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Interventions 2020
by Michel Houellebecq • 2020
A provocateur on religion's sudden return, America's exit from power, and hell's disappearance.
3.57
579
Interventions 2020 Summary
Interventions 2020 92%
A provocateur on religion's sudden return, America's exit from power, and hell's disappearance.
by Michel Houellebecq 2020
3.57
579 ratings
In Praise of Risk
by Anne Dufourmantelle • 2011
To avoid risk is to refuse life. A philosopher's argument for love, beauty, and freedom.
4.12
613
In Praise of Risk Summary
In Praise of Risk 90%
To avoid risk is to refuse life. A philosopher's argument for love, beauty, and freedom.
by Anne Dufourmantelle 2011
4.12
613 ratings
How to Live
by Sarah Bakewell • 2010
What one man found about living well while inventing the personal essay in a 16th-century tower.
4.02
11k+
How to Live Summary
How to Live 90%
What one man found about living well while inventing the personal essay in a 16th-century tower.
by Sarah Bakewell 2010
4.02
11k+ ratings
Lyrical and Critical Essays
by Albert Camus • 1970
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
4.31
1k+
Lyrical and Critical Essays Summary
Lyrical and Critical Essays 90%
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
by Albert Camus 1970
4.31
1k+ ratings
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard • 2020
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
3.44
5k+
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read Summary
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read 89%
Not reading is a creative strategy, not a failure. A French critic makes the case.
by Pierre Bayard 2020
3.44
5k+ ratings
Writing and Difference
by Jacques Derrida • 1967
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
4.00
8k+
Writing and Difference Summary
Writing and Difference 89%
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
by Jacques Derrida 1967
4.00
8k+ ratings
What Is Existentialism?
by Simone de Beauvoir • 1944
No fixed nature, no cosmic plan, no excuses: what existentialism actually says about being human.
3.91
2k+
What Is Existentialism? Summary
What Is Existentialism? 89%
No fixed nature, no cosmic plan, no excuses: what existentialism actually says about being human.
by Simone de Beauvoir 1944
3.91
2k+ ratings
The Bonjour Effect
by Julie Barlow • 2016
Knowing the language isn't enough. The real test is the invisible rules behind every greeting.
3.90
2k+
The Bonjour Effect Summary
The Bonjour Effect 89%
Knowing the language isn't enough. The real test is the invisible rules behind every greeting.
by Julie Barlow 2016
3.90
2k+ ratings
Mythologies
by Roland Barthes • 1957
Wrestling, soap ads, and the Tour de France: how everyday life gets made to look inevitable.
4.08
17k+
Mythologies Summary
Mythologies 89%
Wrestling, soap ads, and the Tour de France: how everyday life gets made to look inevitable.
by Roland Barthes 1957
4.08
17k+ ratings
Maxims
by François de La Rochefoucauld • 1665
Every virtue is self-interest in a mask. Even your humility is pride that learned to bow.
4.03
5k+
Maxims Summary
Maxims 89%
Every virtue is self-interest in a mask. Even your humility is pride that learned to bow.
by François de La Rochefoucauld 1665
4.03
5k+ ratings
My Twenty-Five Years in Provence
by Peter Mayle • 2019
A rainy detour, a brothel lodging, and 25 years of rosé mornings in Provence.
3.93
5k+
My Twenty-Five Years in Provence Summary
My Twenty-Five Years in Provence 89%
A rainy detour, a brothel lodging, and 25 years of rosé mornings in Provence.
by Peter Mayle 2019
3.93
5k+ ratings
The Ethics of Ambiguity
by Simone de Beauvoir • 1947
Freedom is never just your own: the only genuine ethics is to will it for everyone.
4.17
8k+
The Ethics of Ambiguity Summary
The Ethics of Ambiguity 89%
Freedom is never just your own: the only genuine ethics is to will it for everyone.
by Simone de Beauvoir 1947
4.17
8k+ ratings
The Words
by Jean-Paul Sartre • 1963
Philosopher's childhood: every gesture staged for adults, every written word a bid for freedom.
