While fiction often imagines the world as it could be, non-fiction writing reflects our world as it really is — with all its complications and anxieties. The non-fiction of 2024 is no different. From a range of readings in history, memoir and society, the books which came out this year showcase the complexities of our world and point to ways in which we can understand it better.
Part memoir and part travelogue, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ ‘The message’ created ripples for its poetic and moving descriptions of everyday life of Palestinians as he travelled to the region in 2023. Coates’ original intention was to write about the process of powerful writing. Soon, he gets caught in the contradictions of a place and how it is written about — whether in Dakar, South Carolina or Palestine. A New York Times bestseller, ‘The message’ calls for writing which is liberating, even if painful at times.
The power of social media and its impact on the young generation cannot be ignored anymore.
Jonathan Haidt’s ‘An anxious generation’ explores the impact of technology on mental health. Based on hard data, Haidt calls for a freer childhood without the dependence on digital media which is so polarising and has serious impact on impressionable youth. The book is essential reading for parents who are concerned about avoiding the psychological damage on children from the excesses of technology.
Another major concern that will take much of our attention in the future is Artificial Intelligence. Mustafa Suleyman’s ‘The coming wave’ takes a complex look at the technologies that are becoming commonplace in our world: robotics, biotechnology and AI. While being excited about these innovations, he also warns that they could pose existential challenges to our world. His main argument is that these new innovations do not have intrinsic coping mechanisms and they are new and untested. This is also the argument of Yuval Hariri’s ‘Nexus’, also published this year.
Equally important and of urgent concern is the environment. While many books on climate change can be repetitive and dry, Ayana Johnson’s ‘What if we get it right?’ strikes a hopeful note that also shows that we should not be giving up on our earth just as yet. A collection of essays from influential policymakers, Johnson uses conversations and imaginative literature by people who are willing to make the right choices and ‘imagine what seems impossible’.
The most delightful read of this year is William Dalrymple’s ‘The golden road: How ancient India transformed the world’. In his inimitable style of storytelling, Dalrymple traces the ancient naval routes of India and how they impacted trade, philosophy, art and ancient religion. He focuses on the contribution of ancient India to mathematics, astronomy and Buddhism, not through wars and conquest but through its merchants, monks and artists. As all his other books on history, ‘The golden road’ also shows how history is a complex interweaving of forces and narratives, often lost in the passage of time.
There are many more books that influenced 2024 by talking about the most important concerns that occupy us today — climate change, technology and other global concerns. The next year promises to be just as exciting in its potential.
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