The One and the NinetyNine, Luke Burgis
The One and the NinetyNine, Luke Burgis
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

The One and the Ninety-Nine
Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion

Author: Luke Burgis

Narrator: Luke Burgis, Shahjehan Khan

Unabridged: 7 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/16/2026


Synopsis

This program includes a special bonus chapter with five actional practices for building a solid self.

It’s not hard to find your tribe. The real challenge today is not losing yourself within one.

We are surrounded by tribes: political, professional, online, ideological. Each offer belonging at a price. Join, and you risk dissolving into a ready-made identity. Refuse, and you risk drifting into isolation. Either way, the modern person is pulled toward the same end: forming a fragmented self that is easier to manage, easier to sell to, and easier to recruit.

In The One and the Ninety-Nine, bestselling author Luke Burgis argues that the great crisis of our time is not simply polarization or loneliness, but a crisis of formation: it’s difficult to form an identity that is solid enough to withstand the pressure of the crowd, and modern institutions don’t reward the effort. Drawing from psychology, philosophy, and personal experience, Burgis shows how groups shape our desires, how “social contagion” spreads through families and institutions, and why the hunger to belong can turn ordinary people into instruments of movements they barely understand.

This audiobook is about the missing skill that makes real community possible: learning how to remain oneself while staying connected to others. Burgis offers a practical map for recognizing false belonging, escaping coercive dynamics, and passing through the rites of passage that produce people with integrity and courage.

The One and the Ninety-Nine is a timely and inspiring wake-up call, an invitation to reject counterfeit community and develop depth of personality—to become someone who can stand alone—so that we can finally stand together.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

About Luke Burgis

Luke Burgis is the director of The Cluny Institute and a professor at The Catholic University of America, where he studies the invisible forces that shape human behavior. He is the author of Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. He lives in Washington, D.C., and Michigan with his wife, Claire, and their children.

About Shahjehan Khan

Shahjehan Khan is a Pakistani-American narrator, actor, and touring musician. He fell into this work when a producer at Audible heard his punk band interviewed on NPR in 2009, but didn’t start to dive into the medium until relatively recently, thanks in large part to the lovely folks at Macmillan Audio who have believed in him since his first title with them. Although he is now often distracted with roles in movies, TV, and playing in all his bands, he will always love the booth. He’s now approaching 30 official titles with many of the major publishers and recently won his first Earphones award. Shaj’s voice is on the chill, smooth, and calming side, but he’s definitely skilled at pushing it and finding multiple characters within a story with consistency and agility. He’s also an award-winning podcast host and producer: his show “King of The World” was nominated for an Ambie and a Webby; and he’s currently producing a Tribeca-nominated mini series on groovy 60s psychedelic Pakistani music called “Karachi Nights”.His main inspiration is his awesome and super smart scientist partner Lauren.


Reviews

There are currently no user reviews for this audiobook.

Quotes

“Luke Burgis shares a story of tragedy and loss, and how it led to a life of compassion and hope. The One and the Ninety-Nine is a guide to living with virtue in the hardest circumstances, and finding deep joy.”
—Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Burgis shows us how to resist the siren call of false identification, which targets us every moment of every day from all our devices. Joining his own experience to the testimony of the ages, he reveals how we discover our true selves in a personal response to the call of the good and the beautiful."
—Michael Clune, author of Pan

"Social contagion is the most important phenomenon of our time. The One and the Ninety-Nine is the place to go to learn about it."
Tyler Cowen, author of The Complacent Class

A book about the problem beneath all our other problems: how to become a person capable of truth, courage, and belonging in a culture that dissolves all three. Burgis manages to be both humane and unflinchingly honest, which is not only rare, but invaluable.”
Katherine Dee, internet culture reporter

The One and the Ninety-Nine is nothing short of courageous. Luke Burgis has risked much in his boldness of form and content, in making it personal. In a time when the stakes could hardly be higher, this book could lead you to great rewards. Take it personally.”
—Andrew McLuhan, founder of the McLuhan Institute

"The strength of the team is the self. The strength of the self is the team. Burgis shows you how to be authentically yourself and consider the impact you're having on others so you can do your best work and build your strongest relationships.”
—Kim Scott, author Radical Candor and Radical Respect

“Developing a healthy truth-seeking identity in an age of both isolation and digital saturation based on tribal identities is rapidly becoming a core issue for young people. The One and the Ninety-Nine is a guide for both individuals and parents on how to foster one through healthy relationships.”
Michael Strong, founder of the Socratic Experience, author of The Habit of Thought and Be the Solution

“A warm, wonderful account of how to develop a healthy self—based in community—for the age of digital distraction. It combines personal reflections from key transitions with longer-term principles on how to live a satisfying life.”
Magatte Wade, entrepreneur and author of The Heart of the Cheetah

The One and the Ninety-Nine offers a compelling exploration of how to develop a healthier sense of self in an age of social contagion and fragmented identities. A timely and much-needed book.”
Anne-Laure Le Cunff, neuroscientist and author of Tiny Experiments