New Books Network
Episodes
Francisco Martínez, "The Future of Hiding: Secrecy, Infrastructure, and Ecological Memory in Estonia's Siberia" (Cornell UP, 2025)
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How can lives and things that are rendered invisible be crucial to identity, politics, and the future? Drawing on experimental ethnographic research i...
David Womersley, "Thinking Through Shakespeare" (Princeton UP, 2026)
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the eighteenth century, Samuel Johnson famously argued that Shakespeare is enduringly popular because he “is above all writers, at least above al...
The Lost World of African American Cantors 1915–1953
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Histories of Black-Jewish cultural interaction often focus on how Jews adopted and adapted Black vernacular music—ragtime, jazz, swing, R&B, blues—...
Mary Lisa Gavenas, "Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay" (Penguin, 2026)
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As detailed in Selling Opportunity: The Story of Mary Kay (Penguin, 2026) by Mary Lisa Gavenas, as the only woman in Forbes’ Greatest Business St...
Raffaele Danna, "The Craft of Indo-Arabic Numerals: How Practical Arithmetic Shaped Commerce and Mathematics in Western Europe, 1200–1600" (Harvard UP, 2026)
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the thirteenth-century Mediterranean, commerce transformed as merchants shifted from Roman to Indo-Arabic numerals—an alternative that better fac...
Rugged Individualism
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this special student edition of High Theory, Andrew Bennett, Jo Hoffman, Kai North, and Ally Sullivan tell us about Rugged Individualism, a concept...
Susanna Elm and Kristina Sessa, "War and Community in Late Antiquity" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Susanna Elm and Kristina Sessa, War and Community in Late Antiquity (Cambridge UP, 2026) Late Antiquity (ca. 250–600 CE) was a world at war: barb...
Heather Shay, "Identity Building Among Role-Playing Gamers: Slaying Goblins in the Real World" (Bloomsbury, 2025)
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Identity Building Among Role-Playing Gamers: Slaying Goblins in the Real World (Bloomsbury 2025), Heather Shay draws from 19 months of particip...
Caste and Race: Ambedkar and King with the Ambedkar King Study Circle
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features S. Karthikeyan and S. Subbulakshmi, the Convenor and Secretary of the Ambedkar King Study Circle, an anti-caste organization bas...
Karen Hao, "Empire of AI: Inside the Race for Total Domination" (Allan Lane, 2025)
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hello! Thanks for reaching out. I'm glad you're here! Do you have any questions or thoughts about the recent discussion with Karen Hao on AI and its s...
Chinatown
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
“Forget it, Jake—it’s Chinatown.” This piece of advice is as famous as it is useless: Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) will never be able to forge...
Jack Cheevers, "Kennedy’s Coup: A White House Plot, a Saigon Murder, and America's Descent into Vietnam" (Simon and Schuster, 2026)
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Based on a decade of research and writing, enriched by eyewitness interviews and revealing documents obtained through dozens of freedom of information...
Kaitlin P. Reed, "Settler Cannabis: From Gold Rush to Green Rush in Indigenous Northern California" (U Washington Press, 2023)
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Despite it's centrality to a hippie counterculture which claimed an environmentalist ethos, California's "green rush" of cannabis growing from the mid...
Assessing Global Democratic Health Amidst a Growing Shadow of Autocracy
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Democracy Dialogues, host Maya Tudor speaks with two democracy experts at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Freedom House to...
A Shakeup Is Coming for the Nation-State: A Conversation with Stephen Sims
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Sims’ New Atlantis essay examines how emerging technologies are reshaping the structure and authority of the modern nation-state. He argue...
The British General Election of 2024: A Conversation with Robert Ford and Paula Surridge
27 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why and how did Labour win the 2024 election? In The British General Election of 2024 Robert Ford, a Professor of Politics at the University of Man...
Oil and Militancy in Nigeria: A Conversation with Noo Saro-Wiwa
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Noo Saro-Wiwa is an author and journalist. Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and raised in England, she attended King's College London and Columbia Univ...
Douglas Waller, "The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner" (Penguin, 2026)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Wisner was one of the most powerful men in 1950s Washington, though few knew it. Reporting directly to senior U.S. officials--his work largely h...
Kaie Kellough, "Interposition" (McClelland & Stewart, 2026)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks wit Griffin Prize winner Kaie Kellough about his new long poem, Interposition (McClelland & Steward,...
Gennady Estraikh, "The History of Birobidzhan: Building a Soviet Jewish Homeland in Siberia" (Bloombury, 2023)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Alisa interviews Dr. Gennady Estraikh. His book titled, The History of Birobidzhan: Building a Soviet Jewish Homeland in Siberia (B...
