Cultural Literature

What is written without pain, said Doctor Johnson, is rarely read with pleasure. Rarely perhaps, but not, I hope, never: for the little essays in this book were written, I must confess, without much angst. In part this was because, in writing them, I had...

What are the right questions to ask when seeking out the spirit of a nation? In November, 2017, the people of Zimbabwe took to the streets in an unprecedented alliance with the military. Their goal, to restore the legacy of Chimurenga, the liberation...

The first monograph of Chicago-based Theaster Gates, one of the most exciting and highly regarded contemporary artists at work today.Theaster Gates has developed an expanded artistic practice that includes space development, object making, performance...

In this "sharp-eyed account of a nearly forgotten African-American sports legend" (Publishers Weekly)--the remarkable Major Taylor who became the world's fastest bicyclist at the height of the Jim Crow era--"Kranish has done historians and fans a service...

As seen on the Today Show: This true story of an unforgettable mother, her devoted daughter, and their life in the Detroit numbers of the 1960s and 1970s highlights the outstanding humanity of black America (James McBride).In 1958, the very same year...

"What does liberation mean when I have incarnated in a particular body, with a particular shape, color, and sex?" In The Way of Tenderness, Zen priest Zenju Earthlyn Manuel brings Buddhist philosophies of emptiness and appearance to bear on race,...

"On these pages, the Garden of Eden meets the world we live in." - Shane Claiborne, activist and author God once declared everything in the world "very good." Can you imagine it? Through careful exploration of the biblical text, particularly the...

A fresh and bold argument for revamping our standards of "merit" and a clear blueprint for creating collaborative education models that strengthen our democracy rather than privileging individual elitesStanding on the foundations of America's promise of...

Micahel Sokolove presents an unforgettable tale of families grasping for opportunities, of athletes praying for one chance to make it big, of all of us hoping that the will to succeed can triumph over the demons haunting our city streets. The year was...

A modern-day civil rights champion tells the stirring story of how he helped start a movement to bridge America's racial divide. Over the summer of 2013, the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II led more than a hundred thousand people at rallies across...

The business marketing genius at the forefront of today's entertainment marketing revolution helps corporate America get hip to today's new consumer--the tan generation.When Fortune 500 companies need to reenergize or reinvent a lagging brand, they call...

The Street Art Manual is the world's first book to combine practical advice and tactical guidance for creating 11 forms of street art in public space around the world. Every type of street art is covered, including graffiti, stencilling, subvertising,...