In her groundbreaking book “Jim Crow’s Pink Slip,” scholar Leslie T. Fenwick pulls back the curtain on the insidious effects of systemic racism within the American education system. Fenwick’s incisive analysis exposes how the era of school desegregation, while legally mandating racial integration, paradoxically led to a decimation of Black educational leadership as scores of…
“Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs” is a fascinating journey through space, time, and scientific disciplines. The central thesis revolves around Randall’s idea that a disk of dark matter in our Milky Way galaxy could have disturbed the orbit of a comet from the outer solar system, sending it crashing into Earth 66 million years ago…
Kate Crawford’s “Atlas of AI” presents a unique perspective on artificial intelligence (AI). Rather than focusing solely on its technical aspects, she delves into the often-overlooked societal implications of AI, including its environmental footprint, political consequences, and ethical dilemmas. The Book in Three Sentences “Atlas of AI” by Kate Crawford is an insightful exploration of…
Author Jonathan M Metzl, a psychiatrist and sociologist, delves into the health implications of certain political ideologies and policies on white working-class Americans. In particular, he examines the impact of conservative politics on their health outcomes. “Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland” is an in-depth exploration of race…
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s sci-fi novel Children of Time crafts a stunning narrative about the bounds of human nature and evolution’s power across cosmic timescales. In a desperate attempt to preserve life on a dying Earth, humans seed potential planets with monkeys to rebuild civilization across the galaxy. On one planet, things evolve in unexpected ways as…
In How the Word Is Passed, Clint Smith embarks on a tour of sites pivotal to the history of slavery and racial injustice in the United States. This timely book provides a compelling confrontation about how America fails to properly memorialize the enslaved people who built the country. The book in three sentences Clint Smith…
In Trust the Plan, Daily Beast reporter Will Sommer delves into the origins and evolution of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. His book provides important context for how QAnon gained traction and influenced American politics. The book in three sentences The book examines the rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which baselessly claimed Donald Trump…
In his grand-scale book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, historian Yuval Noah Harari provides a sweeping history of humankind that delves into our evolution, impact, and potential future. This uniquely broad perspective makes it a fascinating read for anyone interested in who we are and how we got here. The book in three sentences…
In Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest, sociologist Zeynep Tufekci examines the intricate relationship between social media and social movements. This timely book provides important insights into how modern protest unfolds with the rise of networked technologies. The book in three sentences: The book examines how social media has changed…
Quick Summary Noah Hawley’s latest novel Anthem offers a disturbing yet captivating vision of a near-future America plagued by political strife, climate disaster, and teenage suicide. Published in January 2022, the book has garnered attention for its timely themes and fast-paced, cinematic storytelling. In this review, I will give a quick plot overview, an extended…