September 2026 list by Donalee Jacobs |
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Animate
by Michael Bond
Drawing on cutting-edge insights from psychology, anthropology, literature, and neuroscience, acclaimed science writer Michael Bond traces the varied ways animal lives have affected ours from our hunter-gatherer ancestors to the present. Scientists today are challenging the assumption that we are separate from and superior to animals, showing that they too possess intelligence, empathy, creativity and even the ability to use tools. A fascinating exploration of what it means to be both human and animal, Animate shows that to better understand ourselves, we must pay more attention to the other beings with whom we share our world.
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The Black Shield
by Wilbert L. Cooper
Amid the protests over police killings in 2020, reporter Wilbert L. Cooper returned to his hometown of Cleveland to profile the president of a Black police organization called the Black Shield. The group had aligned itself with activists calling for reform, but its president was notorious for having shot a young unarmed Black man years earlier. For Cooper, this assignment was personal. His parents are retired Black Cleveland cops; his sister was a Cleveland cop; on his mother's side, there has been a Cleveland cop in the family since 1950. An intimate, bold work of literary nonfiction, The Black Shield is an urgent exploration of the complex duality of the Black cop.
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Brain Defenders
by David Perlmutter, M.D.
From bestselling author Dr. David Perlmutter comes a groundbreaking guide to the brain's immune cells -- essential to preventing disease and sustaining peak cognitive function and mental health. Neurodegeneration, cognitive impairment, and mood disorders are not inevitable, but often the result of chronic, controllable inflammation. Drawing on the latest peer-reviewed science and grounded in decades of neurological care, Dr. Perlmutter delivers a powerful message: the future of your brain health is in your hands.
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Chancla
by Leslie Priscilla
In Chancla, educator and Latinx Parenting founder, Leslie Priscilla, invites readers, parents, and the Latinx community on a transformative journey away from cycles of fear, shame, and corporal punishment. With warmth and deep cultural insight, Priscilla explores the historical legacies attached to Chancla while offering a path forward rooted in connection, self-reflection, and ancestral healing.
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Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea
by Emily Wilson
Drawing on twenty years of scholarship and translation experience, Emily Wilson ― renowned translator of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad ― explores the difficult choices that translators must make, the pleasures of finding new solutions to old problems, and the inevitable frustrations of never fully capturing what is in the original work. Across chapters that range from the politics of Helen of Troy to the obscenities of Aristophanes, from Roman imitation of Greek models to contemporary debates over "foreignizing" and "domesticizing" translation styles, Wilson examines how modern norms of gender, sexuality, violence, humor, and power complicate our readings of ancient works, and how translation always risks denaturing what is unique and strange about the ancient world.
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Duct Tape and Determination
by Jacky Hunt-Broersma
Overcome. Inspire. For Jacky Hunt-Broersma, a cancer diagnosis in her mid-twenties brought a life-changing challenge: a below-the-knee amputation. Navigating her new reality, Jacky first kept her difference hidden as she learned to walk and do daily activities using a prosthesis. Years later, inspired by her husband's passion for races, Jacky started to run--and hasn't stopped since. Two decades after losing her leg, she ran 104 marathons in 104 consecutive days, setting a world record. Duct Tape and Determination is more than a running memoir -- it's a story of turning pain into purpose. With honesty and humor, Jacky shares the highs and lows of her journey: the blisters and breakdowns, the finish lines and triumphs, and the duct tape fixes that kept her moving forward.
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Exhumed
by Aaron Mahnke
An engrossing and macabre exploration of the folklore and early medical practices that led to the New England Vampire Panic in the 1890s, from critically acclaimed podcaster and bestselling author Aaron Mahnke.
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Farther
by Heather Anderson
From the bestselling author of Thirst and Mud, Rocks, Blazes, this compelling memoir chronicles Heather Anderson's ambitious journey to thru-hike America's Triple Crown -- the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails -- in a single calendar year.
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Fed Up
by Daniel E. Lieberman
A brilliant, no-nonsense look at two questions we never evolved to ask but now must consider several times a day: what should we eat, and why? Daniel E. Lieberman -- bestselling author of The Story of the Human Body and Exercised -- cuts through all the confusing and contradictory advice on diet and wellness to argue that there can be no simple, definitive answer. Drawing from evolutionary biology, physiology, anthropology, anatomy, medical science, and history, Lieberman examines the history and health effects of food before industrialization up through todays’ fads and trends. This fascinating and entertaining science-based book on nutrition, digestion, and health will teach you how to be well fed instead of fed up with dietary hucksterism.
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Going Further
by Ted Cruz
In this powerful and timely book, Senator Ted Cruz draws on his own Supreme Court clerkship, his many years as a Supreme Court advocate, and his decades-long friendship with Justice Thomas to paint a portrait of one of the most consequential -- and misunderstood -- Americans in our nation's history.
