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Simon Winchester, author of Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic

With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things --- no need for math, no need for map-reading, no need for memorization --- are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness? Addressing these questions, Simon Winchester explores how humans have attained, stored and disseminated knowledge. Studded with strange and fascinating details, KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW is a deep dive into learning and the human mind. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming.

Week of April 22, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of April 22nd include SMALL MERCIES by Dennis Lehane, an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history; MUST LOVE FLOWERS, an uplifting novel from Debbie Macomber about two women at different stages of life who find themselves on a journey of renewal after undergoing hardships; HONEY, BABY, MINE, a collection of deeply personal conversations from award-winning actress and activist Laura Dern and the woman she admires most, her mother --- legendary actress Diane Ladd; MONSTERS, a timely, passionate, provocative, blisteringly smart interrogation of how we make and experience art in the age of cancel culture, and of the link between genius and monstrosity; and KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW, Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.