I'd like to amend the previous comment: there are actually two saving graces to this book. Rios's character, and the in-universe scientific papers that occasionally appear at the end of relevant chapters. They're pretty well written, and are excellent worldbuilding that shows that JJM understands the Star Trek universe on a deep level. (If only he used that understanding to tell a more compelling story!)

I'd read a whole book of just in-universe sociology and philosophy texts, especially of Star Trek, but for any fictional universe really. Does that book exist? I probably won't get an answer here if so.