American Niceness: A Cultural History, by Carrie Tirado Bramen Book of the week: Behind a veneer of amiability, Randy Malamud finds discord, cruelty and a ‘cultural charade’ By Randy Malamud 17 August
The Toxic University: Zombie Leadership, Academic Rock Stars, and Neoliberal Ideology Book of the week: A cancerous, consumer-driven capitalism has weakened higher education, says David Wheeler By David Wheeler 10 August
Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction, by Chris Thomas Book of the week: Human actions have killed off some species but may be kick-starting new ones, writes Jules Pretty By Jules Pretty 3 August
Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future Book of the week: Apps are taking us places, fast – but do we always want to go? John Gilbey considers the value of rapidly changing tech By John Gilbey 27 July
ߣߣƵ summer reads 2017 - part one Scholars and senior sector figures reveal the books they’ll be reading over the summer break – for work or pleasure or both By Contributors 19 July
The Language of Suspense in Crime Fiction: A Linguistic Stylistic Approach, by Reshmi Dutta-Flanders Book of the week: Sharon Wheeler investigates how mystery writers play a guessing game with their reader-sleuths By Sharon Wheeler 13 July
The Enigma of Reason: A New Theory of Human Understanding, by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber Book of the week: Tom Stafford on an account of how social activity, not brilliant individual deduction, leads to truth By Tom Stafford 6 July
A Heavy Reckoning: War, Medicine and Survival in Afghanistan and Beyond, by Emily Mayhew Book of the week: Joanna Bourke on the gruelling truths faced by injured soldiers, and their carers and families By Joanna Bourke 29 June
Unwanted Advances: Sexual Paranoia Comes to Campus, by Laura Kipnis A polemic against the new McCarthyism in US universities catches Jane O’Grady’s attention By Jane O’Grady 22 June
Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk about It), by Elizabeth Anderson Book of the week: From staff in nappies to hassled waitresses, a study of work is full of justified rage, says Philip Roscoe By Philip Roscoe 15 June
On Empson, by Michael Wood Book of the week: The art of coaxing meaning from literature is the legacy of one great critic, says Robert Eaglestone By Robert Eaglestone 8 June
Backpack Ambassadors: How Youth Travel Integrated Europe, by Richard Ivan Jobs Book of the week: Richard Larschan traces the steps of the young tourists who forged a borderless post-war identity By Richard Larschan 1 June
A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education, by David F. Labaree Book of the week: Howard Segal on an ‘appreciation’ of an unwieldy creature that is the envy of the world By Howard Segal 25 May
Butterfly Politics, by Catharine A. MacKinnon Book of the week: Mary Evans praises a life’s work addressing the inherent gender inequalities in the legal system By Mary Evans 18 May
American Girls in Red Russia: Chasing the Soviet Dream, by Julia Mickenberg Book of the week: Modern feminism can learn much from the women who visited revolutionary Russia, says Lara Douds By Lara Douds-Cook 11 May
Brexit: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union, by Harold D. Clarke, Matthew Goodwin and Paul Whiteley Book of the Week: Danny Dorling on an illuminating analysis of the many factors that swayed the referendum By Danny Dorling 4 May
London’s Triumph: Merchant Adventurers and the Tudor City, by Stephen Alford Book of the week: The rise in London’s trading fortunes owed much to foreign visitors, finds Lucy Wooding By Lucy Wooding 27 April
Familiar Stranger: A Life Between Two Islands, by Stuart Hall, with Bill Schwarz Book of the week: Fred Inglis yearns for post-1964 insights from the life of an icon of the intellectual Left By Fred Inglis 20 April
Down and Out in the New Economy: How People Find (or Don’t Find) Work Today, by Ilana Gershon Job hunting? Like it or loathe it, LinkedIn is key and emotional labour is mandatory, says Philip Roscoe By Philip Roscoe 13 April
How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing Book of the week: sidelining its female workforce cost the UK primacy in a nascent IT industry, says John Gilbey By John Gilbey 6 April
