Start with high-confidence science & society books, then narrow by subgenre or adjacent topics.
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker, Arthur Morey
Living on Earth
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Fuzz
Roach Mary, Mary Roach
The Power of Nuclear
Marco Visscher
Waking Up
Sam Harris
The Law and the Word
Thomas Troward
The Wormwood Prophecy
Thomas Horn
