{
  "id": 18871,
  "title": "Big Think’s 5 favorite nonfiction books of 2026 (so far)",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/07/31/big-thinks-5-favorite-nonfiction-books-of-2026-so-far",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-07-31T14:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Big Think",
    "slug": "big-think",
    "url": "https://bigthink.com/books/favorite-nonfiction-books-of-2026-so-far/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "1) The Score by C. Thi Nguyen\nThis book delves into the pervasive influence of scoring systems in various aspects of life. Author Nguyen posits that these external standards foster a disconnect between actions and personal values, leading to value capture. While acknowledging the usefulness of metrics, Nguyen warns against becoming overly reliant on them, as they can dictate goals and targets without proper consideration. The author contrasts the use of scoring in games, which encourages self-efficacy and diversity of meanings, with their use in real-life situations like work and health. Nguyen's argument underscores the importance of maintaining a playful approach towards scoring systems, rather than surrendering to their dictates.",
  "summary": "We’re only halfway through 2026, and already, the year has been filled to bursting with amazing books on any subject you’d care to learn about. Our book coverage alone has run the gamut, touching on subjects as diverse as mental health, dinosaurs, social connections, chaos theory, love, Greek myths, science fiction, and economies. And then there were the many histories about things like war,…",
  "key_points": [
    "C. Thi Nguyen explores scoring systems' pervasive influence",
    "Author argues against over-reliance on external metrics",
    "Nguyen contrasts game scoring with real-life applications"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}