Fully Connected: Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Overload, by Julia Hobsbawm Book of the week: the digital deluge can harm our social health; Emma Rees commends a prescription to tackle it By Emma Rees 30 March
Darwin and the Making of Sexual Selection, by Evelleen Richards Book of the week: Simon Underdown enjoys a stunning view of Darwin at work on his less celebrated classic By Simon Underdown 23 March
Book of the week: A Radical Proposal for a Free Society and a Sane Economy Book of the week: Danny Dorling lauds an exposition of the benefits of obligation-free income and how to attain them By Danny Dorling 16 March
#Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media, by Cass R. Sunstein Book of the week: Americans have to reach out to fight the political division fed by social media, says Angelia Wilson By Angelia R. Wilson 9 March
The Locomotive Of War: Money, Empire, Power and Guilt, by Peter Clarke Book of the week: A history of famous liberals shows how global conflict shaped them and us, writes A. W. Purdue By A.W. Purdue 2 March
Popularizing Science: The Life and Work of JBS Haldane, by Krishna Dronamraju Book of the week: Richard Joyner on a proselytiser for science who emphasised the ethical issues of advancement By Richard Joyner 23 February
Living a Feminist Life, by Sara Ahmed Book of the Week: Emma Rees praises an effort to show how to turn personal traumas into political resistance By Emma Rees 16 February
The Rhinoceros and the Megatherium: An Essay in Natural History, by Juan Pimentel Images of two beasts carried ideas about science and communication, says Simon Underdown By Simon Underdown 9 February
Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire, by Carol Dyhouse Book of the week: The perennial female fantasy of man embodies a host of contradictory types, says Laura Frost By Laura Frost 2 February
The Microbes Fight Back: Antibiotic Resistance, by Laura Bowater Only diligence and vigilance can keep us ahead of microorganisms that make us ill, Helen Bynum says By Helen Bynum 26 January
Anomaly! Collider Physics and the Quest for New Phenomena at Fermilab, by Tommaso Dorigo Book of the week: Tara Shears enjoys a gossipy tale of the booms and busts involved in collaborative frontier science By Tara Shears 19 January
Tainted Witness: Why We Doubt What Women Say about Their Lives, by Leigh Gilmore Book of the week: our distrust of female testimony in all its forms is proof feminism still has far to go, says Laura Frost By Laura Frost 12 January
Virtual Competition: The Promise and Perils of the Algorithm-Driven Economy, by Ariel Ezrachi and Maurice E. Stucke Book of the Week: lack of effective antitrust oversight leaves us at the mercy of digital platforms, says Julia Powles By Julia Powles 5 January
Marriage as a Fine Art, by Julia Kristeva and Philippe Sollers Book of the week: The scrutiny to which two intellectuals submit their relationship fascinates Shahidha Bari By Shahidha Bari 15 December
Book of the Week: Gillian Beer's Alice in Space Shelley King is happy to linger over an erudite, witty and intimate journey through Wonderland By Shelley King 8 December
Eating the Ocean, by Elspeth Probyn Book of the week: A study of our leviathan appetite for seafood dares to go deep and recovers pearls, says Philip Hoare By Philip Hoare 1 December
The End of Ownership: Personal Property in the Digital Economy, by Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz Book of the week: From the black stuff to books, who gets the goods in a sharing and streaming era? asks Paul Bernal By Paul Bernal 24 November
Hate Spin: The Manufacture of Religious Offense and its Threat to Democracy, by Cherian George Book of the week: Political Svengalis, not the public, drive populist pantomimes of democracy, says Angelia Wilson By Angelia R. Wilson 17 November
Freud: In His Time and Ours, by Élisabeth Roudinesco Book of the week: New sources yield fresh insights and oversights by the father of psychoanalysis, says Janet Sayers By Janet Sayers 10 November
Voracious Science and Vulnerable Animals: A Primate Scientist’s Ethical Journey, by John P. Gluck Book of the week: A memoir wrestles with moral questions about using animals in research. Kristin Andrews writes By Kristin Andrews 3 November
