10 books that will change the way you think about the future

What will the next decade, century, or millennium look like?

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Although no one knows for sure, many writers have imagined the future in their work, inviting us to travel through time.

We asked Lynn Lobash, manager of the New York Public Library's Reader Services department, to recommend the books about the future that everyone should read.

Here are 10, and you can see more recommendations at the NYPL's site.

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A scene from Back to the Future. Amblin Entertainment
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"The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert

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Combining science and history, Kolbert highlights humans' impact on the environment in this Pulitzer Prize-winning book published in 2014.

By burning fossil fuels, we are impacting the atmosphere, oceans, and climate, forcing millions of species into extinction, she says. Kolbert combines vivid descriptions of natural wonders, like the Great Barrier Reef, and wild experiences, like venturing into a bat cave, to explain Earth's present and possible future.

Buy the book here »

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"This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate" by Naomi Klein

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Klein challenges readers to abandon capitalism and restructure the global economy and our political system to move toward a greener future. She makes the case that moving away from capitalism will not only reduce CO2 emissions, it will also help close inequality gaps and build a better democracy.

We can either embrace radical change or the Earth will change radically, she argues in the 2014 book. Staying neutral in the climate debate is no longer an option.

Buy the book here »

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"In 100 Years: Leading Economists Predict the Future," edited by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta

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In this 2015 book, 10 prominent economists, including several Nobel laureates, offer their takes on what the world could look like in the twenty-second century.

These thinkers consider the future of work, salaries, equality, technology, and climate change, among other topics.

Buy the book here »

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"Physics of the Future: How Scientists Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100" by Michio Kaku

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In his 2011 book, physicist Michio Kaku discusses developments in technology, medicine, and travel, and predicts inventions the world may have a hundred years from now.

Among his predictions: space elevators, Internet-enabled contact lenses, and flying cars.

Buy the book here »

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"1984" by George Orwell

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Published in 1948, this dystopian fiction novel by George Orwell imagined life in 1984. In a grim future, citizens are constantly monitored and controlled by Big Brother and the Thought Police.

He paints a haunting view of the world and warns about the dangers of totalitarianism in a tome that's still relevant today.

Buy the book here »

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"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

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In this dystopian 1953 novel, protagonist Guy Montag is a fireman in a world where television rules everything. Literature is on its way to extinction, and Montag's duty is to light the books on fire.

Like 1984, it highlights the dangers of mind control and a totalitarian state.

Buy the book here »

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"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

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In Huxley's future, babies are born in labs, and society discourages individual action and thought. Although the world is peaceful, the protagonist, Bernard Marx, wonders if there's something more out there.

"Brave New World," published in 1932, eerily anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, and psychology.

Buy the book here »

 

 

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"2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke

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In this 1968 novel (developed in conjunction with Stanley Kubrick's film), artificial intelligence takes over a space craft — with hopes of taking over the universe.

Named HAL 9000, the computer system is so advanced that it's capable of guilty, neurosis, and even murder. The bot controls the space craft, so the crew attempts to overthrow it.

Buy the book here »

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"A Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein

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This 1961 novel's human protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, grew up on Mars, but returns to Earth to try to understand human nature.

Taking place in the distant future, it chronicles Smith's interactions with terrestrials, who are completely alien to him.

Buy the book here »

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