Bauer, Jean-Martin. The New Breadline: Hunger and Hope in the Twenty-First Century. Knopf. Jun. 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593321683. $30. SOC SCI

Bauer, who has served with the World Food Programme in the Republic of the Congo and in Haiti, considers the global and local aspects of food insecurity, exploring the causes and structures of hunger and mass starvation, while also offering solutions.

Favreau, Jon others. Democracy or Else: How to Save America in 10 Easy Steps. Crooked Media Reads / Zando. Jun. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781638931430. $28. POL SCI

The former Obama White House aides who launched the Pod Save America podcast deliver a guide to becoming involved and making a difference via politics without losing hope. From donating to a campaign to running for office, they suggest ways to have the most impact. With a 250K-copy first printing.

Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with Computers. Viking. Jun. 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780399562761. $35. TECH

Hall of Fame-worthy inventor, futurist, and bestselling author Kurzweil (The Singularity Is Near) returns with thoughts on AI and more, including connecting human brains to the cloud, printing organs, and creating “after life” technology that reanimates the dead through data and DNA.

Newitz, Annalee. Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind. W.W. Norton & Company. Jun. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780393881516. $26.99. POL SCI

LJ Best Booker and bestselling author Newitz (The Terraformers) examines the ways storytelling is weaponized for bad ends and how stories have come to fuel the culture wars. They offer insight into how misinformation works, its history, and its critical role in psychological warfare.