Viewing movements toward women’s equality through the lens of riding horses, Eliza McGraw’s "Astride" is a charming history book. At the turn of the twentieth century, just as horse-riding began to go out of fashion for society men,... Read More

Keith Gilyard’s sprawling memoir "The Promise of Language" makes a passionate case for the power of language, particularly Black language, to transform lives and enliven art and culture. Born in Harlem and raised in Queens, Gilyard... Read More

Fifty years of progress toward gender equity in sports is highlighted in sports media professor Jane McManus’s smart, persuasive book Fast Track. With insights from athletes and advocates, financiers, commentators, and analysts, the... Read More

A cookbook rooted in warm memories of stories and meals shared around tables laden with comforting home-cooked food, Jan A. Brandenburg’s "The Modern Mountain Cookbook" honors both the long-held traditions of generations of Appalachian... Read More

Laura J. Martin’s "Wild by Design" is essential reading, raising pertinent questions about what it means to be “wild” in an era of widespread ecological disruption. The concept of wildness itself is called into question via... Read More

As a young woman in 1972, Liese Greensfelder took what was supposed to be a short-term summer job working on a sheep farm in the mountains of rural Norway. She recounts what happened instead in her engaging memoir "Accidental Shepherd".... Read More

Lida Maxwell’s enthusiastic academic study reappraises scientist Rachel Carson’s motivations in light of ecological crisis and queer studies. Although Carson grew up in Pennsylvania, her affinity for the ocean became paramount. On... Read More

Zoë Gadegbeku’s lyrical hybrid novel "Blue Futures, Break Open" draws on colonialism in the Americas and Africa in addition to the history of the African diaspora to create a slant mythological response to some of the greatest... Read More