loss of control. or perceive political action as drinking. If the recent election results seem to show that some of these factors have already been triggered on a large scale, so politicians should make an effort to use the production that is also a necessary tendency to find solutions in the middle to face existing conflicts. (Volker Perthes)
“Trigger points” by Steffen Mau is also discussed in WELT and is already on the WELT best list in December 2023. Mouse’s new book “Unequally United. Why our East is different” and was on the best of list in July.
The jury of non-fiction books of the month
Tobias Becker, “Spiegel”; Eike Gebhardt, Berlin; Knud von Harbou, journalist, Feldafing; Professor Jochen Hörisch, University of Mannheim; Günter Kaindlstorfer, Vienna; Otto Kallscheuer, Sassari (Italy); Petra Kammann, “Feuilleton Frankfurt”; Jörg-Dieter Kogel, Bremen; Wilhelm Krull, The New Institute, Hamburg; Marianna Lieder, independent critic, Berlin; Lukas Meyer-Blankenburg, SWR 2 Wissen; Professor Herfried Münkler, Humboldt University; Gerlinde Pölsler, “Falter”; Marc Reichwein, WELT; Thomas Ribi, “NZZ”; Professor Sandra Richter, German Literature Archive Marbach; Wolfgang Ritschl, ORF; Florian Rötzer, “Krass & Konkret”; Norbert Seitz, Berlin; Anne-Catherine Simon, “Die Presse”, Vienna; Professor Philipp Theisohn, University of Zurich; Andreas Wang, Berlin; Harro Zimmermann, Bremen; Stefan Doubt, Switzerland
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