Scale

This book expands your thinking from three to four dimensions. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of "The Black Swan." "Scale" is a grand ideas book that opens up new worlds for us, an intellectual adventure that connects previously unlinked perspectives and fields of knowledge. It reveals the universal laws that underlie our biological and social lives, connecting us all in simple yet profound ways. Anyone who wants to understand how the world truly works must read this book.

At the beginning was the fascination with aging and mortality. With the precision of a physicist, West has attempted to answer the question of why we live as long as we do, and not longer. The result was astonishing: West discovered that despite existing differences, all mammals are scaled versions of one another. Knowing the size of a mammal allows you to determine everything from daily food consumption to the duration of the maturation process and even the lifespan of that animal.

West has applied his groundbreaking research in biology to other fields, particularly to cities and companies. In "Scale," he proposes addressing some of the major problems we face—ranging from rapid urbanization and population growth to understanding cancer and the causes of aging and death—based on a holistic approach. Only in this way can we gain insights and strategies to tackle these significant global challenges.