3.73
10k+
The Words Summary
The Words 89%
Philosopher's childhood: every gesture staged for adults, every written word a bid for freedom.
by Jean-Paul Sartre 1963
3.73
10k+ ratings
How Proust Can Change Your Life
by Alain de Botton • 1998
The practical life advice hidden inside a 3,000-page French novel about memory and jealousy.
3.76
19k+
How Proust Can Change Your Life Summary
How Proust Can Change Your Life 89%
The practical life advice hidden inside a 3,000-page French novel about memory and jealousy.
by Alain de Botton 1998
3.76
19k+ ratings
Le suicide français
by Éric Zemmour • 2014
France did not fall. It dismantled itself, one law at a time, over forty years.
3.51
294
Le suicide français Summary
Le suicide français 88%
France did not fall. It dismantled itself, one law at a time, over forty years.
by Éric Zemmour 2014
3.51
294 ratings
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince
by Pierre Lassus • 2014
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
3.31
51
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince Summary
Discovering the Hidden Wisdom of the Little Prince 88%
Beneath the fable, a secret self-portrait: his wife in the rose, his despair in the desert.
by Pierre Lassus 2014
3.31
51 ratings
Le Triangle et l'Hexagone
by Maboula Soumahoro • 2020
Black and French was a contradiction. She crossed the Atlantic to make it a declaration.
4.38
154
Le Triangle et l'Hexagone Summary
Le Triangle et l'Hexagone 88%
Black and French was a contradiction. She crossed the Atlantic to make it a declaration.
by Maboula Soumahoro 2020
4.38
154 ratings
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
by Albert Camus • 1942
The only real philosophical question is suicide. The answer is not hope, but revolt.
4.21
66k+
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays Summary
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays 88%
The only real philosophical question is suicide. The answer is not hope, but revolt.
by Albert Camus 1942
4.21
66k+ ratings
The True Life
by Alain Badiou • 2016
A philosopher's diagnosis: boys can't become men, girls lose girlhood; the solution is corruption.
3.61
555
The True Life Summary
The True Life 88%
A philosopher's diagnosis: boys can't become men, girls lose girlhood; the solution is corruption.
by Alain Badiou 2016
3.61
555 ratings
Being and Nothingness
by Jean-Paul Sartre • 1943
Consciousness is a hole in being. What pours through is freedom, and it terrifies us.
3.99
35k+
Being and Nothingness Summary
Being and Nothingness 88%
Consciousness is a hole in being. What pours through is freedom, and it terrifies us.
by Jean-Paul Sartre 1943
3.99
35k+ ratings
The Logic of Sense
by Gilles Deleuze • 1969
Sense is not a thing but an event, a surface effect where language meets the world.
4.29
1k+
The Logic of Sense Summary
The Logic of Sense 88%
Sense is not a thing but an event, a surface effect where language meets the world.
by Gilles Deleuze 1969
4.29
1k+ ratings
Hitchcock/Truffaut
by François Truffaut • 1985
A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.
4.47
10k+
Hitchcock/Truffaut Summary
Hitchcock/Truffaut 88%
A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.
by François Truffaut 1985
4.47
10k+ ratings
Albert Camus
by Robert Zaretsky • 2010
Camus wrote against the death penalty. He stayed silent on Algeria. The life between those stands.
4.10
171
Albert Camus Summary
Albert Camus 88%
Camus wrote against the death penalty. He stayed silent on Algeria. The life between those stands.
by Robert Zaretsky 2010
4.10
171 ratings
A Thousand Plateaus
by Gilles Deleuze • 1980
All of Western thought is a tree. Two French philosophers found the off-switch: the root network.
4.33
7k+
A Thousand Plateaus Summary
A Thousand Plateaus 88%
All of Western thought is a tree. Two French philosophers found the off-switch: the root network.
by Gilles Deleuze 1980
4.33
7k+ ratings
Arguably
by Christopher Hitchens • 2011
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
4.20
10k+
Arguably Summary
Arguably 88%
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
by Christopher Hitchens 2011
4.20
10k+ ratings
Lessons from Madame Chic
by Jennifer L. Scott • 2011
The French art of looking polished, eating joyfully, and turning ordinary days into occasions.