Josh Franklin, "Where Are You?: Finding Yourself in the Bible" (Wipf & Stock, 2026)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Where are you—spiritually, emotionally, and morally? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with Rabbi Josh Franklin to discuss his book Where A...
Brook Flagg, "I Go There with You: The U2 Sites of Southern California, from Significant to Sacred" (Nine Criteria, 2025)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
U2 is a band from the north side of Dublin that became a global phenomenon-and while its four members have traveled the world over for almost fifty ye...
Kirsten Clark, "Practical Project Management for Librarians" (Bloomsbury, 2025)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Librarians continue to work under budget constraints while still needing to increase the user experience and remove barriers to library resources. Lea...
Nathanial Gardner, "A Companion to Latin American Photography" (Tamesis, 2025)
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A Companion to Latin American Photography (Tamesis Books, 2025) introduces the reader to the role that photography plays in Latin America, offers w...
Zaakir Tameez, "Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation" (Henry Holt, 2025)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A landmark biography of Charles Sumner, the unsung hero of the American Civil War and ReconstructionCharles Sumner is mainly known as the abolitionist...
Jonathan Gray and Daphne Gershon, "Reading Media: How to Do Textual Analysis" (NYU Press, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Reading Media: How to do Textual Analysis reinvigorates one of media and cultural studies’ most foundational methods at a moment when it is most ne...
Constance Bailey et al. "Get It While It's Hot: Gas Station, Roadside, and Convenience Cuisine in the U.S. South" (LSU Press, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Get It While It’s Hot (LSU Press, 2026) is an innovative collection that examines an increasingly commonplace belief across the U.S. South—that s...
Mia Martin Hobbs and Joan Beaumont, "Challenging Anzac: Stories That Don't Fit the Legend" (NewSouth, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Challenging Anzac: Stories that don’t fit the legend Edited by Mia Martin Hobbs, Carolyn Holbrook, The Anzac legend has shaped Australia’s nat...
Michael Lee Nirenberg, "Cinematic Immunity" (Feral House, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The unbelievable insider stories of how they “got the shot,” Cinematic Immunity tells the story of New York City's movie industry from the crew ...
Jes Battis, "It's Only Forever: Labyrinth" (ECW Press, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jes Battis' new book, It's Only Forever. Labyrinth (ECW Press, 2026) is a wild, intimate, and political deep dive into Jim Henson’s 1986 classic ...
Tiffany Jo Werth, "The Lithic Imagination from More to Milton" (Oxford UP, 2024)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Lithic Imagination from More to Milton (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Tiffany Jo Werth explores how stones, rocks, and the broader minera...
Justin Bailey, "An Anthropology of Wandering: How Adventure Can Alleviate a Fearful Culture" (2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a culture saturated by speed, safety protocols, and mediated fear, what might we rediscover by walking or hiking slowly into the unknown? In this ...
Ker Gibbs, "The Fragile Dragon: Trade, Trump, and China's Vulnerabilities" (Earnshaw Books, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Fragile Dragon offers a unique exploration of China's rapid transformation and its evolving commercial relationship with the West. Drawing on the ...
Ida Susser, "The Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy: Taking to the Streets of Paris in the 21st Century" (Routledge, 2026)
25 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Written under the shadow of growing authoritarianism in the United States and Europe, this book is an effort to understand resistance movements of the...
Charlotte Linton, "Dyeing with the Earth: Textiles, Tradition, and Sustainability in Contemporary Japan" (Duke UP, 2025)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The past, present and future of ethical production in fashion In Dyeing with the Earth, Charlotte Linton explores the intersection of small-scale tr...
Vin Nardizzi, "Marvellous Vegetables in the English Renaissance" (U Toronto Press, 2025)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
John Gerard’s natural history of plants, The Herball (1597), is considered a failure in the history of science. Despite this reputation, it has endu...
Mujun Zhou, "The Death and Life of Chinese Civil Society" (U Michigan Press, 2026)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a society undergoing rapid transformation, how do people engage in debates around a foreign concept and in doing so, pursue contested political fut...
Dawn Macdonald, "Northerny" (U Alberta Press, 2024)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Dawn MacDonald about her Griffin Prize winning collection, Northerny (University of Alberta Press...
Mattie Fitch, "The People, the Workers, and the Citizens: Antifascist Cultures and the Popular Front in France, 1934–1939" (Routledge, 2025)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are joined by Mattie Fitch, Associate Professor at Marymount University and author of The People, The Workers and the Citizens: Antifascist ...
Sunita Sah, "Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes" (Random House, 2025)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How many times have you wanted to object, disagree, or opt out of something but ended up swallowing your words, shaking your head, and just going alon...
