Emergency Responders on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Ieva Jusionyte explores the spirit of first response in an area where dangers don't care about boundaries.
Shelf Help
From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back
Katya Cengel tracks the lives of four families following the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge.
The Third Reich's Supporters in the United States
A nervous storm cloud of historical might-have-beens—a fitting companion to our age of diffuse paranoia.
Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side
Sociologist Eve Ewing analyzes the closings from multiple angles.
Why Our Families Can't Afford America
A portrait of the stressed and shrinking American middle class.
The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else)
Ken Auletta's latest book explores the chaotic world of contemporary advertising.
Sex, Surveillance, and the Decades-Long Government Plan to Imprison 'Promiscuous' Women
Behind the nationwide program that empowered health authorities to surveil women, quarantine them in miserable conditions, and force them to undergo painful and ineffective treatments.
A Theory (on Bullshit Jobs)
With help from readers who wrote to him about their workplace experiences, anthropologist David Graeber develops a taxonomy of bullshit jobs.
The Global Uprising Against Poverty Wages
Historian Annelise Orleck traveled to Mexico, Cambodia, and Bangladesh, plus all across America, to interview low-wage workers fighting for better conditions and pay.
Commercialization and Far Right Youth Culture in Germany
Sociologist Cynthia Miller-Idriss argues how brands sneak past German laws against Nazi symbols while building a community among customers.
The Hidden World of Police on Steroids
Professor John Hoberman turns his attention to cops.
The Rise of Silicon Valley as a Political Powerhouse and Social Wrecking Ball
Journalist Noam Cohen's new book argues that Silicon Valley is a social wrecking ball, but is that perspective enough to create change?
Height Discrimination and Strategies for Social Change
In her new book, lawyer Tanya Osensky argues that constantly monitoring height is a symptom and driver of a pervasive "heightism" that unjustly frames tallness as powerful and shortness as weak.
Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life
Journalist Lauren Markham's new book tells the story of twin teenage brothers who migrate from gang-ridden El Salvador to Oakland, California.
The Origins of the Women's Self-Defense Movement
In her new book, martial artist Wendy Rouse digs into the history of women fighting back.
The Desegregation of American Airports
A new book by a German historian looks at the conflicting history of segregation in commercial air travel.
A Blueprint for Resisting Islamophobic Prejudice
Erik Love's new book is invaluable for its detailed chronicle of Muslim-American activism.
A True Story of Pathological Friendliness
Jennifer Latson's debut illustrates a boy's coming-of-age, complicated by a genetic disorder that strips peoples' social inhibitions.
Darkness, Sleep, and Dreams During the Civil War
Jonathan W. White argues that the Civil War might have been the most sleepless period in American history.
Ona Judge, the Washingtons, and the Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave
A portrait of George Washington as slave master.
Shelf Help: New Book Reviews in 100 Words or Less
What you need to know about Bad Feminist, XL Love, and The Birth of Korean Cool.
Shelf Help: New Book Reviews in 100 Words or Less
What you need to know about Addiction by Design, The Big Fix, and The Dylanologists.