The author is a neurologist and children’s rights attorney who understands the importance of identifying the factors that affect children struggling to thrive in our modern world. She tackles systemic issues head-on and identifies the five main systems that put children at risk. “Big Food” prioritizes shelf-stability and immediate appeal over health. “Big Pharma” has …
Jenkins, in the guise of his complicated protagonist Denzel Davis, tells readers that his experience growing up in 1990s Philadelphia was one of “dysfunction, inserting the burdens and curses of my ancestors.” Denzel is constantly beset by circumstances beyond his control; as the author explains, “My grandmother murdered my great-grandmother; my father drowned himself in …
The author defines collapse as the current era of societal decline: “For thousands of years, various entities have been at play—narratives, groups, and forces—herding humanity towards this moment of reckoning.” This decline, he says, encompasses the world economy, mental health issues, addiction, climate change, and geopolitics, among other topics. Although the author suggests that “unavoidable catastrophe …
Prize-winning scholar Nussbaum argues that opera engages in political thought, conveying moral and philosophical ideas about rights and freedoms, gender, rank, and class. Beyond the libretti, these ideas are expressed in the music itself and in the act of singing. Nussbaum devotes half the book to Mozart, whom she sees as “the deepest philosopher of …
Sixty-five-year-old Nancy Norman, who recently ended a career as a home nurse, loves James Bond movies and spy novels, her cat (Dr. GoldenPaw), and the act of bedazzling nearly every surface of her Minneapolis home. She’s a woman with big dreams but little means to make them a reality, beyond a casual flirtation with a …
In keeping with Romani traditions, young Marisol must enter an arranged marriage, though she’d rather stay with Mammie, Gran Rose, and her sister, Flora. Sneering “You’ll do what I want,” her future husband Levoy is abusive, just like Marisol’s father, so when both men are killed in a brawl at her wedding, Marisol isn’t heartbroken. …
Words can do any number of things: they can heal, they can hurt, they can describe sounds, they can ask questions, and they can even entertain. Howell reminds readers that, “Words are mighty, words are strong. We write them, speak them, sing our song! I hope you learn new words today and think about the …
Born in 1854, Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby went on to become an author and journalist particularly renowned for her fishing stories. Along with stimulating both the tourist industry (she coined the catchphrase “Maine, the Nation’s Playground”) and a love of outdoorsy pursuits in general, she became the state’s first officially licensed tour guide and a …
The youngster may be visiting, but specific details in Grant’s softly colored art suggest that Grandfather’s cozy house—indeed, the entire verdant landscape—is truly home. As an unseen narrator exhorts readers to appreciate small joys both concrete and abstract (“the sunshine warm on your skin,” “the seeking, the aha! of finding”), the pair enjoy breakfast, then …
Macy Miller is a dutiful wife and mother: She raises her two kids, keeps a clean home, and looks after her husband, Chris, when he stumbles home drunk every night. On one such evening, Macy elects to break with routine. Inebriated, Chris falls down outside, and Macy watches silently as his body is buried by …
