Jeff Chang: A Social History of the Hip-Hop Generation, Rediscovered
Indie kingmakers Pitchfork have compiled a list of their favorite music books and Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, by Lavin speaker Jeff Chang, is on it. A strong choice for University Common Read programs, Chang’s sweeping masterwork of vivid cultural reporting hedges... Continue Reading →
A New Book by Nathan Wolfe, The Viral Storm, Rethinks Pandemics
Biologist and virus hunter Nathan Wolfe, who is a member of this year's TIME 100, will release his first book, The Viral Storm: the Dawn of a New Pandemic Age, this fall. Called "a charismatic and rising star of the medical world" by fellow Lavin speaker Jared Diamond, Wolfe crisscrosses the globe... Continue Reading →
Charles Fishman: We Don't Have a Language for Talking About Water
You'd think humans couldn't screw up water, being a renewable resource and all, but as we learn from a recent Washington Post piece, “we squander it and defile it. Until, as we are increasingly finding, it is not there when we want it.” The article looks at three must-read books acting as viaducts... Continue Reading →
From Aspen Ideas Fest: John Maeda on Creative Cultures
Innovation speaker John Maeda recently spoke about building cultures of creativity at the 2011 Aspen Ideas Festival, as part of a panel moderated by Paolo Antonelli, MOMA's senior curator in the department of Architecture and Design. The renowned artist, designer, educator, and current president... Continue Reading →
Dr. Jared Diamond on the Future of Human Rights
Celebrity scientist and Pulitzer Prize winning author Jared Diamond knows how to tackle big questions. His bestsellers, Collapse, and Guns, Germs, and Steel, have changed the ways we look at how societies thrive or fail and how we can maximize happiness while dodging ecological collapse. Now, in a... Continue Reading →
Salman Rushdie: A Rare Glimpse Into a Tumultuous Life
Over the weekend, The Guardian published an interesting interview with Salman Rushdie, in which the legendary author chats about fatherhood, faith, fatwa, and the writing of his 600-page biography—which industry insiders have pegged as one of the most anticipated releases of the decade. The... Continue Reading →
Rick Mercer: A Nation Worth Ranting About
Rick Mercer's a funny man, but underneath the hilarity is an ever-present keen ability to hold a mirror to the nation. In the past few weeks, with so much change coming to Canada's political landscape, Mercer has honed a new talk—“A Nation Worth Ranting About"—to address the years ahead. Mercer... Continue Reading →
David Eagleman's Mind-bending New Book, Incognito
We might like to think our brains are fundamentally created equal, but David Eagleman, all-star neuroscientist and Lavin speaker, disagrees. “Many of us like to believe that all adults possess the same capacity to make sound choices,” he argues in his amazingly-received new book, Incognito. “It's a... Continue Reading →