Summer doesn't arrive everywhere at once. At Apolitical, it's here now. Maybe it's reached you too, or maybe your turn is still months away. Either way, this list is one to hold onto until the season catches up with you.

So here's the question Apolitical put to the network: in a year this disruptive, what's the book that kept you inspired? The one that sparked a new idea, or helped you find your footing when things got hard?

The answers became this list, hand-picked to surface the ten most connected to the themes on the minds of public servants and in conversations across Apolitical, with each offering something practical you can take into your work.

Whatever the weather where you are, there's something here worth packing for your next break.

Think a book belongs on this list? Drop your recommendation in the comments. ⬇️

Happy reading, and don't forget to pass this list on to your colleagues!

Who Is Government? By Michael Lewis

Behind every policy, permit and public service is a person doing unglamorous, essential work. Michael Lewis turns his eye to the people inside the US federal government, telling the human stories of what it actually takes to keep a country running. If you've ever felt like the importance of your work goes unseen, this one will feel like vindication.

“You could lift the lid on any department and find a similar treasure trove of stories: people you’ve never heard of, doing work whose importance you’ve never understood… This book rightly focuses on the quiet heroes who represent public service at its best… This eye-opening, multifaceted ode to public service therefore feels both urgent and moving.” – The Guardian

Good Services by Lou Downe

Written by the former Director of Design and Service Standards for the UK Government, this is a practical guide to what actually separates a good service from a bad one, laying out the essential principles for building services that work for users. Rather than a theoretical design manual, it's written for anyone involved in delivering services who wants to make better decisions without needing to become a service designer themselves.

“As I work in user-centred design, it's always in front of me on my desk so that I can recharge my enthusiasm and remind myself of the vision for transformed government services.” – Apolitical member

The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow

A look at the AI moment from technology writer and critic Cory Doctorow. Doctorow argues that much of the hype around AI is driven less by the technology's actual capabilities and more by the need for large tech companies to keep growing, with the result that workers are being replaced by tools that often can't do their jobs as well. The central question he poses is not what AI can do, but who it's doing it for.

“A vivid and entertaining polemic on the economics of the tech revolution, filled with righteous ire.” – The Guardian

How to Run a Government: So That Citizens Benefit and Taxpayers Don't Go Crazy by Michael Barber

Drawing on his experience leading the UK's Prime Minister's Delivery Unit, Barber sets out what it actually takes to turn political ambition into measurable change for citizens. The book covers the practical mechanics of delivery in government, from setting priorities to tracking outcomes. It's a useful read for anyone interested in how large public institutions get things done.

“One of the most practical books on public sector performance and service delivery” – Apolitical member

The Value of a Whale by Adrienne Buller

A look at why climate policy so often falls short, even as pledges and summits multiply. Buller examines popular market-based solutions, such as carbon offsets and green growth, and questions whether they really solve the problem or just create new ways to profit from it.

“In her new book, Adrienne Buller argues the desire to eke profit out of climate policy is wilfully naive… Appraising the merit of the green capitalist policies on their own terms, Buller picks them apart to see if they pass “basic tests”: do they work now? Will they ever? Will they create injustice in the process?” – The Guardian

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick

Wharton professor Ethan Mollick offers a practical guide to working alongside AI, focusing on how these tools can be used effectively rather than feared or dismissed. He encourages readers to engage with AI as a co-worker, co-teacher, and coach, drawing on his own research and experimentation to explain what these systems are actually good at and where their limits lie. The book is wide-ranging and grounded in real use cases, offering a clear-eyed look at how AI might change the way we work and think.

The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan, Benjamin P. Hardy

Strategic coach Dan Sullivan offers a simple shift in how high achievers measure progress, focusing on comparing yourself to your past self rather than to an ever-receding ideal. He and co-author Benjamin Hardy explain why ambitious, hardworking people often feel like they're failing even when they're succeeding, and what to do about it instead.

The "Gap" is the distance between where you are and some impossible ideal, while the "Gain" is the distance between where you are and where you started, and the book argues that switching your focus from one to the other changes everything about how motivated and satisfied you feel.

Memory Paradox by Dr Barbara Oakley

A neuroscience paper rather than a book, examining whether our increasing reliance on AI tools is changing how we think and remember. The authors link this to a recent reversal of the Flynn Effect, the decline in IQ scores in developed countries, and explore what the implications might be for education and the future of human cognition.

Ideas to Postpone the End of the World by Ailton Krenak, Anthony Doyle

Indigenous Brazilian philosopher Ailton Krenak examines the assumptions underlying the climate crisis, arguing that the root issue is a civilisation that has separated itself from nature rather than any single policy failure. The book is short and direct, and offers a different way of thinking about humanity's relationship with the natural world.

“We must try to keep the collective action to save our environment, as a cultural effort, instead of giving up to dystopic collapse.” – Apolitical member

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

Bregman takes on one of the oldest debates in political philosophy, and comes down firmly on the optimistic side: most people, most of the time, are trying to do good. Drawing on history, psychology, and political thought, he builds a case for redesigning systems around that assumption.

“In Humankind: A Hopeful History, Rutger Bregman takes the reader on a journey that dismantles the assumptions of classic research on human nature that positions humans as self-interested, instead exploring how humans can use our inherently good nature to build a better society.” – LSE

Past Present Future

A biweekly history of ideas podcast hosted by David Runciman, a former Cambridge professor of politics, exploring ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology, with guests including historians, novelists, and scientists. Intellectually rich and wide-ranging, it sits at the intersection of big ideas and real-world questions, making it useful for public servants who want to think more deeply about the forces shaping the systems they work in.

Statecraft

An interview series with political appointees and civil servants about how policy actually gets made. Santi Ruiz goes deep on the mechanics of government that rarely make headlines, with recent episodes covering everything from how the National Security Strategy gets drafted to rewiring city hall. Wonky in the best possible way.

CyberCast

Cybersecurity is increasingly one of the most consequential corners of government. CyberCast covers the threats, the decisions, and the people managing them, with a focus on what's actually happening in government systems right now. Essential listening if digital and AI governance sits anywhere near your remit.

GovLove

A podcast about the people, policies, and profession of local government, interviewing everyone from city managers to interns to tell informative and unique stories about work at the local level. It's US-focused and very practitioner-facing, with recent episodes covering topics like managing urban growth, building workplace culture, and talent development. A good listen for public servants who want to feel connected to the broader community doing similar work.

Dare to Lead Podcast

Brené Brown's research on courage and leadership has shaped how a generation thinks about management, and this podcast is where that thinking keeps evolving. Each episode brings in guests from across business, creativity, and public life for conversations that are unusually candid about what leading people actually feels like.

And, finally

Sometimes, there's plenty to be learned from a good novel. Octavia Butler's Parable of the Talents is one of the most important works of political fiction of the last century, following a young visionary trying to hold community together as institutions crumble around her. Written in 1998, it reads with uncomfortable prescience today. For something warmer, Amor Towles' A Gentleman in Moscow is a witty and quietly profound novel about finding purpose, meaning, and joy within a system you cannot control, while Min Jin Lee's Pachinko follows a Korean family's quiet resilience and dignity across generations in Japan. Or, for some simple fun and escapism, classics like Treasure Island or Little Women make timeless summer reads.

Disclaimer: The books and podcasts featured in the list were crowdsourced from the Apolitical community. Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement of the views or arguments expressed.