FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Donald A. Norman’s Design for a Better World

How human behavior brought our world to the brink, and how human behavior can save us. The world is a mess. Our dire predicament, from collapsing social structures to the climate crisis, has been millennia in the making and can be traced back to the erroneous belief that the earth’s resources are infinite. The key

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Keith Payne’s Good Reasonable People

There has been much written about the impact of polarization on elections, political parties, and policy outcomes. But Keith Payne’s goal is more personal: to focus on what our divisions mean for us as individuals, as families, and as communities. This book is about how ordinary people think about politics, why talking about it is

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Immaculata De Vivo and Daniel Lumera’s The Biology of Kindness

The science is in: being good is actually good for you. In this bracingly original book, The Biology of Kindness—the first in a trilogy on the topic of daily wellness—the science of mindfulness and the findings of biology come together to show how kindness and optimism improve overall well-being in profound, organic, and demonstrable ways. Daniel

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s What If We Get It Right?

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side. This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures. Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data, poetry, and art, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Daisy Hernández’s A Cup of Water Under My Bed

PEN Literary Award–winning author Daisy Hernández “writes with honesty, intelligence, tenderness, and love” about her Colombian-Cuban heritage and queer identity in this poignant coming-of-age memoir (Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street). A heartfelt exploration of family, identity, and language, A Cup of Water Under My Bed is ultimately a daughter’s story of finding herself and

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Banning Lyon’s The Chair and the Valley

Banning Lyon was an average 15-year-old, living in Dallas, TX. He enjoyed skateboarding, listening to punk rock, and even had a part-time job. But in January 1987 his life quickly changed after a school guidance counselor falsely believed he was suicidal after giving away his skateboard. Days later he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital,

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Prachi Gupta’s They Called Us Exceptional

How do we understand ourselves when the story about who we are supposed to be is stronger than our sense of self? What do we stand to gain—and lose—by taking control of our narrative? Family defined the cultural identity of Prachi and her brother, Yush, connecting them to a larger Indian American community amid white

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Barbara McQuade’s Attack from Within

Attack from Within is an urgent, comprehensive explanation of the ways disinformation is impacting democracy, and practical solutions that can be pursued to strengthen the public, media, and truth-based politics. MSNBC’s legal expert breaks down the ways disinformation has become a tool to drive voters to extremes, disempower our legal structures, and consolidate power in

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s Catalina

Catalina is a year in the life of the unforgettable Catalina Ituralde, a wickedly wry and heartbreakingly vulnerable student at an elite college, forced to navigate an opaque past, an uncertain future, tragedies on two continents, and the tantalizing possibilities of love and freedom.   Part One Summer In the summer of 2010, the year Instagram

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Margaret Juhae Lee’s Starry Field

Starry Field is a poignant memoir by journalist Margaret Juhae Lee, who sets out on a search for her family’s history lost to the darkness of Korea’s colonial decades, and contends with the shockwaves of violence that followed them over four generations and across continents.   Preface ORIGIN STORY Once upon a time there was a

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter’s Assembling Tomorrow

Assembling Tomorrow is a powerful guide to why even the most well-intentioned innovations go haywire, and the surprising ways we can change course to create a more positive future, by two celebrated experts working at the intersection of design, technology, and learning at Stanford University’s acclaimed d.school. Illustrated by Armando Veve.   Introduction On the Verge

Read more

FROM THE PAGE: Illustrations from Marjane Satrapi’s Woman, Life, Freedom

Woman, Life, Freedom (Seven Stories Press) is an urgent, groundbreaking and visually stunning new collection of graphic story-telling about the present Iranian revolution, using comics to show what would be censored in photos and film in Iran. Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, returns to graphic art with this collaboration of over 20 activists, artists, journalists, and

Read more