Part of me always resented the fact that I was being forced to learn things I wasn’t passionate about. So it was a surprise when I finally graduated and started working that I suddenly felt an itch to keep studying. Actually, no. Not studying. Learning. For the first time in my life I had the power to choose what I wanted to learn. What’s more, I didn’t need a textbook. Hence my obsession with Netflix’s Explained Series. In less than 30 minutes, I can get an overview on anything from voting rights to birth control. It’s the perfect introduction to subjects I actually care about. I also love that there are a few spinoffs, such as The Mind, Explained and Money, Explained, that allow viewers to dive a little deeper into certain topics. However, because the episodes are so short, I thought it would be fun to pair some of my favorite episodes and individual series with books that dive deeper into a specific topic. This list is by no means comprehensive and relies thoroughly on my adult whims, but hopefully you’ll enjoy diving deeper into some of these important topics.
Whose Vote Counts, Explained
This spinoff is great because it dives into a topic I’m passionate about: voting rights. Growing up, I was told that my vote would always count…until I moved to a Red state as a voter who generally swung Blue. I also doubt that being Indian American did me any favors, but I digress. Whose Vote Counts, Explained deftly explores some of the biggest hurdles that marginalized voters face in America. Here are two books that dive deeper into topics from two of the episodes.
Money, Explained
As I mentioned before, I only learned about imaginary numbers in college. No one bothered to teach me how to balance a checkbook. To be fair, I did have an Economics instructor who warned me about credit cards. However, coming out of college my financial literacy was abysmal, and it was really books such as these that taught me about the fundamentals of economics and personal finance. Money, Explained is great because it offers the perfect overview for those just beginning their journey of financial literacy.
The Mind, Explained
It’s a shame that we don’t learn enough about our own minds in biology class because apparently it’s more important to know about Punnett Squares and the Krebs Cycle. I found The Mind, Explained to be a great introduction to various topics related to the human mind.
Sex, Explained
Seeing as I went to high school in Mississippi, you could say that my sex education in school was lacking (read: nonexistent). It would’ve been nice to have something like Sex, Explained when I was growing up. Want to learn some more cool things? Check out 50 of the best nonfiction books and some innovative nonfiction books.
