These non-fiction authors tackle complex subjects by weaving them into heartfelt narratives that create compelling page-turners.

Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman is a bold call to action for those who want to change the world but don’t know where to start. Bregman has a talent for igniting optimism, even when there is so much in modern world to be cynical about. In stereotypically Dutch frankness, the European author makes a compelling case for shifting our focus from personal gain to societal improvement. He draws on historical example after example to show how we can begin taking action and making a difference. This book is an antidote to generational apathy and a challenge to all readers to start building a legacy based on contribution, not accumulation.

Four Mothers by Abigail Leonard, a journalist and mother herself, tells a universal story about motherhood as it is experience in different corners of the world. Leonard follows a women from Japan, Finland, Kenya and the United States documenting their lives during the first year of their newborns. Each women not only reveals intimate details about their pregnancy, birth and family life but also insights into her their social environment. Through their stories, the book reveals which aspects of motherhood are universal and which, easy or difficult, are shaped by the country and culture they belong to.

Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays & Writings by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers sharply explores the emotional and cultural tensions in Black women’s public lives. Jeffers reflects on the journey and challenges of Black girlhood to womanhood through both personal and historical lenses. The book lays bare the realities of racially gendered oppression, the difficulty of documenting Black women’s ancestry, the origins of Womanism/Black feminism, and the ongoing resistance to White supremacy and patriarchy. Misbehaving at the Crossroads illuminates the lives of Black women and celebrates their humanity.

Tina: the Dog Who Changed the World by Niall Harbison explores the power that love and purpose have to transform not just our own lives but also the lives of other’s. Harbison’s story starts in 2018, when he moved to Thailand while in the throes of prescription drugs and alcohol addiction In a rapidly deteriorating state of health, he knew he needed change. After his release from a hospital stay, he encountered a dog shackled to a short chain and in bad shape. Something clicked — he rescued her immediately. He named her Tina, sensing she was special. What followed is a testament to the power of love and connection: Tina inspired Harbison to launch an effort to make the world better not just for her but for countless other dogs. Tina sparked a movement, and humanity is all the better for knowing her story.

Born in Flames by historian Bench Ansfield recounts the wave of arson-for-profit that swept through American cities in the 1970s, and the tenants who bravely fought the flames to save their neighborhoods. The crimes targeted poor Black and Brown communities, who were then baselessly blamed for the destruction. Ansfield coins the term “brownlining” to describe the subprime insurance practices implemented by the federal government and insurance industry after 1968–policies that motivated landlords to burn their buildings, which were worth more dead than alive. In an expansive narrative stretching from the Bronx to Britain to Brazil, Ansfield expertly exposes how arson was incentivized by the political economy in the late-20th-century city and changed our cityscapes forever.

By Corey Wiseman

Local History Research Room Assistant