The Diversity Bargain: And Other Dilemmas of Race, Admissions and Meritocracy at Elite Universities, by Natasha K. Warikoo Book of the week: Universities pay lip service to minorities while maintaining the status quo, says Kalwant Bhopal By Kalwant Bhopal 27 October
Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream, by Sara Goldrick-Rab Book of the week: Working through university crushes US students. Laurie Taylor fears the UK will share their pain By Laurie Taylor 20 October
“Keep the Damned Women Out”: The Struggle for Coeducation, by Nancy Weiss Malkiel Book of the week: A history of the fight to share elite spaces focuses on gender over race and class, says Mary Evans By Mary Evans 13 October
Growing Each Other Up: When Our Children Become Our Teachers, by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Book of the week: E. Stina Lyon appreciates the social portraiture approach used to understand complex family roles By E. Stina Lyon 6 October
Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980-1983, by Tim Lawrence Book of the week: Hillegonda Rietveld on the fierce creative energy of Big Apple clubs in the early Eighties By Hillegonda Rietveld 29 September
Looking for The Outsider: Albert Camus and the Life of a Literary Classic, by Alice Kaplan Book of the week: Rachel Bowlby tracks the impact of a strange and foreign novel across languages and culture By Rachel Bowlby 22 September
Student Lives in Crisis: Deepening Inequality in Times of Austerity, by Lorenza Antonucci Book of the week: University costs embed inequality and exact a painful toll on individuals, Sorana Vieru says By Sorana Vieru 15 September
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, by Cathy O’Neil Book of the week: If all-seeing ‘miracle’ tech is making the decisions we must demystify the tricks, says Danny Dorling By Danny Dorling 8 September
The Euro and Its Threat to the Future of Europe, by Joseph Stiglitz Book of the week: The decision process behind the euro has left the EU in an untenable position, says Lucia Quaglia By Lucia Quaglia 1 September
Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London, by Lauren Elkin Book of the week: Deborah Longworth meanders with female writer-walkers getting their measure of the metropolis By Deborah Longworth 25 August
The Long, Long Life of Trees, by Fiona Stafford Book of the week: Fred Inglis delights in a grafting of art, lore and literature that logs our lives with natural wonders By Fred Inglis 18 August
Parenting to a Degree: How Family Matters for College Women’s Success, by Laura T. Hamilton Book of the week: ‘Helicopters’ or ‘bystanders’? Your folks’ behaviour can govern more than grades, says Hazel Christie By Hazel Christie 11 August
Viking Economics: How the Scandinavians Got It Right – and How We Can, Too, by George Lakey Book of the week: Investing in individuals delivers personal and national prosperity, Richard Murphy finds By Richard Murphy 4 August
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars, by Nathalia Holt Book of the week: Meet the human computers in heels who juggled science and family, says Margaret A. Weitekamp By Margaret Weitekamp 28 July
Righting America at the Creation Museum, by Susan L. Trollinger and William Vance Trollinger, Jr. Book of the week: Randy Malamud on two scholars’ exploration of a temple of Christian fundamentalist belief By Randy Malamud 21 July
Can Neuroscience Change Our Minds? by Hilary Rose and Steven Rose Book of the week: There’s a strong political current running through a bold study skewering myths, says Louise Whiteley By Louise Whiteley 7 July
Reclaiming Feminism: Challenging Everyday Misogyny, by Miriam E. David Book of the week: Second-wave highs, Caitlin Moran and rape culture surface in a work of mixed genres, says Emma Rees By Emma Rees 30 June
Snowball in a Blizzard: The Tricky Problem of Uncertainty in Medicine, by Steven Hatch Book of the week: In between what we know is good or bad for us is the rest of medical science, says Jennifer Rohn By Jennifer Rohn 23 June
Hunger Pains: Life inside Foodbank Britain, by Kayleigh Garthwaite Book of the week: Why are those pushed into food poverty then stigmatised and shamed, asks Lisa Mckenzie By Lisa Mckenzie 16 June
My Life with Things: The Consumer Diaries, by Elizabeth Chin Book of the week: Shahidha Bari on our attachment to consumption and whether we might ever somehow escape it 9 June
