Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, is a social scientist and physician who conducts research on social factors that affect health, health care, and longevity. He directs the Human Nature Lab at Harvard University. Dr. Christakis’ lab is currently focused on the relationship between social networks and health. He is the author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.
The Iliad
“This book inspires and depresses me every time I read it. Hector is the only tragic hero worthy of the name. And Andromache reminds me of my wife, Erika.”
Shogun
“I read this book as a teenager, and it has a long reach; I recently met a man my age who referred nonchalantly to Toronaga, and i realized I was not the only one.”
Ulysses
“A conventional choice for a list like this; but I read this book in college and the last sentence is still one of the most romantic and moving things I have encountered in my life.”
On Growth and Form
“Famous for its transformation of fish, this book has so much else to offer for understanding the natural world.”
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
“Bristles with so much knowledge that it is riveting.”
Pride and Prejudice
“My wife gave this treasure to me on my 40th birthday, and I was astonished at my ignorance in having never read it before; it’s a perfect novel.”
Stumbling on Happiness
“This book helped tame my more crazy natural inclinations, though Dan appears not to have noticed.”
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language
“Whenever I read this book, I find myself wishing I could write like Steve.”
The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us
“I was fortunate to get this book before it was published, and my repeated amazement motivated my entire family to read it.”
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
“One of the things that I so like about this book is that it at once scientifically and poetically finds the extraordinary in the ordinary act of cooking.”
