The World's Best Book Summaries
What is salt? What is the importance of salt? Salt is a commonplace item found in most people’s homes to season food, but salt is actually much more than that. According to Mark Kurlansky in his book Salt, the seasoning has a biological significance that’s necessary for our survival. Let’s look at the importance of salt for our bodies and our food.
What is the cycle of oppression? What are the four steps of the cycle? What was racial oppression like in 1950s America? In 1959, John Howard Griffin wrote Black Like Me to convince white Americans that the U.S. was not the racism-free country they thought it was. The book describes Griffin’s account of the segregated South and the cycle of oppression faced by Black Southerners. Read on to learn more about the cycle of oppression in the 1950s, according to Griffin.
What causes plastic pollution? What are the effects of plastic waste? There are over 5 billion tons of plastic waste in the world, causing plastic pollution in the soil, the water, and even the air. Most plastic doesn’t get recycled—even recycling centers incinerate or dump most of the plastic they get. Read on to learn more about what causes plastic pollution and the health and environmental effects.
How did racism in the South during segregation affect the lives of Black Southerners? What discrimination did they face? In the late 1950s, white journalist John Howard Griffin darkened his skin and spent six weeks traveling throughout the segregated Southern U.S. His aim was to convince white Americans that the U.S. was not the racism-free country they thought it was. Read on for examples of racism in the South during segregation, based on Griffin’s findings.
What is the harm of misleading science articles? What is the impact of journalism on the scientific community? Journalism is essential for sharing important information about the latest in science. However, as Ben Goldacre claims in Bad Science, journalism has the potential to spread misinformation that has a lasting impact on the public. Below, we’ll look at the many ways mainstream media outlets could misrepresent scientific findings.
What’s causing the anti-science movement? Why is there a widespread distrust of science recently? In recent years, an anti-science movement of hostility toward scientific institutions has spread around the globe. In response, an equally fervent pro-science movement has sprung up. Read on to learn why science has become controversial and what’s causing the anti-science movement.
How does culture influence who you are? How does it impact your goals and your behaviors? Sometimes your environment can make it hard for you to be yourself. Culture places certain expectations on people, and it can be difficult to stay true to what you really want and who you really are. Keep reading to understand how it can be easy to lose yourself amid cultural pressures.
What are the historic challenges to ending systemic racism in the U.S.? How did systemic racism operate in the Deep South? In his book Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin documented the racism Black Southerners experienced in the 1950s in the U.S. According to him, there were three primary challenges to ending systemic racism in the Deep South. Read on for an overview of the historic challenges to ending systemic racism in the U.S., according to Griffin.
Want an overview of Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin? What were Griffin’s key takeways from his experiment? In Black Like Me, John Howard Griffin darkened his skin to appear like a Black man, then traveled for six weeks throughout the segregated Southern U.S. In the book, he argues that his hypothesis was correct: Black Southerners faced brutal racism. Read on for an overview of John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me book.
What are the most common myths about alcoholism? What is the real truth about alcohol? In Quit Like a Woman, Holly Whitaker claims that she and many people took so long to recognize their alcoholism because we’re conditioned to believe drinking is normal. In her book, she debunks the most dangerous myths about alcoholism. Let’s explore these alcoholism myths and learn why they’re so harmful.