In this section you can read reviews of academic books covering the USA, and its continental neighbours, Canada and Mexico. Each weekend we publish two reviews, aiming to cover a wide range of books on all aspects of public policy and politics.
GalleryBook Review: A Feminist Reading of Debt by Lucí Cavallero and Verónica Gago
In A Feminist Reading of Debt, Lucí Cavallero and Verónica Gago offer a feminist understanding of debt that explores its impact on women and the LGBTQ+ community and examines the relationship between debt and social reproduction, set within the context of the Argentinian feminist movement and wider activist resistance in Latin America. This book is of great value to those interested […]
GalleryBook Review: The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia by Madawi Al-Rasheed
In The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia, Madawi Al-Rasheed provides a new account of Saudi Arabia’s recent history, focusing on the duality of reform and repression that has characterised the era of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammed bin Salman. This book is an essential resource for those looking to understand the transformations and contradictions of Saudi […]
GalleryBook Review: Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro by Richard Lapper
In Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro, Richard Lapper examines the underlying features of Brazilian society and recent socio-economic trends that shaped the 2018 presidential elections and lifted Jair Bolsonaro to power. Mark S. Langevin reviews the book, which provides a compelling, albeit incomplete, explanation of Bolsonaro’s ascent by exploring who exactly he represents.
Beef, Bible […]
GalleryBook Review: How China Escaped Shock Therapy: The Market Reform Debate by Isabella M. Weber
In How China Escaped Shock Therapy: The Market Reform Debate, Isabella M. Weber explores the contestations behind China’s path to economic reform, showing how it committed to ‘experimental gradualism’ rather than the shock therapy of immediate market liberalisation. This meticulous and wide-reaching book sheds light on the history of marketisation reforms in China and the factors that led it to […]
GalleryBook Review: A Citizen’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence by John Zerilli, John Danaher, James Maclaurin, Colin Gavaghan, Alistair Knott, Joy Liddicoat and Merel Noorman
In A Citizen’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence, John Zerilli, John Danaher, James Maclaurin, Colin Gavaghan, Alistair Knott, Joy Liddicoat and Merel Noorman offer an overview of the moral, political, legal and economic implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Exemplary in the clarity of its explanations, the book provides an excellent foundation for considering the issues raised by the integration of AI into […]
GalleryBook Review: Metrics at Work: Journalism and the Contested Meaning of Algorithms by Angèle Christin
In Metrics at Work: Journalism and the Contested Meaning of Algorithms, Angèle Christin explores how the introduction of metrics and algorithms has affected journalists’ work practices and professional identities. Showing how metrics can work to exacerbate existing divergences and gaps between and within organisations, this book will appeal to those interested in social studies of technology, the sociology of work and critical […]
GalleryBook Review: The International LGBT Rights Movement: A History by Laura A. Belmonte
In The International LGBT Rights Movement: A History, Laura A. Belmonte describes the twists and turns that have characterised the history of the international LGBT rights movement, focusing primarily on activism and mobilisations in North America and Europe. The book’s key message is that while efforts to achieve equal rights for LGBT people persist, there remains a long road […]
GalleryBook Review: Algorithms and the End of Politics: How Technology Shapes 21st-Century American Life by Scott Timcke
In Algorithms and the End of Politics: How Technology Shapes 21st-Century American Life, Scott Timcke explores how digital technologies are impacting US politics and society today. With a timely and original main argument, this book will be particularly suited to those well versed in political and philosophical discourse and interested in Marxist critique, the logics of capitalism, technocracy, post-politics, data and […]
GalleryBook Review: Eating in Theory by Annemarie Mol
In Eating in Theory, Annemarie Mol offers a new philosophical theory of eating, exploring how the transformative entanglements of eating invite us to rethink what it means to be human. This beautifully written book is a tasty and satisfying treat for anyone interested in human-nature relationships, refreshing theoretical perspectives, food studies, ethnography and more, finds Ola Płońska.
Eating in Theory. Annemarie […]
GalleryBook Review: The New Age of Empire: How Colonialism and Racism Still Rule the World by Kehinde Andrews
In The New Age of Empire: How Colonialism and Racism Still Rule the World, Kehinde Andrews explores how the intellectual, political and economic frameworks inherited from colonialism are still governing today’s world, resulting in a new age of empire that perpetuates racism, white supremacy and global economic inequalities. This compact and comprehensive book challenges the grand narratives of the Enlightenment, […]
