General non-fiction

Pat Thomson takes on England’s muddled education system and exposes fraudulent and unethical practices, including the skewing of the curriculum and manipulation of results. She argues for an urgent review of current practices, leading to a revitalised education system that has the public good at its heart.

Snobbery matters because it is the way in which social divisions are built. In these times of growing social inequality, snobbery is becoming ever more pertinent. This book draws on literature, popular culture and autobiography as well as sociology and history to take a fresh and engaging look at this key social and cultural issue.

What’s wrong with work shows that how workers are treated has wide implications beyond the lives of workers themselves.

Recognising gender, race, class and global differences, the book considers the ways formal work is often dependent on informal work and concludes by considering what might make work better.

Winlow and Hall argue that the only way to resurrect leftist politics is to begin from the beginning again. They identify the root causes of its maladies, describe how new cultural obsessions displaced core unifying principles, and outline how a new reincarnation of the left can win in the 21st century.

Democracy is the most effective way to give us control over the decisions that impact on our lives, but it must evolve. This book lays out a roadmap for a more accountable democracy, locally, nationally and internationally that will give us greater influence over the decisions that impact our communities.

Drawing on a two-year multi-platform initiative, this book by award-winning journalist and author Mary O’Hara, asks how we can overturn the portrayal of poverty once and for all. Crucially, she turns to the real experts to try to find answers – the people who live it.

Dorling brings together new material alongside a selection of his most recent writing on inequality from publications including the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, New Statesman, Financial Times and the China People’s Daily. He explores whether we have now reached ‘peak inequality’ and concludes by predicting what the future holds for Britain.

From the Alcatraz East Crime Museum to Jack the Ripper guided tours, ‘dark tourism’ is now a multi-million-pound global industry. Highlighting 50 travel destinations across six continents, expert criminologists, psychologists and historians expose a worrying trend in contemporary consumer culture in which many of us partake.

People in the top 10% of earners often drive politics, the public conversation and much of the private sector. This book draws attention to this potentially powerful section of society and explains why it is in their interest that inequality is reduced.

The help we give to others can be more effective and more just if we cultivate greater levels of compassion. Jason Wood reviews the research and talks to experts from across the world to make the moving case for greater compassion in public life.

With new commentary, Austerity Bites 10 Years On assesses on the true scale of the damage austerity policies have inflicted on the country’s most vulnerable groups, public institutions and on the wider society, reflecting on where we have been, where we are now and what needs to happen next to undo the damage and avoid the same mistakes again.

The Happiness Problem shows that the illusion of control over our lives is too simplistic and can even be harmful. Sam Wren-Lewis offers an alternative: he proposes that we can connect with, and gain a deeper understanding of, the personal and social challenges that define our time.