The vibrant public images of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams often overshadow that of James Madison, who has entered history as a shadowy, albeit important, figure. It is, after all, Madison’s system of... Read More

Caring for a terminally ill loved one is uncharted territory for many of us—an emotionally fraught journey into the unknown, with fear, guilt, grief, and resentment as unwelcome traveling companions. In Leaning Into Sharp Points, Stan... Read More

“Tradition,” writes Kevin Young, “is not what you inherit, but what you seek, and then seek to keep.” In this book, winner of Graywolf Press’s Nonfiction Prize, Young ranges over his own cultural inheritance, exploring,... Read More

Mention the word “test” to students, and a number of them will avoid eye contact, laugh nervously, and tense their shoulders. The higher the stakes, the greater the level of anxiety. Telling them to relax and study hard rarely helps,... Read More

Put aside any preconceived notions of a cuisine revolving around fried chicken, grits, and Coca-Cola. And just forget about Paula Dean. In The World in a Skillet, Angela and Paul Knipple, food writers from Memphis, Tennessee, have laid... Read More

The human body needs more than twenty-one thousand breaths per day, making breathing the most vital requirement for survival. Connecting breath to spiritual insight is a practice across diverse traditions. Here, Will Johnson, author of... Read More

Many have written about those who had the courage to stand up to the Nazi regime. However, in "Epistolophilia" Julija Šukys shares the story of a complicated and largely forgotten hero. Ona Šimaitė came from a family “more likely to... Read More

Readers familiar with Jeanette Winterson’s semi-autobiographical first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, know a scumbled version of her history: Adopted by a religious fanatic and her passive husband, forbidden to read much beyond... Read More