Radio ReOrient 14:4: The Coconut Trial with Marieha Hussain, hosted by Fatima Rajina and Stephen Lawrence Research Centre
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Fatima Rajina is joined by Marieha Hussain to talk about her experience of the Coconuts trial. A case that saw the political activ...
How Bolsonaro was Convicted: The Role of the Judiciary During and After Autocratization
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro was found to have attempted a coup after losing the 2022 presidential elections, and he was convicted to 27 years...
Vanda Krefft, "Expect Great Things!: How the Katharine Gibbs School Revolutionized the American Workplace for Women" (Algonquin Books, 2026)
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a safe bet that most of the secretaries on the TV series Mad Men would have attended the Katharine Gibbs School in New York City. The icon...
Liz Bucar, "Beyond Wellness: How Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices Can Heal Us" (Penguin, 2026)
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Bucar is a religious ethicist and professor of religion at Northeastern University, as well as a certified intenSati and Kripalu yoga instructor....
Shameem Black, "Flexible India: Yoga's Cultural and Political Tensions" (Columbia UP, 2023)
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Yoga has offered the Indian state unprecedented opportunities for global, media-savvy political performance. Under Modi, it has promoted yoga tourism ...
Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Caroline Bicks became the first scholar granted extended access by Stephen King to his private archives, a treasure trove of manuscripts that document...
The MANTRAMS Project: Mantras in Religion, Media, and Society in Global Southern Asia
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Carola Lorea discusses the MANTRAMS project, a major ERC Synergy Grant initiative jointly hosted by Oxford, Vienna, and Tübingen dedicated to produci...
Yair Mintzker, "I, Wandering Jew: A Five-Century History of Our Modern Condition" (Princeton UP, 2026)
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The story behind the mythical figure of "the Wandering Jew" is one of the most fascinating tales in European history. In I, Wandering Jew, National J...
Craig Perry, "Slavery and the Jews of Medieval Egypt: A History" (Princeton UP, 2026)
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Slavery was a key part of pre-modern Islamic society, spanning from soldiers to concubines. And one of the most revealing repositories of evidence we ...
Indigenous Employment and Cultural Safety: Building Real Pathways with guest Craig Seinor-Davies
23 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
*Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this episode may contain the name of deceased persons.* Podcast description: In t...
Sarah Jean Grimm, "Hog Lagoon" (blush, 2023) and "Soft Focus" (Metatron, 2017)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Jean Grimm is the author of Soft Focus (Metatron, 2017) and the chapbook Hog Lagoon (blush, 2023). She was a founding editor of Powder Keg ...
Daisuke Miyao, "Ozu and the Ethics of Indeterminacy" (Duke UP, 2026)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ozu and the Ethics of Indeterminacy (Duke University Press, 2026) re-examines cinema studies through the work of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu, em...
Jan Cress Dondi, "The Navigator's Letter" (Union Square, 2026)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of the riskiest air raids of World War II occurred on August 1, 1943, over the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania--Nazi Germany's primary fuel source....
Sarah Jaffe, "From the Ashes: Grief and Transformation in a World on Fire" (Bold Type Books, 2024)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the author of Work Won't Love You Back, a stirring examination of how collective grief can ignite powerful change. Our era is one of significant ...
The Information State: How is the State Surveilling and Manipulating us These Days?
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of International Horizons, RBI Acting Director Eli Karetny interviews Jacob Siegel, writer, Army veteran, and author of The Informat...
Masud Husain, "Our Brains, Our Selves: What a Neurologist’s Patients Taught Him About the Brain" (Canongate, 2025)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What makes us who we are?Through the stories of seven of his patients, acclaimed Oxford University neurologist Masud Husain shows us how our brains cr...
Berardino Palumbo, "Where Saints Show Respect: Mafia, Modernity, and Rituals of Power" (Berghahn Books, 2026)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Where Saints Show Respect: Mafia, Modernity, and Rituals of Power is an anthropological exploration of how authority is produced not only through vio...
Sarah Murray, "Powered by Smart: A Prehistory of Everyday AI" (NYU Press, 2026)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Powered by Smart traces the techno-cultural evolutions that made artificial intelligence feel more familiar than futuristic. From wearables and strea...
Drew Flanagan, "From Occupation to Integration: Recivilizing the French Zone of Post-Nazi Germany, 1945-1955" (LSU Press, 2026)
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After the collapse of the National Socialist regime in May 1945, France became one of four principal occupying powers in a defeated Germany. Within th...
