Across a three-year period, photographer Paul Souders took four unaccompanied boat trips to Canada’s Hudson Bay. His objective was to find “the polar bear of [his] dreams” and photograph the wild animal “living, hunting, and... Read More

Lisa Kohn’s memoir of growing up in the 1960s and 1970s under the influence of the Unification Church—the “Moonies” cult—is at once heartrending and mind-blowing. Kohn’s upbringing was turbulent. She lived in two worlds: on... Read More

Stories abound of saints, mystics, and even ordinary people who’ve had sudden, spectacular awakening experiences—the “spiritual lottery winners.” But there is another path to liberation and full awakening that has for centuries... Read More

Nicholas Carnes’s "The Cash Ceiling" aims to answer daunting questions, and skillfully follows through. Discussions of the lack of class diversity in American political offices are in the spotlight. A focus on inclusion has led to... Read More

Narrated as a harrowing memory retold to an inquisitive granddaughter, Hanna’s story begins in 1939. Hanna and her family live in a remote village in Soviet-occupied Ukraine. Anti-Semitism is a constant issue, but it does little to... Read More

Aimed at young explorers everywhere, "The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid" avoids the usual facts, figures, and tourist sites in favor of fascinating and offbeat wonders, both natural and manmade.... Read More

Is Merilyn Simonds’s "Refuge" a fictional memoir, a historical novel, or an exploration of the causes and results of seeking refuge? It’s all three, as it turns out, and a mystery besides. Questions hover over ninety-six-year-old... Read More

Enrico Pellegrini gave the 2008 financial crisis time to bake, rise, and cool before blasting it with his incisive and satirical novel "Something Great and Beautiful". After a meet-cute in Italy, Rosso and Chloe take divergent paths.... Read More