{"product_id":"short-essays-for-inquiring-minds-9781737823193","title":"Short Essays for Inquiring Minds","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eShort Essays for Inquiring Minds\u003c\/em\u003e invites readers into a lively conversation about the forces shaping modern life.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComposed of over fifty compelling essays, Ronald Gruner's latest book ranges effortlessly across science, history, politics, economics, and popular culture, linking today's headlines to the deeper currents of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComplex subjects such as pandemics, artificial intelligence, trade wars, and presidential leadership are unpacked through human stories and memorable anecdotes: how a teenager wrote the first COVID tracker, a forgotten tariff on chickens that shaped America's automobile industry, how a botanist discovered viruses in mottled tobacco leaves, the logical theorem a popular game show and artificial intelligence share. Technical ideas are explained without jargon, and historical episodes-from the Spanish Flu to the Berlin Airlift-are connected to choices facing Americans today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGruner writes with the clarity of an engineer and the curiosity of a storyteller. One reviewer described Gruner's style as having \"a touch of Ken Burns and more than a touch of sardonic wit.\" Rather than dictating conclusions, the book models how to think-slowly, skeptically, and with empathy for opposing views.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThoughtful, timely, and unsettlingly relevant, Short Essays for Inquiring Minds is ideal for readers who value curiosity over certainty and facts over ideology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Libratum.Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/10\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781737823193\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 364\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.07lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.75d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ronald Gruner","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52452284825781,"sku":"9781737823193","price":20.83,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_d0a8a976-31be-45d4-a862-0e04df79b624.jpg?v=1776826563","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/short-essays-for-inquiring-minds-9781737823193","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}