The Crisis of American Political Economy: On the New Conservative Policy Agenda with Chris Griswold
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this sixth episode of Season 5, I interview Mr. Chris Griswold. An alum of Wheaton College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he was formerly a s...
James Bultema, "Free Enough to Grow: The Turkish Protestant Movement, 1961-2016" (Springer, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In Free Enough to Grow: The Turkish Protestant Movement, 1961-2016 (Springer Nature, 2026), James Bultema identifies and investigates four central f...
Abigail Ocobock, "Marriage Material: How an Enduring Institution Is Changing Same-Sex Relationships" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It is no secret that marriage rates in the United States are at an all-time low. Despite this significant decline, the institution of marriage endures...
The (Un)imagined Work of Linguistic Inclusion
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Language on the Move Podcast, Emily Pacheco speaks with PhD candidate Brynn Quick (Macquarie University, Australia) about h...
Lauren J.A. Bear, "Aphrodite in Pieces" (Ace, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Aphrodite in Pieces gathers diverse myths featuring the goddess and unites them to create a comprehensive portrait. Beginning with her innocent days ...
Wade Bishop et al., "A Critical Look at Information Science and Librarianship in a New Age" (Emerald Publishing, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A Critical Look at Information Science and Librarianship in a New Age: Constellation of Insanity (Emerald, 2026) fosters a platform for information s...
Jim Downs, "Maladies of Empire: How Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine" (Harvard UP, 2023)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Downs’ most recent book is Maladies of Empire: How Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine. Professor Downs is the Gilder Lehrman-Nat...
Stephen F. Jones, "The First Social Democracy: The Democratic Republic of Georgia, 1918–1921" (Harvard UP, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Following the collapse of the Russian Empire, the small nation of Georgia established its independence in May 1918. Its leaders surprised the world by...
David Blumenthal and James A. Morone, "Whiplash: From the Battle for Obamacare to the War on Science" (Yale UP, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly a century, every Democratic president—and many Republicans—entered office promising to restructure America’s health care system. Bara...
Francis Young, "Fairies: A History" (John Wiley & Sons, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Many people think they know what fairies are, what a fairy looks like, and how a fairy is expected to behave. Dr. Francis Young's Fairies: A History ...
Radha Lin Chaddah, "And the Ancestors Sing" (Rising Action, 2026)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Starting in the late 1970s, three women navigate post Cultural Revolution China: Lulu, who’s forced to become a prostitute in Shanghai to save her m...
Aurore Spiers, "Archiving the Past: Women's Film History in France, 1927–1978" (U California Press, 2026)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when we assume women’s presence in film history instead of their absence? This is the question at the heart of Archiving the Past: W...
Adam Henig, "Baseball's Outcast: The Story of Ron LeFlore" (Bloomsbury, 2026)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When twenty-three-year-old Ron LeFlore played his first organized baseball game, it was in a yard at the State Prison of Southern Michigan where he wa...
Am Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and Cannabis
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mentioned in the Bible and discussed in numerous traditional texts, cannabis has long been a part of Jewish life. For millennia, Jews have been buying...
Generic
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of High Theory, Kim talks to Ben Mangrum about Generic. A curious term that denotes both the conventions and rules of genre, and the i...
Rebecca Buxton and Samuel Ritholtz, "The Way Out: Justice in the Queer Search for Refuge" (U California Press, 2026)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The global refugee regime has shifted under our feet. Over the last forty years, international asylum practices have expanded to include the queer ...
Sasha Senderovich and Harriet Murav, "In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Short Fiction by Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union" (Stanford UP, 2026)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In their anthology, In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Short Fiction by Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union (Stanford University Press, 2026), Sasha S...
Qi Ai, "Feng Xiaogang's New Year Films: Industry, Regulation, Humour and Authorship" (Routledge, 2025)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Feng Xiaogang's New Year Films: Industry, Regulation, Humour and Authorship (Routledge, 2025) offers not only an in-depth study of Feng Xiaogang as a...
Eileen G'Sell, "Lipstick" (Bloomsbury, 2026)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From Revlon to Glossier, from Marilyn to Gaga, lipstick is as shape-shifting and unwieldy as femininity itself.Who wears lipstick today – as a matte...
Ladder or Lottery? Gary Hoover on the Consequences of Broken Economic Promises
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Gary Hoover about his new book, Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead (U...
Adrian Woolfson, "On the Future of Species: Authoring Life by Means of Artificial Biological Intelligence" (MIT Press, 2026)
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a future where we grow houses rather than build them. Where smartphones are alive, clothing has opinions and all human knowledge fits into a s...
