Social Sciences Book Reviews

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
Released: Jan. 24, 2017

"A heartwarmingly inspirational tale."
A former magazine editor tells the story of how, at the height of the Great Depression, her great-uncle trained a group of young women from rural Oklahoma to become college basketball stars. Read full book review >
WHAT LOVE IS by Carrie Jenkins
PSYCHOLOGY
Released: Jan. 24, 2017

"Those who don't already have a good idea what love is before beginning the volume won't have gained one by its conclusion."
In her first book, Jenkins (Philosophy/Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver) examines romantic love as a phenomenon at the intersection of biology and social convention. Read full book review >

LONG SHOT by Craig Hodges
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
Released: Jan. 24, 2017

"A skillfully told, affecting memoir of sports and social activism."
A former professional basketball player looks back on his life on and off the court, with an emphasis on how his outspokenness regarding racial discrimination led to his unofficial banishment from the NBA. Read full book review >
RISE by Cara Brookins
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
Released: Jan. 24, 2017

"Not without its flaws but an inspiring memoir of absolute determination."
A memoir of a mother and her children building a house—and security—from the ground up. Read full book review >
TESTOSTERONE REX by Cordelia Fine
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Released: Jan. 24, 2017

"A fascinating, greatly contemplative discussion of sex and gender and the embedded societal expectations of both."
A cerebral assessment of gender, society, and sexuality. Read full book review >

THE ART OF BEING FREE by James Poulos
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
Released: Jan. 17, 2017

"Provocative assertions buried in a confusing presentation."
A journalist expands on Alexis de Tocqueville's cultural critiques of American life. Read full book review >
TEARS WE CANNOT STOP by Michael Eric Dyson
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Released: Jan. 17, 2017

"The readership Dyson addresses may not fully be convinced, but it can hardly remain unmoved by his fiery prose."
The provocateur-scholar returns to the pulpit to deliver a hard-hitting sermon on the racial divide, directed specifically to a white congregation. Read full book review >
AMERICAN HOOKUP by Lisa Wade
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"An eye-opening, conversation-starting examination of sex on the American college campus."
How and why American college students are engaging in nonintimate one-night stands. Read full book review >
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"While writing about the first lady, most of these perceptive essayists are also writing about themselves and their country, showing the shifts in perception and possibility that she has helped inspire."
A collection of essays that genuflect before a first lady like no other. Read full book review >
THE NEW ODYSSEY by Patrick Kingsley
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"A powerful firsthand account of a crisis that will continue to receive even more attention in the years to come."
Bravely following the refugee crisis from the Middle East to the European Union as it gains volume and urgency. Read full book review >
THE POWER OF MEANING by Emily Esfahani Smith
PSYCHOLOGY
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"A good choice for self-help seekers but not likely for others."
Common-sense suggestions on how to feel that life is worth living. Read full book review >
HISTORY
Released: Jan. 10, 2017

"While Ulrich creates an absorbing history of intimate lives, individuals' religious passions and acceptance of polygamy remain mysterious."
A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian investigates women's power and agency within the early Mormon community. Read full book review >
Kirkus Interview
Clinton Kelly
January 9, 2017

Bestselling author and television host Clinton Kelly’s memoir I Hate Everyone Except You is a candid, deliciously snarky collection of essays about his journey from awkward kid to slightly-less-awkward adult. Clinton Kelly is probably best known for teaching women how to make their butts look smaller. But in I Hate Everyone, Except You, he reveals some heretofore-unknown secrets about himself, like that he’s a finicky connoisseur of 1980s pornography, a disillusioned critic of New Jersey’s premier water parks, and perhaps the world’s least enthused high-school commencement speaker. Whether he’s throwing his baby sister in the air to jumpstart her cheerleading career or heroically rescuing his best friend from death by mud bath, Clinton leaps life’s social hurdles with aplomb. With his signature wit, he shares his unique ability to navigate the stickiest of situations, like deciding whether it’s acceptable to eat chicken wings with a fork on live television (spoiler: it’s not). “A thoroughly light and entertaining memoir,” our critic writes. View video >