All Books
- Brilliant, prescient, troubled: The man behind Cold War containment
As the architect of U.S. Cold War policy toward the Soviet Union, George F. Kennan believed his ideas had been badly misinterpreted. A powerful new biography probes a complex and often tormented man.
- Sci-fi novel ‘Cold People’ explores ethics of human bioengineering
After aliens banish humans to Antarctica, scientists develop a new breed of children who are super-adapted to frigid conditions in Tom Rob Smith’s dystopian novel “Cold People.”
- Grief and resilience: Lessons from Emerson, Thoreau, and James
The three 19th-century American thinkers transmuted grief and loss into works of great power and eloquence, which speak to modern-day audiences.
- Two white abolitionists discover Black family members. Complexity ensues.
Kerri K. Greenidge explores the complicated legacy of the Grimkes, white abolitionist sisters whose Black nephews were subjected to their aunts’ conflicting motives and expectations.
- The case for cancel culture: A millennial journalist’s take
In “The Case for Cancel Culture: How this Democratic Tool Works to Liberate Us All,” millennial journalist Ernest Owens argues that without cancel culture, marginalized people don’t have a voice.
- Protecting female protesters during Egypt’s Arab Spring revolution
Activist Yasmin El-Rifae helped rescue women from sexual assault during Arab Spring protests in Egypt. She talks about her book “Radius,” which confronts the issue of women’s safety.
- ‘Wilderness Tales’ unfolds short stories with a sense of place
Collected stories about the wild, uncharted frontiers of North America expand to include everything from classic nature tales to dystopian climate fiction.
- First Black presidential candidate: How Shirley Chisholm paved the way
Shirley Chisholm blazed the trail for generations of Black Americans in politics. A new biography takes a deeper look at the “brilliant strategist, inventive intellectual, and flawed human.”
- From mystery to mastery: March’s 10 best books thrill, intrigue, and satisfy
March’s 10 best books unfold mysteries both imagined and real, with probing explorations of ethical dilemmas as well as natural wonders.
- First LookBiggest year in book bans leaves librarians exhausted, frustrated
More than 1,200 challenges to bookshelves were recorded in 2022, nearly double from 2021, according to a report released by the American Library Association. “The last two years have been exhausting, frightening, outrage-inducing,” said an ALA director.
- Uyghur author Gulchehra Hoja: ‘We are going to bloom again’
Journalist Gulchehra Hoja shares her powerful story of defiance and hope amid what she calls China’s “genocide” of its Uyghur Muslim population.
- A Confederate spy plots to build the South’s navy with England’s help
“The Lion and the Fox” tells the history of a Confederate sympathizer dispatched to England to secretly build a fleet of ships, and the U.S. consul in Liverpool who was determined to stop him.
- New chapter for racially diverse bookstores: Steady growth, wider reach
Book-loving dreamers of color are opening an increasing number of new spaces for diverse stories and clientele.
- ‘A well deserved celebration’: Charting Toni Morrison’s path to creativity
Author Toni Morrison’s approach to creativity involved drawing settings and jotting inspiration on paper scraps. What does her process tell us about her path toward influencing American culture?
- No obstacle too tall for this Ugandan wildlife veterinarian
To protect animals in Uganda, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka found she needed to help villagers find work and learn to value their role in caring for wildlife. Her memoir “Walking with Gorillas” reveals her dedication and persistence.
- Slavery has ended, but her journey has only just begun
On the Caribbean islands, slavery has just been abolished. Though not quite free, a mother goes looking for her stolen children and discovers her own strength, in Eleanor Shearer's moving novel "River Sing Me Home."
- Lawlessness, violence, courage: A battle for the Amazon
Laborers looking to carve out small farms in the Amazon at the Brazilian government's behest have run afoul of big ranching, mining, and timber companies that exploit both land and workers.
- Tracing the evangelical roots of white nationalism
The seeds of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol were germinating for decades, posits religion scholar Bradley Onishi in “Preparing for War.”
- Times change. Should classic children’s books?
Do children need to be protected from books? The controversy over Roald Dahl is the latest in the debate over whether children’s literature should be adapted to the current time or understood as relics of their own.
- Recovering a sense of wonder in a post-lockdown world
The pandemic has left many people in the doldrums, including “Wintering” author Katherine May. In “Enchantment,” she sets out on a journey to recapture a sense of awe in the everyday.