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A Golden World
by Lauren Working
A glittering new history of how the Americas transformed the Tudors and Stuarts that provides a fresh understanding the cultural exchange between the Old and New worlds. From rumors of lost Amazonian cities of gold to the silver running through the mountains of Bolivia, hopes for dazzling wealth fueled the imperial fantasies of the Tudors and Stuarts. Showcasing Indigenous perspectives through texts and materials created by Native writers, elders, and artists, this award-winning historian presents an altogether new history of the 'golden age' of the Tudors and Stuarts, shedding light on the craft and labor of those in the Americas who contributed to the English Renaissance as we know it, and investigating what this means for heritage today.
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Great and Unfortunate Things
by Jason Arday
Jason Arday was diagnosed with autism and developmental delays at age three, and experts told his parents he would never speak, write, or live independently -- and should be institutionalized. Instead, his mother, Giff, embraced his neurodivergence and devoted herself to helping him realize a potential few others believed possible -- using everything from the proverbs of her West African culture to music, sports, and film to help him make sense of the world. Without romanticizing the struggle, this is a story of determination against insurmountable odds -- and of a family and a small group of believers whose compassion helped him see what is possible.
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Her America
by Heather B. Moore
From award-winning author Heather B. Moore comes a powerful portrait of eight American women whose courage and conviction drove them to smash stereotypes and build a nation. Through vivid fictional vignettes and meticulously researched nonfiction accounts, Her America immerses readers in these women's crucial role in transforming this nation.
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House Hushing
by Myquillyn Smith
Bestselling author Myquillyn Smith offers an original approach to home decorating that helps readers quiet visual noise and make room for beauty, soul, and function without converting to rigid minimalism or giving into all-the-things maximalism.
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Mothers of Invention
by Moiya McTier
In Mothers of Invention, the Greek Muses reveal how they meddled in mortal manners, from using astronomy to make sense of the universe to harnessing electricity to transform life on earth -- and Olympus. They show the healing power of art through jazz, the equalizing power of science through healthcare, and the communing power of creativity when we broadcast our stories to the world. In sharing their perspectives on human history, the Muses offer insights into the origins of religion, democracy, and physics, providing a decidedly mythical birds-eye view of these monumental developments. The result is a compelling call to creative action, recognizing the power of collaboration and reframing what it really means when inspiration strikes.
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No Prophets
by Jared Huffman
From Congressman Jared Huffman, a behind-the-scenes look at the shocking extent of Christian nationalism's reach in our government -- and the fight to defend church-state separation.
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Nobody Broke Your Heart
by Jamie Fisher
The first all-encompassing biography of Elliott Smith, offering an intimate portrait of his life and musical legacy with brand-new interviews, lyrics, and correspondence from the people closest to him, many speaking for the first time. Vividly animating Elliott's world and analyzing his work and legacy in loving depth, Nobody Broke Your Heart is an essential book for anyone who loves Elliott Smith and his music -- and anyone who's loved someone grappling with addiction and mental illness.
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Ortiz's War
by Nicholas Reynolds
As a teenager, Peter J. Ortiz joined the French Foreign Legion, where he experienced combat in North Africa and repeatedly escaped capture. He then enlisted in the US Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor. As someone who could speak French and get by in Arabic, German, and Spanish, Ortiz was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) for special operations in North Africa and Europe, often operating deep behind enemy lines. After Normandy Ortiz jumped into the French Alps, with a team of Americans he recruited, to drop 150 tons of supplies to the Maquis to fight the Axis. When his six-man patrol was surrounded by more than one hundred Germans at the village of Centron, Ortiz faced a choice: fight the enemy or save the village from Nazi annihilation. A rare Marine in the European Theater, he received two Navy Crosses.
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Pause
by Shawn Vanderhoven
Most people don't underperform because they lack talent or ambition. They underperform because their environment makes sustaining great work nearly impossible. But you don't have to lose your team's best work to endless distractions. With Pause, you won't. Pause gives you twelve ways to deliberately tap the brakes so your team can go faster and bigger on top priorities, even as AI turns up the pressure to overextend your team. Drawing from original research on over 150 major companies from Amazon to Google to LinkedIn, speaker and consultant Shawn Vanderhoven discovered that teams with leaders who pause spend triple the time on their biggest projects -- regardless of the chaos that surrounds them.
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Poker Wars
by Philip Guitar & Jim Martyka
The World Series of Poker, the sport's most popular and lucrative event, had its inaugural event in 1970 and has since grown beyond anything its founders ever imagined. Guitar and Martyka offer a behind-the-scenes look into some of the most well-known conflicts in poker history, including Benny Binion's feud with Herbert Noble, an ambitious gambler who survived several assassination attempts. They also present a comprehensive look at poker forefathers like Titanic Thompson and Nick the Greek, and the colorful personalities of the Texas Circuit like Johnny Moss and Doyle Brunson, who upped the ante by introducing a brand-new variant of the game. At once an exposé of the darker side of the tournament's early legacy and its consequences and a wild, colorful, outlandish tale, Poker Wars is a true crime joyride.
