Burn Fuel Better by Don Owens points out an often overlooked culprit of climate change: Black Carbon, a type of particulate matter and a byproduct of burning fossil fuels. It is more dangerous than carbon dioxide, causes illnesses when inhaled, and coats our ice shelves,...

Adversology: Unconstitutional Stories by Avalok is an illuminating poetry collection that encourages you to confront societal ills head-on. When civil discourse gets thrown out the window in a sovereign republic, anarchy takes root in society. Sometimes, you have to dig deep and push yourself to...

In The Byzantine Pineapple, Bill Poje takes a hard look at how complex and unfair our social, economic, legal, and political (SELP) systems have become. It actually offers a solution. Poje argues that the endless stream of new laws, tax changes, and welfare programs makes...

Making Global Sense by Judah Freed takes a look at what happens when people stop treating themselves as isolated individuals and begin seeing humanity as an interdependent whole. Drawing on Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Freed argues that freedom depends on people learning to govern themselves...

In Without A Compass, Martin Terrell recounts his childhood in Cincinnati’s West End, where poverty and segregation shape the boundaries of life before his mother’s death sends him into foster care. At Walnut Hills High School, Terrell discovers an aptitude for writing and begins to...

In her memoir Piece by Piece, Sheryl Hauk tells the story of how she survived an abusive childhood and built a life centered on music, teaching, family, and creativity. Even though her father no longer has control over her, the effects of the abuse continue...

A Collection of Poems by Kauveh Rusta brings together thoughtful poems about life, exile, love, death, and the search for identity. Every poem is accompanied by an abstract painting, which gives the words a visual story. Kauveh takes readers to Iran, a country he still...

The marginalization of Jews who are not of European origin is the subject of Interrogating Ashkenormativity by Sipporah International. For readers not familiar with the term, Ashkenazi Jews are an ethnic group that originated in medieval Germany and France during the 10th century. They spoke...

In Rise and Climb, Ben Barbic looks back on a childhood shaped by his father’s motorcycle world in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where racing trophies made ambition feel almost normal. A wildfire destroys the family home when he is five, then the Loma Prieta earthquake...

Companies are desperate for skilled workers, spending endless resources on recruiting and training talent. What’s more, the high turnover rates make these efforts look like pouring water into a sieve. Meanwhile, an entire segment of the population is desperate for a half-decent job, facing barriers...