2 new nonfiction books explore the impact of cultural forces in the world of music

Many college students take a Psychology 101 class, but not many of them actually absorb and remember the material. If you like the study of the mind but would rather pass on dry lectures, The Psychology Book offers a broad overview of psychology and how it’s changed over time, exploring its various fields and the major figures and theories in those fields. The authors bring a wide range of expertise to the book, including clinical psychology, business psychology, journalism, writing and editing, and music.

In our guide, we’ll explore the origins of psychology before moving chronologically through six major fields: behaviorism, psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, and differential psychology. We’ll also add historical context, criticisms and limitations of certain theories, and updated research that supports or contradicts some theories.

Peak explores how peak performers in music, athletics, and other fields develop their abilities. Through purposeful practice and the development of effective mental representations, nearly anyone can become an expert in whatever field they choose. The book shatters many illusions about expertise—chiefly, that it comes from genius or “natural” talent. Instead, it comes from rigorous practice and a willingness to improve slowly over time through a series of baby steps. By embracing these principles, you can become whatever it is you wish to be. Your future is entirely in your hands.

Austin Kleon has risen to fame with his trilogy of books about creativity in our digital culture: Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, which address how you can succeed at your creative endeavors and how you can promote yourself effectively.

In Show Your Work!, Kleon argues that the best way to promote what you do is to publicly share it throughout your whole process, from the earliest phases to the finished product. This allows you to focus on honing your skills while making yourself available to be discovered.

In this guide, we’ve organized Kleon’s ideas into five themes:

1. Why you should share your work all the way through your process
2. How to share your creative process
3. How to deal with online attention
4. How to make money off your creative work
5. How to persevere

Along the way we’ll consider other views of these topics, including perspectives on how you can overcome perfectionism and how you can handle criticism.

Born a Crime is the story of a strong-willed black mother and her mixed-race child as they traverse life in South Africa during apartheid. When comedian Trevor Noah was born in the mid-1980s, his birth was a crime under the laws of apartheid, forbade whites and blacks from mixing and procreating. Growing up during and after apartheid, Noah struggled to understand where he belonged in this racially divided environment.

Through anecdotes from Noah and his mother’s life and details regarding the elements and consequences of apartheid, Noah provides an insider’s perspective of racism, survival, abuse, love, and the importance of heritage in a society built on difference and oppression.

Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights is not a conventional memoir. As he neared age 50, the Oscar-winning actor revisited the journal that he had kept for the previous 35 years to see what he could learn from it. The result is this book, which combines hard-earned insights about the art of living with vivid accounts of McConaughey’s upbringing in rural Texas, his adventures in the movie business, his global travels, and his lifelong search for love and fatherhood. Part autobiography and part life-guide, Greenlights both explains and illustrates McConaughey’s philosophy of “catching greenlights”—recognizing and even creating those moments when life says “yes” and you cruise into success as you pursue your destiny. It’s valuable reading for anyone in search of an entertaining manual on finding your way in the world.

Austin Kleon has risen to fame with his trilogy of books about creativity in our digital culture: Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, which address how you can succeed at your creative endeavors and how you can promote yourself effectively.

In Show Your Work!, Kleon argues that the best way to promote what you do is to publicly share it throughout your whole process, from the earliest phases to the finished product. This allows you to focus on honing your skills while making yourself available to be discovered.

In this guide, we’ve organized Kleon’s ideas into five themes:

1. Why you should share your work all the way through your process
2. How to share your creative process
3. How to deal with online attention
4. How to make money off your creative work
5. How to persevere

Along the way we’ll consider other views of these topics, including perspectives on how you can overcome perfectionism and how you can handle criticism.

In The Creative Act, music producer Rick Rubin argues that every person is an artist, explaining that creativity isn't about what you make, but a way of being in the world. Rubin offers practical suggestions to help you tap into your natural creative instincts and live your life with sustained originality and imagination. The Creative Act isn't just for artists or musicians—it's a guide for anyone looking to live a rich and creative life.

In this guide, we’ll explore Rubin’s definition of creativity and why it matters. We’ll then discuss Rubin’s advice on how you can be more creative in your daily life, from being more playful to making creativity a habit to seeing inspiration everywhere. We’ll supplement Rubin’s advice with insights and practical tips from other creative thinkers: Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way), Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic), and Cal Newport (Deep Work).

Although we live longer today and have more material wealth than ever, many people feel anxious rather than happy. In Flow, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi offers an antidote. People are happiest when they feel in control of their inner thoughts and feelings and experience a “flow state”: a sense of enjoyment, purpose, and meaning.

Csikszentmihalyi explains: how controlling and ordering your consciousness brings flow and enjoyment, which personality characteristics produce flow, and how to find flow in your work and relationships.

In The Creative Act, music producer Rick Rubin argues that every person is an artist, explaining that creativity isn't about what you make, but a way of being in the world. Rubin offers practical suggestions to help you tap into your natural creative instincts and live your life with sustained originality and imagination. The Creative Act isn't just for artists or musicians—it's a guide for anyone looking to live a rich and creative life.

In this guide, we’ll explore Rubin’s definition of creativity and why it matters. We’ll then discuss Rubin’s advice on how you can be more creative in your daily life, from being more playful to making creativity a habit to seeing inspiration everywhere. We’ll supplement Rubin’s advice with insights and practical tips from other creative thinkers: Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way), Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic), and Cal Newport (Deep Work).

Austin Kleon has risen to fame with his trilogy of books about creativity in our digital culture: Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, which address how you can succeed at your creative endeavors and how you can promote yourself effectively.

In Show Your Work!, Kleon argues that the best way to promote what you do is to publicly share it throughout your whole process, from the earliest phases to the finished product. This allows you to focus on honing your skills while making yourself available to be discovered.

In this guide, we’ve organized Kleon’s ideas into five themes:

1. Why you should share your work all the way through your process
2. How to share your creative process
3. How to deal with online attention
4. How to make money off your creative work
5. How to persevere

Along the way we’ll consider other views of these topics, including perspectives on how you can overcome perfectionism and how you can handle criticism.