An illuminating treatise on an important and poorly understood subject, Bryna Siegel’s "The Politics of Autism" explores the many ways that diagnosis and treatment of the... Read More

With more and more halal food joining the American menu, questions about it abound. Halal Food: A History by Febe Armanios and Boğaç Ergene offers timely, comprehensive, and... Read More

Stephen T. Asma’s "Why We Need Religion" describes itself as “a Darwinian defense of religious emotions and the cultural systems that manage them,” and that’s an... Read More

Most Americans and Europeans see the Roman Empire as centered on Greece, France, Britain, and Spain. Relatively little thought is given to Rome in North Africa and the Near... Read More

“As a boy, I saw my dad cry on only three occasions,” writes Jason Colby. “One was his father’s funeral. The other two involved dead orcas.” Colby’s father had been... Read More

In "The Merchant of Syria", Diana Darke uses the true story of Abu Chaker, a cloth merchant who began his career in Syria before expanding into Lebanon and later the United... Read More

At its center is a dirge for the Israel of secular Labor and idealism. "How Long Will Israel Survive?" provides an in-depth look at a society that is said to be rotting from the... Read More

"Flora of Middle-Earth" resides at the intersection of the mundane and the fantastical. An ambitious labor of love, Flora of Middle-Earth: Plants of J. R. R. Tolkien’s... Read More

Though the science behind global climate change can be made simple, its scientific complexities go a long way toward putting the impending catastrophe into context. "A Farewell... Read More

"PTL" is a fascinating study of the ignominious collapse of an evangelical empire. John Wigger’s "PTL" covers the famed Christian media empire of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker.... Read More

With its voracious appetite for pop culture, Garrett’s book is a great reminder that there’s more to life than just being alive. Gut-wrenching, stomach-churning, and... Read More

Rosalind Rosenberg’s long-delayed biography, Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray, uses the papers of Pauli Murray deposited at Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library to give voice... Read More