3.73
9k+
Lessons from Madame Chic Summary
Lessons from Madame Chic 88%
The French art of looking polished, eating joyfully, and turning ordinary days into occasions.
by Jennifer L. Scott 2011
3.73
9k+ ratings
Books vs. Cigarettes
by George Orwell • 1946
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
3.83
9k+
Books vs. Cigarettes Summary
Books vs. Cigarettes 88%
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
by George Orwell 1946
3.83
9k+ ratings
Peasants Into Frenchmen
by Eugen Weber • 1976
They didn't speak French or feel French. Roads, schools, and barracks turned them into Frenchmen.
4.28
403
Peasants Into Frenchmen Summary
Peasants Into Frenchmen 88%
They didn't speak French or feel French. Roads, schools, and barracks turned them into Frenchmen.
by Eugen Weber 1976
4.28
403 ratings
Les vertus de l'échec
by Charles Pépin • 2016
We are the only animal that fails, and that fallibility is our greatest creative advantage.
3.90
2k+
Les vertus de l'échec Summary
Les vertus de l'échec 88%
We are the only animal that fails, and that fallibility is our greatest creative advantage.
by Charles Pépin 2016
3.90
2k+ ratings
The Wisdom of the Heart
by Henry Miller • 1941
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
4.03
663
The Wisdom of the Heart Summary
The Wisdom of the Heart 88%
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
by Henry Miller 1941
4.03
663 ratings
Totality and Infinity
by Emmanuel Levinas • 1961
Knowledge grasps at everything. The human face resists, demanding something older than philosophy.
4.21
2k+
Totality and Infinity Summary
Totality and Infinity 88%
Knowledge grasps at everything. The human face resists, demanding something older than philosophy.
by Emmanuel Levinas 1961
4.21
2k+ ratings
A Field Guide to Getting Lost
by Rebecca Solnit • 2005
Getting lost is where transformation begins. The unknown is the destination, not the detour.
3.90
21k+
A Field Guide to Getting Lost Summary
A Field Guide to Getting Lost 88%
Getting lost is where transformation begins. The unknown is the destination, not the detour.
by Rebecca Solnit 2005
3.90
21k+ ratings
Simple French Food
by Richard Olney • 1974
The French cookbook that puts the recipe last, and the why of every step first.
4.20
362
Simple French Food Summary
Simple French Food 88%
The French cookbook that puts the recipe last, and the why of every step first.
by Richard Olney 1974
4.20
362 ratings
Simulacra and Simulation
by Jean Baudrillard • 1981
What's left of reality when the map no longer copies the territory but creates it?
4.00
17k+
Simulacra and Simulation Summary
Simulacra and Simulation 88%
What's left of reality when the map no longer copies the territory but creates it?
by Jean Baudrillard 1981
4.00
17k+ ratings
At the Existentialist Café
by Sarah Bakewell • 2016
The existentialists built a philosophy from cafés, war, and each other's complicated lives.
4.24
20k+
At the Existentialist Café Summary
At the Existentialist Café 87%
The existentialists built a philosophy from cafés, war, and each other's complicated lives.
by Sarah Bakewell 2016
4.24
20k+ ratings
Cooking for Kings
by Ian Kelly • 2003
Abandoned at ten on Paris streets. He became the pastry architect for Napoleon, tsars, and kings.
3.75
291
Cooking for Kings Summary
Cooking for Kings 87%
Abandoned at ten on Paris streets. He became the pastry architect for Napoleon, tsars, and kings.
by Ian Kelly 2003
3.75
291 ratings
The Book of (More) Delights
by Ross Gay • 2023
A year of looking closely: when joy and sorrow share the same sentence.
4.25
3k+
The Book of (More) Delights Summary
The Book of (More) Delights 87%
A year of looking closely: when joy and sorrow share the same sentence.
by Ross Gay 2023
4.25
3k+ ratings
Elogio de la duda
by Victoria Camps • 2016
Certainty is the enemy of democracy. Doubt is its immune system.
3.79
176
Elogio de la duda Summary
Elogio de la duda 87%
Certainty is the enemy of democracy. Doubt is its immune system.
by Victoria Camps 2016
3.79
176 ratings
L'art de la Simplicité
by Dominique Loreau • 2008
Why owning less is the real luxury, and how French and Japanese simplicity teach it.
