The National Park Service observed their centennial in 2016, and for many, this was an opportunity to celebrate the visionary work of naturalist John Muir, who changed our understanding of “wilderness” and founded an environmental movement. Four years later, the summer of 2020 became a watershed moment for out-loud conversations about systemic racism, and with it, a recognition that Muir’s late-nineteenth-century ideas did not include the needs of ethnically and racially diverse individuals; they are no longer in step with today’s world.

Why does anyone bother to read historical fiction anymore? After all, aren’t such novels the ultimate examples of creating a false reality or what we might call “fake news”?

Dr. Paula Stone Williams views life from a unique perspective. She has lived life in two genders, and she uses humor, personal experience and statistics to let us know that life is indeed tilted in favor of men. After she transitioned from Paul to Paula, she immediately realized she no longer had the privilege, influence, or opportunities she had available to her when she was a man. In fact, she earned more money in her last two months as a male than in her first 48 months as a female.

Over the last twenty-five years, discoveries of thousands of planets around other stars have brought us closer to answering the question: “Are we alone?” We’ve long had fictional/fanciful ideas about life on other planets. The real-life search must begin with our own solar system, where Mars, and maybe even Venus, could have hosted life, not to mention the icy moons of the outer solar system. Recent and upcoming NASA missions, from the James Webb Space Telescope to the Perseverance lander on Mars, move us ever closer to a resolution.

Looking at United States presidents from FDR to Donald Trump, political scientist Dr. Joseph S. Nye, Jr. judges their foreign policy on three ethical dimensions: their intentions, the means they used, and the consequences of their decisions. Since we so often apply moral reasoning to foreign policy, he suggests how to do it better. Crucially, presidents must factor in both the political context and the availability of resources when deciding how to implement an ethical policy.

Heather Cox Richardson, the clear-eyed writer of “Letters From an American,” would like you to know that America is a survivor. Richardson chronicles recent events in her daily online newsletter, reaching over a million readers who are looking for a reasoned calm voice during stormy times. A professor of history at Boston College, Dr. Richardson has a genius for distilling the chaos of current events, letting us know that we’ve been here before and that democracy is still standing.

One of the most recognizable sounds of Japan, the shakuhachi—an end-blown bamboo flute—is a tradition with deep roots going back millennia to when it was played exclusively by itinerant monks. For six generations, the primary branch of this musical study, the Kinkō school, has been associated with the Araki family. This seemingly simple instrument, with its haunting sounds and penetrating dynamism, will be given a brief, yet comprehensive overview by one of the world’s leading experts.

Verbivore Richard Lederer has a way with words. The author of Anguished English and Get Thee to a Punnery, he’ll take you on a joy ride through the glories and oddities of our crazy English language, in which you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway, and where your nose can run and your feet can smell.

Award winning author and illustrator Lita Judge worked over 6 years to create Mary’s Monster (2018), an illustrated novel in verse, about the life of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. Mary’s Monster has received nominations for both the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medal, the UK’s most prestigious children’s books awards.