Today’s algorithmically generated “predictive” decisions, from loan approvals to missile strikes, are, despite their scientific veneer, no less expressions of cultural and personal desires than the “prophecies” of earlier eras, ethicist Véliz (Privacy Is Power) argues in this captivating study. Surveying the long history of prediction, from the “oracle bones” of Shang dynasty China (1600–1046 BCE) to the writings of England’s 16th-century “astrologer-physicians, Véliz shows that “prediction cannot be disentangled from power.” In classical Greece, for instance, the priestesses of the Oracle of Delphi were known to [accept] bribes in return for delivering convenient political messages. Véliz shows how statistical prediction similarly undergirded a range of fraught political and economic developments in the 19th century, from the rise of race science to the emergence of the insurance industry. The proliferation in recent years of machine learning, large language models, and so-called artificial intelligence has turbocharged the role of prediction in culture, she notes. The rise of AI chatbots, in particular, has brought humans back full circle to ancient forms of prophecy like the Oracle of Delphi. By employing statistical models to guess the most appropriate response to a given prompt, chatbots enact the same ancient feedback loop of power and desire, hidden behind a quasi-mystical process. Véliz elucidates complex philosophical and technological concepts with ease, while covering a vast range of topics. Lively and erudite, this impresses. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Naiden, a historian and former MTA motorman, debuts with an endearing memoir of his time at the helm of New York City’s subway trains. After slogging through an entry-level job at McDonald’s and a gig selling bras on Orchard Street in 1980s Manhattan, a young Naiden sought more stable employment with the MTA to support himself and his wife. He first worked as a porter, performing custodial duties throughout the subway system, before being promoted to train operator. The most exciting passages chronicle the hazards of the job: blown fuses, failing headlights, and perilous emergency repairs, including a harrowing episode in the Harlem River Tunnel. Equally fascinating is Naiden’s account of labor activism within the subway system: a staunch union supporter who served as shop steward, he details the hard-won, sometimes violent history of organizing for worker safety. After one too many close calls, Naiden retired before qualifying for a pension, his relief sharpened by memories of colleagues injured or responsible for others’ injuries on the job. Blending memoir with institutional history, this fast-paced, edifying account elicits fresh appreciation for the workers who keep New York City moving. It’s a ride worth taking. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

“I am writing these words at a strange moment in my life: I have just been sanctioned by the United States.... for the absurd ‘crime’ of allegedly working with the International Criminal Court,” begins this incisive, heart-wrenching account from UN special rapporteur Albanese (Palestinian Refugees in International Law). The author spotlights the “unspeakable suffering” of the Palestinians and examines fraught questions around the Israeli occupation through close looks at 10 individuals who have shaped her thinking. They include slain five-year-old Hind Rajab; trauma expert Gabor Maté; Abu Hassan, a Palestinian acquaintance who took Albanese on an “alternative tour” of Jerusalem, including areas where “children had to crawl through sewage pipes to go to school because of the obstacles put in place by the Israelis”; and the author’s own husband, who used to accompany West Bank Palestinians in their daily activities in order to shield them from settler violence. Along the way, Albanese delves into complicated debates surrounding Israel-Palestine, such as whether to call the system of government apartheid; incorporates her own observations from living in Jerusalem, including a distressing encounter when an Israeli man told a Palestinian friend, “You don’t exist”; and draws on harrowing remote interviews she conducted with Gazan children in 2022. It’s an indispensable, at times deeply sickening, overview of the situation on the ground in Palestine. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

