Current Events

The Racism of People Who Love You : Essays on Mixed Race Belonging

by Samira K. Mehta

available now, hardcover, Beacon Press

Born to a white American and a South Asian immigrant, Mehta grew up feeling more comfortable with her mother’s family than with her father’s. But in adulthood, she realized that some of her Indian family’s assumptions about the world had become an indelible part of her—and that her well-intentioned parents had not known how to prepare her for a world that would see her as a person of color.

The Undertow : Scenes from a Slow Civil War

by Jeff Sharlet

available in March, hardcover, W.W. Norton & Co. Across the country, men “of God” glorify materialism, a gluttony of the soul, while citing Scripture and preparing for civil war. Political rallies are as aflame with need and giddy expectation as religious revivals. At a conference for incels, lonely single men come together to rage against women. On the Far Right, everything is heightened—love into adulation, fear into vengeance, anger into white-hot rage. Here, in the undertow, our 45th president, a vessel of conspiratorial fears and fantasies, continues to rise to sainthood.

The People’s Hospital : Hope and Peril in American Medicine

by Ricardo Nuila

available in March, hardcover, Scribner

Poverty, By America

by Matthew Desmond

available in March, hardcover, Crown

This fiercely argued and compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original case for eliminating poverty in America and shows how we can all be part of that effort. His book calls on us to become true poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of equity.

Myth America : Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past

edited by Kevin M. Kruse

and Julian E. Zelizer

available now, hardcover, Basic Books

Distortions of the past promoted in the conservative media have led large numbers of Americans to believe in fictions over facts, making constructive dialogue impossible and imperiling our democracy. In Myth America, Kruse and Zelizer have assembled a team of fellow historians to push back against this misinformation. The contributors debunk narratives that portray the New Deal and Great Society as failures, immigrants as hostile invaders, and feminists as anti-family warriors—among numerous other partisan lies. Based on a firm foundation of historical scholarship, their findings revitalize our understanding of American history.

Expensive. Broken. Americans use these two words more than any others to describe–and condemn–their own healthcare system. Could one local hospital serve as a model for the change Americans have longed for? In the tradition of transformative and revelatory works like Five Days at Memorial and Evicted, Dr. Nuila takes readers inside Houston's lauded safety net hospital, Ben Taub, to meet five patients whose moving stories demonstrate that the urgent need for reform in American health care is an issue of social justice.

Did you know that you can access the Chuckanut Reader on the go?

Visit the VillageBooks.com home page and click on the link. Once there, you can peruse past issues as well!

Tenacious Beasts : Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals

by Christopher J. Preston

available now, hardcover, The MIT Press

Tenacious Beasts is quintessential nature writing for the Anthropocene, touching on different facets of ecological restoration from Indigenous knowledge to rewilding practices. More important, perhaps, the book offers a road map— and a measure of hope—for a future in which humans and animals can once again coexist.

The Other Family Doctor : A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality

by Karen Fine, DVM

available in March, hardcover, Anchor

All Creatures Great and Small meets Being Morta l in this compelling memoir of one woman's dream to become a veterinarian in a field historically dominated by men, and how, through her work both with her patients and their people, she comes to better understand humanity, mortality, and the unique role animals play in our lives.

Animals

Sunday, March 19, 4pm at Village Books in Fairhaven CHRISTOPHER PRESTON

A Nature of Writing Series Event

The Book of Animal Secrets : Nature’s Lessons for a Long and Happy Life

by David B. Agus, MD

available in March, hardcover, Simon & Schuster

Mother Nature has a lot to teach us, if only we open our eyes. Pigeons and dolphins offer creative strategies for preserving our memories and warding off dementia, while squirrels and pigs harbor secrets for managing chronic pain. Rhinoceroses demonstrate the subtle power of our environments—and how to exercise better—while chimps have surprising parenting tips, not to mention great diet advice. Filled with lively storytelling and astonishing practical takeaways, this revelatory guide will have you rethinking what’s possible for your health and wellbeing.

The Wise Hours : A Journey into the Wild and Secret World of Owls

by Miriam Darlington

available now, hardcover, Tin House Books

Owls have existed for over sixty million years, and in the relatively short time we have shared the planet with these majestic birds they have ignited the human imagination. But even as owls continue to captivate our collective consciousness, celebrated British nature writer Miriam Darlington finds herself struck by all she doesn’t know about the true nature of these enigmatic animals. Darlington watches and listens to the natural world and to the rhythms of her home and family, inviting readers to discover the wonders of owls alongside her while rewilding our imagination with the mystery, fragility, and magnificence of all creatures.

VB WRITES... ENVIRONMENTALISTS ANONYMOUS W RITING G ROUP

NEW!

Do you enjoy being in nature and writing about it? Are you concerned about human's impact on the Earth or are you experiencing ecological grief? If so, stop by! Village Books hosts a variety of writing groups and we're excited to welcoming the Environmentalists Anonymous group to the mix! Meeting the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays from 12-1pm in the Writers Corner on the mezzanine level Village Books in Fairhaven, VB Writes groups are open to newcomers and drop-ins. (See page 32 and villagebooks.com for additional writing groups)

This writing group will offer opportunities for observation and self-reflection and regular prompts that center on regional flora and fauna, climate change, and ecology. Passages and poems from notable environmental writers will also be shared regularly. All levels welcome. This group is facilitated by local poet and writer, Jessica Gigot.