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The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State
by Jill Lepore
Building on an essay in The New Yorker in 2024, Lepore traces our increasing dependence on and strangulation by data. Political campaigns have been reduced to attention-mining algorithms, while multinational media corporations dictate public discourse, and the liberal nation-state is being replaced by billionaire technocrats reliant on autocracy and the tools of AI. With Orwellian overtones, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State demonstrates how technology has corroded global democracy, leading to the destruction of both human community and capacity for self-government, creating a new form of government, where AI will recommend the course of action to humans in place of human-run legislatures.
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Seasons of Fury
by Rozina Ali
In this closely reported and elegantly written book, Rozina Ali shows how the War on Terror, conceived in the wake of the September 11 attacks, accelerated conflicts between American law enforcement and Muslim communities. Through the powerful stories of four families across eight decades, Ali narrates a range of Muslim experiences shaped by relentless suspicion and prejudice. Ultimately, the U.S. government's policies disillusioned Muslims who sought the promise of the American dream only to find their communities torn apart, their relatives imprisoned, and their religion villainized by politicians and media. Ali's story is a magisterial accomplishment and an indictment of the United States' abandonment of its core principles.
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Staying True to You
by PhD Faison Hewlin, Patricia
Behavioral scientist Dr. Patricia Hewlin explores the delicate dance between authenticity and conformity we navigate daily by drawing from her decades of research. As she uncovers, the pressure to be real can be as debilitating as the pressure to stay silent and conform. When we swing too far in either direction, we become drained, plagued by self-doubt, and disengaged. In Staying True to You, Hewlin introduces the breakthrough concept of the middle self, and demonstrates how this in-between persona can allow us to show up in the world, no matter the situation, with confidence and clarity about our values, and peace of mind.
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Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck
by Anthony O'Neal
Financial expert and bestselling author Anthony O'Neal shows you how to break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck with proven steps to stabilize your money, eliminate debt, and create lasting financial freedom.
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The Story of Your Life
by Kathryn Jezer-Morton
Over the past two decades, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have revolutionized how we document and share our lives. Journalist Kathryn Jezer-Morton examines how these algorithm-driven platforms change the way we share information and shape the content itself. By examining how we share, talk, and post about our milestones, Jezer-Morton shows just how pervasive and influential our social media platforms have become in how we view ourselves and what we consider to be a life well lived. Smart, funny, and sharply observant, The Story of Your Life delivers an original and revealing look at our lives online and off and offers us a fresh perspective on the ways social media shapes the very arcs of our lives.
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Strike Season
by Michael Eck
Michael Eck had always been captivated by his father's love of Notre Dame football. Now, they were recruiting him to play quarterback. But when his teachers and coaches went on strike in his high school senior season, Michael and his three co-captains decided to coach themselves. The school board shockingly agreed. As scouts watched and headlines chronicled their season, Michael and his teammates navigated the unprecedented responsibility of holding the team together, winning without coaches, and chasing their dreams. At once thrilling and inspiring, Strike Season captures a moment in sports history when youth and courage collide, forever changing a group of young men and the game they loved.
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Tangled
by Sarah Mesle
Acclaimed cultural critic Sarah Mesle unpacks the surprising power of white women's hair in shaping American identity, politics, and pop culture. From rom-coms to TikToks, blowouts to legislation, Mesle explores how hair -- often dismissed as trivial -- has been a stealth vehicle for transmitting whiteness, privilege, and conservative values. Through seven iconic hair moments spanning the Reagan era to Trump's rise, Tangled blends personal essay with cultural analysis, revealing how hair has mirrored, and fueled, the rollback of feminist progress. Smart, funny, and fiercely insightful, Tangled is essential reading for anyone interested in feminism, race, media, and the hidden politics of beauty.
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Togetherness
by Rowan Hooper
A wondrous, eye-opening exploration of the surprising ways life is interconnected -- and why it matters. In Togetherness, evolutionary biologist Rowan Hooper shows us that all life on Earth hinges on collaboration. From the rich underbrush, to the murky ocean depths, to the human body itself, Hooper uncovers the poetry of life's greatest collaborations, where intimate negotiations animate and connect all living things. But, as Hooper explains, they also provide a guide to a more sustainable future. Dazzlingly clever and suffused with awe, Togetherness will change the way you see the world, our place in it, and our obligation to its hidden wonders.
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Too Sensitive
by Sasha Hamdani
Whether it's a delayed text message, a last-minute invite, or a subtle shift in tone, what begins as a flicker of uncertainty can spiral into self-doubt, shame, or withdrawal. From the outside, these reactions may seem overblown. But what if emotional sensitivity is not a personality flaw but rather the result of a highly responsive and attuned nervous system? Dr. Sasha Hamdani – known online as @thepsychdoctormd -- offers an accessible explanation of emotional sensitivity as well as practical guidance for how to manage it.
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Where Do You Feel That in Your Body?
by Simone Saunders
For fans of The Body Keeps Score and How to Do the Work, trauma therapist Simone Saunders bridges the gap where talk therapy falls short — showing how to move beyond self-awareness and reconnect with the sensations, signals and emotions your body has been shaped by, breaking cycles of emotional disconnection once and for all.
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