Book Links: Society & CultureLike this list

20 items

• Weep, Shudder, Die

  on Opera and Poetry

  Gioia, Dana,

  Add Weep, Shudder, Die to your for later shelf

  “Weep, Shudder, Die explores opera from the perspective by which the art was originally created, as the most intense form of poetic drama. The great operas have an essential connection to poetry, song, and the primal power of the human voice. The…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wards of the State

  the Long Shadow of American Foster Care

  Rowe, Claudia, 1966-

  Add Wards of the State to your for later shelf

  “In Wards of the State, award-winning journalist Claudia Rowe's storytelling is both vivid and unflinching, offering readers a deep understanding of the foster care-to-prison pipeline. Through interviews with psychologists, advocates, judges, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Martians

  the True Story of An Alien Craze That Captured Turn-of-the-century America

  Baron, David, 1964-

  Add The Martians to your for later shelf

  “Recounts early twentieth-century Mars mania, following Percival Lowell's rise and fall as he championed the belief in intelligent Martians, revealing how scientific speculation, public fascination, and cultural projection transformed the red planet…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Born in Flames

  the Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City

  Ansfield, Bench,

  Add Born in Flames to your for later shelf

  “The explosive account of the arson wave that hit the Bronx and other American cities in the 1970s—and its legacy today. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning!’ That legendary and apocryphal phrase, allegedly uttered by announcers during the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• You Have a New Memory

  Arata, Aiden,

  Add You Have a New Memory to your for later shelf

  “In this collection of kaleidoscopic essays, Aiden artfully explores what it means to exist on the internet, from fan fic forums to TikTok. She exposes influencer grifts from the perspective of a grifter, digs into the alluring aesthetic numbness of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Noble Madness

  the Dark Side of Collecting From Antiquity to Now

  Delbourgo, James, 1972-

  Add A Noble Madness to your for later shelf

  “From Roman emperors lusting after statues to modern-day hoarders, award-winning author James Delbourgo tells the extraordinary story of fanatical collectors throughout history. He explains how the idea first emerged that when we look at someone's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Pay the People!

  Why Fair Pay Is Good for Business and Great for America

  Driscoll, John (Healthcare industry executive),

  Add Pay the People! to your for later shelf

  “Pay the People! argues that when workers are paid fairly, everyone, including businesses, benefits.” -Novelist

• Beyond Personhood

  An Essay in Trans Philosophy

  Bettcher, Talia Mae,

  Add Beyond Personhood to your for later shelf

  “Beyond Personhood provides an entirely new philosophical approach to trans experience, trans oppression, gender dysphoria, and the relationship between gender and identity. Until now, trans experience has overwhelmingly been understood in terms of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Genius

  Essays on An American Legacy

  Johnson, Tre,

  Add Black Genius to your for later shelf

  “A powerful read examining the lack of opportunity given to Black Americans due to structural racism, and how forgotten historical figures and the author's own family found a way to succeed despite the obstacles.” -Novelist

• American Photography

  America Through Photographers' Eyes

  Boom, Mattie,

  Add American Photography to your for later shelf

  “Since its invention in 1839, photography has become deeply embedded in American society. American Photography captures this phenomenon through over 280 images, portraying American life through the lenses of renowned photographers such as Nan…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nothing More of This Land

  Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity

  Lee, Joseph, 1992-

  Add Nothing More of This Land to your for later shelf

  “Before Martha's Vineyard became one of the most iconic vacation destinations in the country, it was home to the Wampanoag people. The island has become increasingly unaffordable for tribal members, with nearly three-quarters now living off-island.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Face With Tears of Joy

  a Natural History of Emoji

  Houston, Keith, 1977-

  Add Face With Tears of Joy to your for later shelf

  “We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, our sex lives, and more. But emoji's impact has never been explored in full. In this rollicking tech and pop culture history, Keith Houston follows emoji from its birth in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Conservative at the Core

  a New History of American Conservatism

  Lichtman, Allan J.,

  Add Conservative at the Core to your for later shelf

  “Conservative at the Core unpacks the history, rhetoric, and policies of the American conservative movement and probes the truth about what conservatism actually represents.” -Novelist

• Please Yell at My Kids

  What Cultures Around the World Can Teach You About Parenting in Community, Raising Independent Kids, and Not Losing Your Mind

  Lopes, Marina,

  Add Please Yell at My Kids to your for later shelf

  “At the heart of many global approaches to parenting lies one simple, and not so simple thing: community. In America, parenting is, at best, a dual mission. But globally, parenthood is more often a team sport. From guiding caregivers through how to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Magic in the Air

  the Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk

  Sielski, Mike, 1975-

  Add Magic in the Air to your for later shelf

  “The evolution of basketball, and much of the social and cultural change in America, can be traced through one powerful act on the court: the slam dunk. Drawing on deep reporting and dozens of interviews with players, coaches and other hoops…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lone Wolf

  Walking the Line Between Civilization and Wildness

  Weymouth, Adam,

  Add Lone Wolf to your for later shelf

  “In 2011, a lone wolf named Slavc set out from his home territory of Slovenia on an epic journey across the Alps. Tracked by a GPS collar, he walked over a thousand miles. In Lone Wolf, writer Adam Weymouth walks the same path through the mountains…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fatherhood

  a History of Love and Power

  Sedgewick, Augustine,

  Add Fatherhood to your for later shelf

  “Fatherhood is one of the most meaningful aspects of human culture. Despite its enigmatic beginnings, fatherhood has, for centuries, given shape to ideas about the world, defined human experiences, and provided the foundation of patriarchy. The…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Whack Job

  a History of Axe Murder

  James, Rachel McCarthy,

  Add Whack Job to your for later shelf

  “Examines the axe's foundational role in human history, from prehistoric violence, to war and executions, to newspaper headlines and popular culture.” -Novelist

• Alive Day

  a Memoir

  Fugett, Karie,

  Add Alive Day to your for later shelf

  “A young woman, thrust into the role of caregiver after her Marine husband’s devastating war injury, struggles with love, addiction and systemic failures in this poignant and darkly humorous journey of resilience, sacrifice, and the hidden costs of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Bosses Everywhere

  How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America

  Read, Bridget, 1990-

  Add Little Bosses Everywhere to your for later shelf

  “Bridget Read tells the story of multilevel marketing in full for the first time, from postwar California, where a failed salesman started a vitamin business, through the religious suburbs of Michigan, where the industry built its political…Read moreRead more of this annotation