Hot Off the (University) Press: Best Books of 2024 So Far

As Red and Blue America clash over irreconcilable visions of patriotism and national identity, this timely book aims to make sense of today’s culture wars through a reconsideration of America’s foundational myths and their use in contemporary politics. The New York Times hails it, "the culmination of a prolific career and a new way to make sense not only of the past, but of the contemporary culture wars."

In his latest book, an award-winning computer scientist and computational theorist explores the extraordinary human ability to absorb and apply knowledge, in other words, to be "educable," which has set us apart with an unparalleled information processing power that enabled civilization. However, as Valiant demonstrates, this unique ability contains an insidious weakness - our struggle to judge which information to trust.

The Driver's Story illuminates the harrowing struggles of enslaved Black "drivers" who were tasked with supervising and punishing fellow enslaved laborers on plantations across the Americas. Browne reveals drivers' central role in slavery's brutal system - maintaining order while also creating community and protecting other enslaved laborers, and sometimes even rebelling against the system they upheld.

Despite modernity's promised abundance of free time, many find their limited respite unfulfilling. But why? Here, Gary S. Cross offers a sweeping exploration of leisure from antiquity to our work-from-home age. Peeling back the economic, social and political layers, to reveal society's paradoxical obsession with work and productivity, contrasted with historical efforts to liberate time for leisure's highest callings.

The proliferation of artificial intelligence promises a future where human frailties are finally transcended. However, because of its dependance on our already-existing data, AI tends to mirror the same errors and prejudices, that humanity has long struggled to overcome. In this visionary new book, Shannon Vallor calls on us to radically rethink AI's purpose, envisioning AI as a way to expand our wisdom rather than to remain beholden to our past.

"De Cruz makes an excellent case for intentionally cultivating wonder and awe," praised The Wall Street Journal. " It is a vital aspect of our humanity; it galvanizes new ideas and inventions, awesome and wonderful themselves, which nourish and enrich our culture and our lives, individually and collectively... It remains for each of us to discover the best ways to bring awe and wonder into our lives, but 'Wonderstruck' offers a persuasive reminder that we really should."

In this essential playbook, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Christopher Liddell provides a master blueprint for constructing a robust, high-impact administration from day one. He maps out a detailed, non-partisan road map for optimizing White House functionality from the outset through concrete, innovative steps. Liddell's pioneering strategies transcend partisan divides, delivering a visionary path for any future president to lead from a position of strength.

Produced in tandem with her major new exhibit at the Tate Modern gallery in London, this major new retrospective volume traces Ono's career from her early work in Tokyo to her pivotal 1960s London period, along with her development amidst her highly publicized relationship with The Beatles' John Lennon. The volume critically examines her groundbreaking multidisciplinary work as well her persistent commitment to anti-war, feminist, and environmental activism.

This book is a unique contribution to the growing body of work about how ordinary people can step up and take responsibility for salvaging the democratic system in America. Calling on the work of iconic leaders in history, scholar Eddie S. Glaude Jr. makes the case that Black politics should be more focused on the hard work of becoming a better person and authentically pursuing democratic ideals for all.

After becoming a widow, social worker Lisa Keefauver was shocked to discover how woefully ill-equipped our society was to deal with grief, despite it being an unavoidable part of life. This book is her empathetic yet candid guidebook - both a skills-building manual and a supportive companion validating the rawest emotions. Integrating wisdom from clinicians, authors, and hard-won personal experience, Keefauver upends reductive, traditional narratives about grief.