Masako Ichihara, "Climate Change Litigation in Japan: Cases, Challenges, and Opportunities for Environmental Law" (Brill, 2026)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Climate Change Litigation in Japan: Cases, Challenges, and Opportunities for Environmental Law (Brill, 2026) provides the details of Japanese climate...
Twelve Lives: Creating Literary Community with Raymond Williams, PhD
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the moment I began working with the New Books Network, my vision was bigger than author interviews. I envisioned my platform one where people cou...
From the Vilna Ghetto to Nuremberg: Memoir and Testimony
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After escaping the Vilna Ghetto and surviving winter in the forest among partisan fighters, Avrom Sutzkever was airlifted to Moscow in 1944. The renow...
Michał Mycka, "Games User Research Cookbook: Tools and Techniques for Better Player Experience" (CRC Press, 2026)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This book offers a comprehensive and practical guide to Games User Research (GUR). Blending theory and hands-on experience, it walks readers through m...
Kristan Stoddart, "Russia's Hybrid Warfare Offensive Against the West" (de Gruyter, 2025)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kristan Stoddart's Russia's Hybrid Warfare Offensive Against the West (de Gruyter, 2025) is a timely and systematic analysis of Russian hybrid warfa...
Karolina Przewrocka-Aderet, "Polanim: From Poland to Israel" (Academic Studies Press, 2026)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to leave one's homeland behind—and how do memories of that place shape the next generation? In this episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits ...
Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller, "Boom to Bust: How Streaming Broke Hollywood Workers" (U California Press, 2026)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Boom to Bust is a timely investigation into the rise of Peak TV and the perfect storm that caused a rapid decline in Hollywood work. When Hollywood ...
Kasey Jernigan, "Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways, and Indigeneity" (U Arizona Press, 2026)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The term "commod bod" is used with humor and affection. It also offers a critical way to describe bodies shaped by long-term reliance on U.S. federal ...
Nathaniel Greenberg, "The Long War of Ideas: American Public Diplomacy in Arabic After 9/11" (Columbia UP, 2026)
19 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, US officials identified the so-called battle for hearts and minds as the “second front” in the war on ter...
Manuel Barcia, "Pirate Imperialism: Trade, Abolition, and Global Suppression of Maritime Raiding, 1825–1870" (Yale UP, 2026)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the middle decades of the nineteenth century, imperial powers around the world came into direct confrontation with local resistance in the form of ...
Emely Rumble, "Bibliotherapy in The Bronx" (Row House, 2025)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bibliotherapy in The Bronx (Row House, 2025) by Emely Rumble, LCSW, is a groundbreaking exploration of the healing power of literature in the lives ...
Jane Vaynman, "Enemies in Agreement: Political Volatility and the Design of Arms Control" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why do adversaries sometimes cooperate to restrain their military competition? Why do they design arms control agreements with intrusive verification ...
Sayantani DasGupta, "Theft of the Ruby Lotus" (Scholastic Press, 2026)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sayantani DasGupta's latest middle grades novel, Theft of the Ruby Lotus (Scholastic, 2026) is an adventure heist. Ria Bailey finds herself in quit...
Dybbuks, Golems, S. An-ski, and Jewish Legends in Times of Fear
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
S. An-ski’s play The Dybbuk, a story of possession set in a shtetl (think The Exorcist meets Fiddler on the Roof), is the foundation of modern J...
Gautamiputra Kamble, "The Seekers" (Blaft Publication, 2025)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The seekers in these stories travel through worlds both ancient and modern, worlds of symbol and fantastical allegory, on their paths to greater truth...
Myung-jin Han with Nicolas Levi, "I Was a North Korean Diplomat: Inside the Secret World of Pyongyang's Foreign Service" (Independently Published, 2026)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Nicolas Levi is a researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He has authored numerous book...
Samuel Clowes Huneke, "I Will Not Abandon You: Queer Women in Nazi Germany" (Aevo UTP, 2026)
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
I Will Not Abandon You: Queer Women in Nazi Germany (Aevo UTP, 2026) brings to life the unrelenting defiance of queer women in fascist Germany. ...
Laughter and Leadership: A Conversation with Tikva Blaukopf Schein, Ph.D.
18 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We laugh without thinking — but what if laughter is one of the most revealing human acts? In this episode of The Van Leer Institute Series On Idea...
Audrey Borowski, "Leibniz in His World: The Making of a Savant" (Princeton UP, 2026)
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Described by Voltaire as “perhaps a man of the most universal learning in Europe,” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) is often portrayed as a...
Amanda Anderson and Simon During, "Humanities Theory" (Oxford UP, 2026)
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Humanities Theory (Oxford UP, 2026) pioneers a new topic: the theory of the humanities. It is an urgent topic right now because the humanities face ...