Related Issue
November–December 2024
The Arts
Share the Knowledge
A roundup of topical new books by Brown faculty
By Andrea Perez ’25 / November–December 2024
October 31st, 2024
There are always so many new releases from Brown professors that it’s hard to keep up. Here’s a taste of some of the latest.
Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine: First- Person History in Times of Crisis by historian Omer Bartov. Considers the links between the fate of Jews in WWII and the plight of Palestinians during and after the establishment of the state of Israel, arguing for the importance of local history and individual testimony in grasping the nature of mass murder.
The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought To Defend It by political scientist Corey Brettschneider. Presidents have often pushed the boundaries established for them by the Constitution, says this noted Constitutional scholar: “This is the inspirational history of the people who pushed back.”
ILLUSTRATIONS: TIM COOK
Not Hungry and How to Stop by psychiatrist Judson Brewer provides insights into the psychology of eating, offering a guided understanding of the underlying causes behind unhealthy food consumption and ways to heal guilt and frustration. This is not a diet book pretending not to be a diet book, so it’s ideal for anyone looking to actually improve their relationship with food.
Skinfolk by historian Matthew Guterl. Documents his experiences growing up in an idealistic, mixed-race family in 1970s New Jersey, with parents who tried to create a “new Noah’s Ark.” A lyrical, wrenching memoir of love, adoption, race, belonging, and tragedy.
Exit Wounds by anthropologist Ieva Jusionyte. Drawn from personal experiences as a volunteer paramedic treating wounded migrants, Jusionyte chronicles the evolution of firearms trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, weaving together the stories of people who live and work with guns on both sides of the border. A gripping account of gun laws and their violent repercussions.
Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative by economist Glenn Loury. In this memoir advertised as “shockingly frank,” Loury reflects on his personal journey, his changing beliefs around identity, race, and belief, and “what it means to chart a sense of self over the course of a tempestuous, but well-considered, life.” A glimpse into the challenges and complexities faced by Black conservatives in the U.S.
Elemental: How Five Elements Changed the Earth’s Past and Will Shape Our Future by ecologist Stephen Porder. A journey from our deep geologic origins to our current era of human dominance, and into the future. Porder explores how life has shaped the Earch—especially three dominant organisms: microbes, plants, and people—using essential elements such as oxygen and phosphorus.
Metaracism: How Systemic Racism Devastates Black Lives—and How We Break Free by Africana Studies luminary Tricia Rose ’87 AM, ’93 PhD. In this eye-opening book, Rose presents a powerful argument for how systemic racism in America really works, unpacking disguised networks of policies, practices, and beliefs that enforce unequal treatment.
Your Kingdom by Literary Arts professor Eleni Sikelianos. This collection of poems, an ode to our animal origins, explores the intricate roots of our past, present and future, in beautifully written segments that bend time and space.
A New No-Man’s-Land: Writing and Art at Guantánamo, Cuba by Hispanic Studies professor Esther Whitfield explores the “contested, extra-legal” base and surrounds through an intricate analysis of poetry, art, memoirs, and documentary films produced there as well as in nearby regions of Cuba. Sheds light on the controversial nature of the site and the struggles of its inhabitants.
