We live in the Information Age. Easy access to the internet means we are surrounded by information at all times, giant swirls of information, on every web page and app. There are trillions of articles, videos, and tweets out there, all waiting to be consumed.

Are we, therefore, more informed than we used to be in the pre-internet days? Well, no.

Why Aren’t People Living in the Information Age Well-Informed?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there, for one. Some of this is deliberate misinformation, fed to us because big corporations or big political forces want us to believe certain things, buy certain things, and vote certain ways. Some of this is accidental misinformation, since the internet is open to the people, and no one is vetting what the people say on the internet. Some of this is misinformation due to AI hallucination or misinterpretation of what a human prompt meant.

For two, there’s a lot of information out there that’s been oversimplified to the point of unhelpfulness. Accurate information tends to be complicated. That’s because the world around us is complicated. The more fullness and nuance used in expressing an idea, the closer to truth that expression of the idea will be.

Why Books Are One of the Best Information Sources

There are two reasons why books are so important, as follows. (Yes, this is a plug for books. Who’d a thunk it from me, of all people?!!)

Books have a leg up in the accuracy department because they are often authored by experts and others who have thought deeply about ideas. Also, the information in them tends to be vetted thoroughly by editors and fact checkers before publication.

These two features of books, expert authors/thinkers and vetting, also occur in some of the highest quality magazines and newspapers. But books have a leg up on them, which is that they provide adequate space to go deep into an idea. They are long enough to be as full and nuanced as the idea requires for the completest possible accuracy.

This Is True of Both Fiction and Nonfiction

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, this is fair for nonfiction; but how is a novel a good information source? Aren’t novels basically lies told for entertainment?

Some novels are pure entertainment, sure. But many novels are more than this. Even if the facts in a novel aren’t strictly true, it can express truths about human nature. A novel can describe a day in one character’s life, or several generations of a family—either way, the reader can gain powerful insights into topics such as culture, gender, power structures, life choices and where they lead, morality, and much more.

My Book Reading Goals and Recommendations

I invite you to read not just articles and tweets but full, high-quality books. Sure, it takes longer to read a book than an article or a tweet, but you will also gain significantly more from it. It’s fine to skim the surface, but if you never go deep you will miss out on a lot.

And when you go deep, I invite you to go deep in several different key areas. Every year, I try to read at least one book in each of the following categories. I invite you to join me in this goal:

• Modern fiction/poetry, like a recently published novel, short story collection, or poetry collection
• Classic fiction/poetry, like a Jane Austen novel or short story collection by David Foster Wallace
• Science nonfiction, like a book about psychology, medicine, technology, or the environment
• History nonfiction, like a biography of MLK Jr. or the true story of the Chernobyl accident
• Wildcard category, for you to read about a personal fascination or problem that needs solving

An Example Book You Might Read

Here’s a book recommendation for you: Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine: The New Science of Achieving a Healthy Weight, by David A. Kessler, MD. This book, published in 2025, fits into the science nonfiction category. It could also fit into the wildcard category, if you happen to be particularly interested in nutrition at this time, or if you are currently seeking information on how to achieve a healthy weight.

Normally I don’t recommend books on this blog unless I have read them in their entirety. I’m making an exception in this case because I read a previous book by Kessler and found it invaluable, and I know he’s a trusted name in the nonfiction book world.

I read an earlier book by him, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, when it was published back in 2010. This book helped me understand the complex variety of forces that had led me to the binge eating problem I was experiencing at the time. The problem was not my willpower, but rather human biology, my personal psychology, the American food industry, the types of foods I was eating, and more.

Kessler’s most recent book, Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine, is about much the same topic, with the addition of information about the pros and cons of modern weight loss medications.

Sure, there are gazillions of articles and social media posts about this topic. But for the highest quality information, presented in a logical and comprehensive way, read this book (or another book of similar quality).

What Great Books Have You Read Lately?

Have you read a great book recently that contains better quality information than what can be found on the internet? What book was it? Drop it in the comments—I and my readers are always looking for great book ideas.