The One and the Ninety-Nine

Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion

De: Luke Burgis

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 book 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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The go-to book about the most important phenomenon of our time.” —Tyler Cowen, author of The Complacent Class

“In The One and the Ninety-Nine, Luke Burgis shows us how to resist the siren call of false identification, which targets us every moment of every day from all of our devices. Joining his own experience to the testimony of the ages, Burgis reveals how we can discover our true selves through a personal response to the call of the good and the beautiful. Only such selves can melt our culture's frozen channels of creation and relationship." —Michael Clune, author of Pan

“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