21 Books to Help You Learn Something New

Half American is American history as you’ve likely never read it before. In these pages are stories of Black heroes such as Thurgood Marshall, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Ella Baker, James Thompson, and Langston Hughes. Their bravery and patriotism in the face of unfathomable racism is both inspiring and galvanizing. In a time when the questions World War II raised regarding race and democracy in America remain troublingly relevant and still unanswered, this meticulously researched retelling makes for urgently necessary reading.

A riveting blend of science writing and true-crime narrative, The Nature of Life and Death details Wiltshire’s unique journey from college professor to crime fighter: solving murders, locating corpses, and exonerating the falsely accused.

An accessible and easy-to-follow comic book cookbook for bringing Asian dumplings into the home kitchen, with recipes for savory and sweet dumplings, dipping sauces, riffs, and more.

In The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, David Treuer melds history with reportage and memoir to create a sweeping history—and counter-narrative—of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the present. It is the essential, intimate story of a resilient people in a transformative era.

From bestselling author Michael Pollan, a radical challenge to how we think about drugs, and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants—and the equally powerful taboos. This book holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds, and our entanglement with the natural world.

Getting ahead doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it. No matter what challenges or obstacles we face, there is a better way: instead of pushing ourselves harder, we can find an easier path. Effortless offers actionable advice for making the most essential activities the easiest ones, so you can achieve the results you want, without burning out.

The groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite’s efforts to “change the world” preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. An essential read for understanding some of the egregious abuses of power that dominate today’s news.

A riveting history of the American West told for the first time through the pioneering women who used the challenges of migration and settlement as opportunities to advocate for their rights, and transformed the country in the process.

A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils encourages readers to incorporate their favorite oils into daily life, learning to make their own blends and discovering natural solutions to boost skin and hair health, alleviate anxiety and depression, support digestion, and treat inflammation.

From Suzanne Simard, the world’s leading forest ecologist who forever changed how people view trees and their connections to one another and to other living things in the forest, writes an inspiring, illuminating, and deeply personal journey of discovery.

From the bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat, comes a gripping World War II saga of patriotism, highlighting the contributions and sacrifices that Japanese immigrants and their American-born children made for the sake of the nation.

Shape reveals the geometry underneath some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face. Geometry asks: Where are things? Which things are near each other? How can you get from one thing to another thing? Those are important questions. The word “geometry,” from the Greek for “measuring the world.” If anything, that’s an undersell. Geometry doesn’t just measure the world—it explains it. Shape shows us how.

The true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry—with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter. Equal parts maritime thriller and gothic horror, Madhouse at the End of the Earth is an unforgettable journey into the deep.

A renowned historian traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women to craft an extraordinary testament to people who are left out of the archives.

Master Indian cooking at home with more than seventy recipes from the multi-James Beard Award-winning author Madhur Jaffrey, “the queen of Indian cooking” (Saveur).

A riveting and essential new book, The Ground Breaking not only tells the long-suppressed story of the notorious Tulsa Race Massacre, but also unearths the lost history of how the massacre was covered up, and of the courageous individuals who fought to keep the story alive.  The Ground Breaking recounts the ongoing archaeological saga, the search for the unmarked graves of the victims of the massacre, and the fight to win restitution for the survivors and their families.

In the fascinating story of the sustainable food revolution, an environmental journalist and professor asks the question: Is the future of food looking bleak—or better than ever?

A highly impractical guide for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole, How To is a delightfully mind-bending way to better understand the science and technology underlying the things we do every day.

In Run for Your Life, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella gives us a straightforward, easy-to-follow look at the anatomy, biomechanics, and nutrition of running. His proven, practical techniques will help you to avoid injury and reach the goal of personal fitness and overall health.

From a brilliant young historian, a colorful journey through 7,000 years and twenty-six world cities that shows how urban living has been the spur and incubator to humankind’s greatest innovations.