New Books Network

Matthew Bothwell, an observational astronomer and science communicator, guides listeners through the hidden cosmos beyond visible light. He explores the full electromagnetic spectrum, infrared views that pierce dust, spectroscopy as a cosmic detective tool, black holes and pulsars seen indirectly, radio mapping of hydrogen, gravitational waves, dark matter and dark energy, and the next generation of telescopes.

Kim Embrey, historian of Victorian Britain who studies drug histories, traces how South American coca moved into British medicine and policy. She recounts early explorer reactions, the rise of cocaine in medicine, global cultivation and trade networks, shifting public awareness, and the political turn toward regulation. Multiple short stories illuminate coca’s journey into British modernity.

Jasper Bernes, a UC Berkeley lecturer and author who writes on Marxism and revolutionary history, discusses revolutionary forms from the Paris Commune to the George Floyd uprising. He traces workers’ councils, the limits of parties and unions, and the idea of immediate communization. He explores rethinking councils for neighborhoods, transparent technical inquiry, and conditions for revolutionary success.

Beans Velocci, Assistant Professor at UPenn and author of Sex Isn’t Real, traces how scientific practices made sex seem binary. They walk through historical research in zoology, eugenics, gynecology, statistics, and trans medicine. Short, clear vignettes reveal how methods and institutions kept reshaping categories to fit prevailing social aims.

A literary study tracing parallels between Genesis narratives and the rise and reign of David. Short motifs and mirrored scenes are compared, from sibling rivalry to errand-to-brothers episodes. Close readings highlight structural echoes like Joseph and David parallels, Bathsheba as a mirror image, and how analogies shape characterization and thematic arcs.

Mia Bennett, an associate professor of geography who maps Arctic frontier-making, discusses rapidly changing Arctic geographies. She talks about melting sea ice, thawing permafrost, and new shipping routes. She covers rising geopolitical competition, strategic flashpoints like the Bering Strait, and Indigenous governance experiments.

David Potter, a leading scholar of Greek and Roman history, offers a fresh look at Julius Caesar. He focuses on Caesar’s own writings and public image. Topics include Caesar’s family myth and political identity. He traces the violence that shaped his youth, his rhetorical training, the pragmatic politics of the First Triumvirate, his managerial innovations in Gaul, and the limits of military rule in Rome.

Annahid Dashtgard, CEO of Anima Leadership and racial justice consultant, combines activism and executive coaching. She discusses the book’s origins, blending memoir with practical leadership tools. Conversations cover compassion over blame, balancing rage with strategy, using power well as leaders of color, and building inclusive, nonpunitive learning spaces.

Matthew P. Romaniello, historian of Russian imperial history and medicine, explores 18th-century naturalists and physicians who mapped Russia’s people, climate, and health. He discusses humoral medicine as ethnography, transnational medical networks, scurvy and variolation campaigns, travel writing biases, and how climate shaped imperial knowledge and reputation.

Margaret Heffernan, author and former CEO with BBC media roots, explores how artists turn uncertainty into creative opportunity. She discusses how artistic habits sharpen decision timing, the limits and uses of historical analogies, and why companies need artists for imaginative strategy. Topics include scenario storytelling, cross-domain innovation, hedging bets, and the governance challenges of AI.