reviews

This exceptional book’s stories of plagiarism showcase persistence and the insidious and enduring ways in which sexism informs and shapes the contemporary world. Murphy will motivate readers to challenge stereotypes.

These books delve into deep issues from inequality to the housing crisis and provide ideas to create change.

A journalist investigates the global business of trash, a pair of books explore the housing crisis through stories of the unhoused, and two authors delve into the impact of racism.

With its mix of astute cultural analyses, quippy personal anecdotes, and deeper dives into sociopolitical and theoretical factors, this book does more than show disabled and chronically ill people that they belong. It also serves as a reminder that it matters how one shows up on dating apps and in relationships, in order to counteract the systems that try to render invisible the people whose bodies don’t conform to social norms.

Explore the varied landscape of social sciences publishing via LJ’s top picks in anthropology, parapsychology, parenting, economics, memoir, and more.

The power of rest, advice from a Buddhist monk, and breaking free from other people’s expectations are the subjects of these feel-good meditations and guides.

Real-life courtroom battles are shared by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey as they detail accounts of wrongful conviction; plus a new Malcolm Gladwell book is on the way. 

Decode destiny and manifest magic with these new parapsychology titles, including books on numerology, tarot, and pendulum magic.

Racism, poverty, and burnout are dominant themes of many of 2023’s best social sciences books. But there is also joy, along with journeys to find comfort and welcoming communities.