Nick’s List

I’m going to be creating a list of recommended books, documentaries and other resources that have helped me to understand the current state of the world. Many of these have been discussed on this blog at one point or another, but this will serve as an Honor Roll for the ones I consider to be most important in light of this blog’s focus (e.g. psychology, philosophy, culture, creativity, etc) and our place in modern history.
I expect this list to grow and transform as time passes, and I’ll add more information as I get the chance, so please visit often. If you read one of these books in school, you may be surprised at the new depth that reveals itself a second time around. I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comment area if you check them out. Entries are in alphabetical order by title for each category.

Nonfiction Books

- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
- Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig
- Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by R. Buckminster Fuller
- A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
- The Undiscovered Self by Carl Jung

Fiction Books

- 1984 by George Orwell
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Essays

- “E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction” by David Foster Wallace

Documentaries

Some links direct to where you can watch the entire film online.
- Bowling For Columbine — dir. Michael Moore
- Deliver Us From Evil — dir. Amy Berg
- The Future of Food — dir. Deborah Koons
- Home — dir. Yann Arthus-Bertrand
- Jesus Camp — dir. Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
- Loose Change — dir. Dylan Avery
- No End in Sight — dir. Charles Ferguson
- RiP: A Remix Manifesto — dir. Brett Gaylor
- The Trap — dir. Adam Curtis
- Zeitgeist — dir. Peter Joseph

Feature Films

- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan — dir. Larry Charles
- Bruno — dir. Larry Charles

Television Series

- Da Ali G Show (HBO)
- Summer Heights High (HBO)
- Superjail (Adult Swim/Cartoon Network)
- TV Funhouse (Comedy Central)
- Wonder Showzen (MTV2)

Misc. Videos

- Bill Hicks: Sane Man — dir. Kevin Booth

Audio Recordings

- Philosophy: The Best of Bill Hicks by Bill Hicks

Wikipedia Pages

- Military budget of the United States