Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 17 hours ago
Angus Fletcher has a PhD in literature from Yale and teaches English at Ohio State. He’s passionate about Shakespeare. He probably owns a tweed jacket. In other words, he’s the last person you’d expect to receive the Army’s fourth-highest civilian honor.
But when he’s not parsing King Lear or dissecting Hamlet, Angus is pioneering research into narrative cognition — our ability to think in stories — and how it can make us smarter. When the Army put his theories to the test, his methods reshaped how soldiers learn to think clearly under pressure and act decisively in volatile environments.
Now, he has distilled this work into a new book called Primal Intelligence. Malcolm Gladwell says it's confirmation that Angus "has never had an uninteresting thought." We think you’ll agree.
***
📩 Transform your day in 10 minutes. Enjoy daily, bite‑sized insights from breakthrough nonfiction books—audio or text—straight from the authors. Trusted by 90K+ learners, our editors choose only the books that matter.
🔗 bookoftheday.nextbigideaclub.com
💡Discover the books that matter with the Next Big Idea Club. Curated by Adam Grant, Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink. Beyond just reading, the Next Big Idea Club is a journey. It’s where thought leaders converge, where ideas transform into action, and where books become a gateway to a brighter future.
JOIN US
nextbigideaclub.com
FIND YOUR NEXT READ – Listen to thousands of audio insights (by the authors) in the Next Big Idea App
Apple App Store: apps.apple.com/us/app/next-big-idea-books-in-15min/id1502959151
Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heleo.nbic
OUR CURATORS
💡 Malcolm Gladwell: Renowned journalist, author, and speaker.
💡 Susan Cain: TED speaker, introvert advocate, bestselling author.
💡 Adam Grant: Noted psychologist, author, and Wharton School professor.
💡 Daniel Pink: Expert author on business, work, and behavior.
If you enjoy the content on our official YouTube channel, please like, subscribe, and thank you for watching!
CONNECT WITH US
Next Big Idea Podcast: pod.link/nextbigidea
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/10026818
Twitter: twitter.com/nextbigideaclub
Instagram: instagram.com/nextbigideaclub
Facebook: facebook.com/nextbigideaclub
Contact: info@nextbigideaclub.com
Subscribe for more insights:
youtube.com/NextBigIdeaClub?sub_confirmation=1
#NextBigIdeaClub
Angus Fletcher has a PhD in literature from Yale and teaches English at Ohio State. He’s passionate about Shakespeare. He probably owns a tweed jacket. In other words, he’s the last person you’d expect to receive the Army’s fourth-highest civilian honor.
But when he’s not parsing King Lear or dissecting Hamlet, Angus is pioneering research into narrative cognition — our ability to think in stories — and how it can make us smarter. When the Army put his theories to the test, his methods reshaped how soldiers learn to think clearly under pressure and act decisively in volatile environments.
Now, he has distilled this work into a new book called Primal Intelligence. Malcolm Gladwell says it's confirmation that Angus "has never had an uninteresting thought." We think you’ll agree.
***
📩 Transform your day in 10 minutes. Enjoy daily, bite‑sized insights from breakthrough nonfiction books—audio or text—straight from the authors. Trusted by 90K+ learners, our editors choose only the books that matter.
🔗 bookoftheday.nextbigideaclub.com
💡Discover the books that matter with the Next Big Idea Club. Curated by Adam Grant, Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink. Beyond just reading, the Next Big Idea Club is a journey. It’s where thought leaders converge, where ideas transform into action, and where books become a gateway to a brighter future.
JOIN US
nextbigideaclub.com
FIND YOUR NEXT READ – Listen to thousands of audio insights (by the authors) in the Next Big Idea App
Apple App Store: apps.apple.com/us/app/next-big-idea-books-in-15min/id1502959151
Google Play: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heleo.nbic
OUR CURATORS
💡 Malcolm Gladwell: Renowned journalist, author, and speaker.
💡 Susan Cain: TED speaker, introvert advocate, bestselling author.
💡 Adam Grant: Noted psychologist, author, and Wharton School professor.
💡 Daniel Pink: Expert author on business, work, and behavior.
If you enjoy the content on our official YouTube channel, please like, subscribe, and thank you for watching!
CONNECT WITH US
Next Big Idea Podcast: pod.link/nextbigidea
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/10026818
Twitter: twitter.com/nextbigideaclub
Instagram: instagram.com/nextbigideaclub
Facebook: facebook.com/nextbigideaclub
Contact: info@nextbigideaclub.com
Subscribe for more insights:
youtube.com/NextBigIdeaClub?sub_confirmation=1
#NextBigIdeaClub
