Recent Highlights Continued from inside front cover

Labor of Love by Heather Jacobson:

• Vogue mentioned Labor of Love in a piece about Keeping Up with the Kardashians on September 23.

“The labor–pun semi-intended–of gestating someone else’s baby is not often explored in mainstream conversations, and this [Keeping Up with the Kardashians] episode feels like a great excuse to dig into sociologist Heather Jacobson’s book Labor of Love, which examines the topic with the focus on the surrogate experience.”

Reel Inequality by Nancy Yuen:

• Archetypes, Meghan Markle’s podcast, interviewed Nancy Yuen about Reel Inequality on October 4.

Manga

Comics and the Origins of Manga by Eike Exner:

• Best Academic/Scholarly Work at the 2023 Eisner Awards went to Eike Exner at Comic-Con 2022.

• The International Journal of Comic Art reviewed Comics and the Origins of Manga:

“Exner is a subtle and convincing commentator. Better, still, he is capable of sifting through a complex visual record with an eye towards salient detail. The result is a watershed contribution to comics studies that is mandatory reading for scholars interested in manga and its history.”

OutWrite edited by Julie R. Enszer and Elena Gross

• Publishers Weekly gave OutWrite a starred review.

Cultivating Justice in the Garden State by Raymond Lesniak:

• Vanity Fair ran an excerpt of Cultivating Justice in the Garden State on April 20.

• Insider NJ ran an excerpt and reviewed Cultivating Justice in the Garden State on April 21.

“I know of no other Democratic New Jersey state legislator who had a greater impact on salient statewide issues beyond his legislative district than Ray Lesniak. And these were issues that will affect basic values and the quality of life in the Garden State for decades to come...I have in the past taught New Jersey politics and government university courses, and this book would well qualify for the mandatory course reading list.”

Speaking Truths by Valerie Chepp

• Mobilization reviewed Speaking Truths in their September 2022 issue.

“Speaking Truths [by Valerie Chepp] provides a nuanced examination of the inner workings of spoken word activism, draws clear connections to a diverse body of sociological theory, and perhaps most importantly, firmly situates creative activism as a meaningful form of social justice work.”

Babylost

“Far from academic ephemera, these resonant messages offer ever relevant takes on the current discourse around identity, inclusion, dissent, and the responsibility of the artist. The result is an indispensable addition to literary and cultural history.”

Macbeth in Harlem by Clifford Mason

• The Journal of African American History reviewed Macbeth in Harlem in their Summer 2022 issue.

“Mason’s unique voice—blending scholarly rigor with well-grounded critical indignation—makes Macbeth in Harlem both a compelling read and a welcome addition to African American theatre historiography... In new, original, and illuminating ways, Macbeth in Harlem provides a striking reminder of the debt that today’s African American theater artists owe to the valiant struggles waged by the trailblazers who came before them.”

Babylost by Monica Casper

• Nursing Clio interviewed Monica Casper about Babylost on March 17.