Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle by Natan Last is the rare crossword book that treats the humble grid as a cultural battleground rather … Read more
Most of us sense that our dreams and irrational reactions are trying to tell us something, but Man and His Symbols by C. G. Jung and Joseph L. Henderson shows … Read more
If you’ve ever felt that “girls’ culture” is dismissed as trivial, Swifterature solves that problem by showing, with gusto and rigor, how Taylor Swift’s lyrics unlock the doors of English … Read more
Stories don’t only explain a life—they assemble one. Margaret Atwood’s Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts shows readers how to turn scattered memories into meaning without sanding off their … Read more
History hurts; Kindred shows why that pain is necessary to remember. What if the only way to understand your ancestry was to be dragged—bodily—into its most violent moments? What if … Read more
When institutions flicker and crowds look for a voice, The Melancholy of Resistance shows how fear, rumor, and spectacle can turn a town—and a society—inside out. A dead-eyed circus, a … Read more
When ideology tells you what to think and how to live, Reading Lolita in Tehran shows how literature becomes a private room with the door left ajar—a place to breathe, … Read more