In this encouraging how-to, novelist Ausubel (The Last Animal) catalogs writing’s many “doorways” and the keys to unlocking them. She augments these lessons with personal stories of her own zigzagging journey through the creative process. Her plethora of sage suggestions include “Cut half the things on your plot to-do list. Spend twice as much time in moments that matter to characters,” and “Close your eyes. Breathe deeply and slowly. Place yourself in a scene you want to write.” Ausubel also tackles how to prepare for the next day’s writing session, suggesting: “Write the word NEXT at the bottom of the page and jot down your ideas for the next two scenes, ideas, moments, or questions.” Throughout, she provides a kind, supportive voice to help keep nascent writers on course. Her calming vibe is encapsulated by her parting words in doorway #101, “Begin Anywhere (Again),” wherein she advises: “I want you to finish a project and hold it in your hands. But here’s what I know: When you get there, after the high fives and a cocktail, everyone else will go home and all you’ll be left with is a chair and desk, your own mind, and a thousand, million doorways. And it will be the most beautiful thing in the world.” This is a gentle tonic for writers in need of a boost. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Wolfe (Birdie & Harlow), a comedian and mother of two, sheds light on the absurdities and indignities of modern parenting in this irreverent and insightful essay collection. She opens with a detailed recollection of letting her toddler, who needed to pee but refused to use the toilet, urinate in her toilet-paper-covered hands during a road trip. Also explored is the weight of being a lifelong “overthinker/anxious worrier”; after “giving up” anxiety as a New Year’s resolution, she confuses heartburn for a heart attack and goes to the ER. She covers many relatable motherhood experiences, like her struggles with breastfeeding, the crushing worry she felt leaving her kids behind to go on a trip, and the frustration of being bombarded with unsolicited parenting advice while pregnant (“If you think you’re tired now, just you wait”). With sharp humor and a keen eye for detail, Wolfe lays bare the complexities of juggling motherhood, career, and marriage. Lively prose puts a fresh spin on oft-discussed parenting experiences, such as when she describes being moved to the operating table for a C-section: “I was lifted in my sheets like a human taco.” These candid reflections will land with busy moms. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Retired firefighter Frank (Burnt) examines the allure of pickleball in this sweet if underwhelming account of why she and millions of other Americans are obsessed with the sport. After joining a friend at a community center pickleball game in 2021, Frank was immediately hooked. Here, she traces its origins to Bainbridge Island in 1965 and describes attending pickleball camp, tournaments, and the country’s first PickleCon. At each stop, she asks seasoned players why the non-volley zone is called “the kitchen”—a recurring question that promises intrigue but goes unanswered. At the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Fla., Frank, alongside thousands of other fans, watches tennis legend Andre Agassi play with the top female pickleball player. She discovers pickleball’s reach has even spread to prisons, including the Donovan Correctional Facility in California, where the Menendez brothers play. The book’s best insights explain why so many have turned to the sport: unlike golf or tennis, Frank notes, nobody has been playing pickleball since the age of five, creating a democratic environment where almost anyone can dominate. But such analyses are compressed into brief observations, as Frank focuses primarily on her personal journey. This is best suited for pickleball devotees seeking affirmation of their shared passion. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Professional runner Cain debuts with a raw account of her harrowing experiences at the once-esteemed Nike Oregon Project. When Cain was a middle schooler in Bronxville, N.Y., in the 2000s, her generational talent for middle-distance running became clear. At 16, she was recruited to train with coach Alberto Salazar at the Nike Oregon Project, a Portland-area initiative to cultivate America’s best runners. Yet Cain’s excitement soon soured: she recalls coaches saddling her with extreme weight-loss expectations (“As their gazes drifted over my legs and torso and arms, it felt like they were calculating some value in their head”) and Salazar sneaking into her room in the middle of the night on at least three occasions. The Oregon Project’s unlicensed sports psychologist routinely dismissed Cain’s concerns (“He’ll tell me not to be soft, tell me most kids would kill to be in my place”), even as her hair began falling out and she contemplated suicide. Capped by details of Salazar’s permanent ban from the sport in 2019 for doping violations and further accusations of sexual misconduct, Cain’s memoir grippingly charts her path from glory to disillusionment to despair and back. It’s a powerful and haunting testimonial. Agent: Lauren Sharp, Aevitas Creative Management. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Shi Heng Yi, founder of the Shaolin Temple Europe, debuts with a methodical introduction to Shaolin, a combination of meditation and martial arts that aims to unite body and mind. Drawing from more than three decades of training, he toggles between historical context—detailing the practice’s Buddhist roots and evolution—and instruction on how meditation and breathing exercises can help to boost awareness, emotional regulation, and moral clarity. The book shines in linking abstract concepts to embodied routines, connecting Buddhist teachings such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to martial discipline. Shi Heng Yi also carefully draws out how key Shaolin values like loyalty, restraint, perseverance, and mental clarity apply to everyday situations, noting, for example, that greater mental awareness can help readers circumvent automatic emotional reactions and respond more productively to tricky situations at work or home. Written in plain prose and buttressed by lucid and in-depth explanations of the practice, this eschews quick fixes for important insights into cultivating peace and awareness for long-term personal growth. It’s a grounded, disciplined guide to finding steadiness in an increasingly stressful world. (Mar.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review mistakenly referred to the author as an actor.

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

Relatively podcaster Carr mixes research, cultural criticism, and personal anecdotes for this informative debut study of the complexities of sibling relationships. Driven to explore the topic by her family history—as children, she and her old sister were separated from their youngest sister after their parents split—Carr finds that sibling relationships are among the least scrutinized by researchers, despite frequently being the most enduring ties of one’s life. She explores whether birth order influences one’s personality (possibly, though effects are tough to untangle “from the kaleidoscope of other forces at play”); how assigned roles—golden child, clown—shape personality (labels can be locked into place during childhood thanks to comparisons between siblings, sometimes “casting a shadow over relationships” into adulthood); and why siblings can have vastly different perceptions of the same formative event. Carr also digs into research showing that older siblings can exert as much influence on younger siblings as parents, and offers a sensitive if brief chapter on how half- and step-siblings navigate the challenges of building a family without shared lore and history. Carr keeps the pace brisk by leavening research-heavy passages with chatty, vivid anecdotes—both her own and those gleaned from her podcast. The result is a thought-provoking, expansive look at an important but understudied familial bond. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink

This immersive account from Ringer senior staff writer Conn (The Road from Raqqa) profiles four American men whose lives uniquely tangle with an “inherited masculine ideal”: Ryan, a gay man from Akwesasne Mohawk territory who struggles to accept his sexuality; Gideon, an “ex-jock” and West Point graduate whose wife cheats on him with his commander; Nate, a Black trans man “wrestling his own body and... fighting for its right to exist”; and Joseph, a law student who experiences sudden flashbacks to repressed childhood sexual abuse. Conn follows his subjects as they wrestle with identity, family conflicts, substance abuse, and mental health challenges, sensitively conveying their “rawest moments,” including Joseph witnessing “intrusive images” of his abuser’s genitalia when having sex with his wife and Ryan getting in brutal, bloody bar fights as an adult after being ruthlessly bullied as a child. Amid this pain are moments of joy and relief, like Ryan reaching cathartic release via amateur MMA fighting, or Nate’s tearful euphoria after top surgery. Conn stops short of making “grand theories” about American men other than citing numerous ways they “lag... behind their female peers” (“more likely to drop out of high school... more likely to die by suicide... more likely to abuse drugs”). Instead, he focuses, to great success, on compassionate storytelling. The result is hard to look away from. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/30/2026 | Details & Permalink