Bonnie Yochelson’s enlightening biography "Too Good to Get Married" captures the life and work of nineteenth-century lesbian photographer Alice Austen. Born in March 1866, Austen, an amateur photographer living among elite Staten... Read More

Kimm Topping’s heartening collection "Generation Queer" celebrates young LGBTQ+ activists who shifted cultural stereotypes about who is allowed to lead. Centering organizers, artists, and educators whose work began prior to the age of... Read More

Swift and concise, the biography "Out of the Tub" reintroduces William Howard Taft as a president worth celebrating. Carol A. Josel’s "Out of the Tub" is a compact yet revelatory biography of William Howard Taft, the only president of... Read More

Daniel Tammet’s "Nine Minds" is a biographical mosaic of neurodivergence built of stories of individuals whose struggles and achievements defy the clichés surrounding autism. The book presents autism not as a “disorder” but as a... Read More

A sensitive exploration of Brazilian history and the boundaries of biographical writing, Jacob Blanc’s collaborative book reconstructs the life of human rights activist and former militant Aluízio Palmar. Born in rural Brazil, Palmar... Read More

Alex Green’s fascinating book reconstructs the life and legacy of Walter E. Fernald, a polarizing architect in the US’s treatment of the mentally disabled. A physician from Maine who established and influenced institutions across the... Read More

Tom Santopietro’s reverent biography of Audrey Hepburn illustrates how the scion of an impoverished aristocratic family went from starving in Nazi-occupied Europe to becoming a legendary actress, fashion icon, and humanitarian... Read More

Nigel M. de S. Cameron’s biography of Ronald Reagan’s larger-than-life surgeon general, Charles Everett Koop, reveals a complex figure caught between public health policies, religious convictions, and family struggles. Born in... Read More