3.51
6k+
L'art de la Simplicité Summary
L'art de la Simplicité 87%
Why owning less is the real luxury, and how French and Japanese simplicity teach it.
by Dominique Loreau 2008
3.51
6k+ ratings
The Myth of Sisyphus
by Albert Camus • 1942
Indifferent universe, no cosmic meaning: why not end it? Camus answers with Sisyphus.
4.17
99k+
The Myth of Sisyphus Summary
The Myth of Sisyphus 87%
Indifferent universe, no cosmic meaning: why not end it? Camus answers with Sisyphus.
by Albert Camus 1942
4.17
99k+ ratings
Several Short Sentences About Writing
by Verlyn Klinkenborg • 2012
Writing isn't about flow or formulas; it's about one clear sentence, then another.
4.13
4k+
Several Short Sentences About Writing Summary
Several Short Sentences About Writing 87%
Writing isn't about flow or formulas; it's about one clear sentence, then another.
by Verlyn Klinkenborg 2012
4.13
4k+ ratings
Bringing Up Bébé
by Pamela Druckerman • 2012
French babies sleep at three months, toddlers eat vegetables. An American mom in Paris takes notes.
4.02
80k+
Bringing Up Bébé Summary
Bringing Up Bébé 87%
French babies sleep at three months, toddlers eat vegetables. An American mom in Paris takes notes.
by Pamela Druckerman 2012
4.02
80k+ ratings
Albert Camus
by Olivier Todd • 1996
The Nobel laureate who preached justice but found none for his own homeland.
4.03
837
Albert Camus Summary
Albert Camus 87%
The Nobel laureate who preached justice but found none for his own homeland.
by Olivier Todd 1996
4.03
837 ratings
Best American Essays 2018
by Hilton Als • 2018
The essay as weapon and refuge: twenty-seven writers on race, memory, and a nation on edge.
3.53
350
Best American Essays 2018 Summary
Best American Essays 2018 87%
The essay as weapon and refuge: twenty-seven writers on race, memory, and a nation on edge.
by Hilton Als 2018
3.53
350 ratings
The Deadline
by Jill Lepore • 2023
The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.
4.31
621
The Deadline Summary
The Deadline 87%
The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.
by Jill Lepore 2023
4.31
621 ratings
Brave Genius
by Sean B. Carroll • 2013
Forged in the Resistance, a philosopher and a biologist fought the Cold War with different weapons.
4.28
727
Brave Genius Summary
Brave Genius 87%
Forged in the Resistance, a philosopher and a biologist fought the Cold War with different weapons.
by Sean B. Carroll 2013
4.28
727 ratings
Step Across This Line
by Salman Rushdie • 2002
A death sentence for a book. A decade of essays on freedom, Oz, and writing anyway.
3.93
1k+
Step Across This Line Summary
Step Across This Line 87%
A death sentence for a book. A decade of essays on freedom, Oz, and writing anyway.
by Salman Rushdie 2002
3.93
1k+ ratings
Of Grammatology
by Jacques Derrida • 1967
Philosophy treats speech as pure thought and writing as its corrupt double. It has it backward.
3.97
5k+
Of Grammatology Summary
Of Grammatology 87%
Philosophy treats speech as pure thought and writing as its corrupt double. It has it backward.
by Jacques Derrida 1967
3.97
5k+ ratings
What If This Were Enough?
by Heather Havrilesky • 2018
Enforced cheer imprisons you. The bars are Instagram and Whole Foods; the key is giving up.
3.64
3k+
What If This Were Enough? Summary
What If This Were Enough? 87%
Enforced cheer imprisons you. The bars are Instagram and Whole Foods; the key is giving up.
by Heather Havrilesky 2018
3.64
3k+ ratings
Letters to a Young Contrarian
by Christopher Hitchens • 2001
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
4.13
13k+
Letters to a Young Contrarian Summary
Letters to a Young Contrarian 87%
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
by Christopher Hitchens 2001
4.13
13k+ ratings
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