Book cover of This Is the Voice by John Colapinto
Biological Sciences

This Is the Voice

A New York Times bestselling writer explores what our unique sonic signature reveals about our species, our culture, and each one of us. Finally, a vital topic that has never had its own book gets its due. […Learn More]

Book cover of This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas
Biological Sciences

This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You 

This Is What It Sounds Like is a journey into the science and soul of music that reveals the secrets of why your favorite songs move you. But it’s also a story of a musical trailblazer who began as a humble audio tech in Los Angeles, rose to become Prince’s chief engineer for Purple Rain, and then created other No. 1 hits ,including Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week,” as one of the most successful female record producers of all time. […Learn More]

Book cover of Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President by Jonathan Darman
Biography & Autobiography

Becoming FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President

In popular memory, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the quintessential political “natural.” Born in 1882 to a wealthy, influential family and blessed with an abundance of charm and charisma, he seemed destined for high office. Yet for all his gifts, the young Roosevelt nonetheless lacked depth, empathy, and an ability to think strategically. Those qualities, so essential to his success as president, were skills he acquired during his seven-year journey through illness and recovery.  […Learn More]

Book cover of Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport by Matthew Algeo
Entertainment

Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America’s Favorite Spectator Sport

Strange as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America’s most popular spectator sport wasn’t baseball, boxing, or horseracing—it was competitive walking. Inside sold-out arenas, competitors walked around dirt tracks almost nonstop for six straight days (never on Sunday), risking their health and sanity to see who could walk the farthest—500 miles, then 520 miles, and 565 miles! These walking matches were as talked about as the weather, the details reported from coast to coast. […Learn More]

Book cover of College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be by Andrew Delbanco
Philosophy

College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be 

The strengths and failures of the American college, and why liberal education still matters

As the commercialization of American higher education accelerates, more and more students are coming to college with the narrow aim of obtaining a preprofessional credential. The traditional four-year college experience—an exploratory time for students to discover their passions and test ideas and values with the help of teachers and peers—is in danger of becoming a thing of the past. […Learn More]

Book cover of The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck
History

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey 

An epic account of traveling the length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way—in a covered wagon with a team of mules, an audacious journey that hasn’t been attempted in a century—which also chronicles the rich history of the trail, the people who made the migration, and its significance to the country. […Learn More]

Book cover of River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard
Africa

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile

The harrowing story of one of the great feats of exploration of all time and its complicated legacy—from the New York Times bestselling author of The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic

For millennia the location of the Nile River’s headwaters was shrouded in mystery. In the 19th century, there was  a frenzy of interest in ancient Egypt. At the same time, European powers sent off waves of explorations intended to map the unknown corners of the globe – and extend their colonial empires. […Learn More]

Book cover of Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery by Christie Aschwanden
Health and Psychology

Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn from the Strange Science of Recovery

An eye-opening exploration of how the human body can best recover and adapt to sports and fitness training.

In recent years recovery has become a sports and fitness buzzword. Anyone who works out or competes at any level is bombarded with the latest recovery products and services: from drinks and shakes to compression sleeves, foam rollers, electrical muscle stimulators, and sleep trackers. […Learn More]