‘Long Way Down’ and ‘The Hate U Give’ are modern classics about gun violence

Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming delivers candid reflections on the life of the first African-American first lady. Offering a window into her personal evolution, Michelle details how ambition, hard work, and embracing her authentic story helped her journey from her family’s Chicago working-class neighborhood to a 47th-floor law office, then to the White House and beyond.

Becoming provides insights into Michelle’s self-determination: She pushed herself to excel in Ivy League classrooms and achieve a prestigious career by age 26, then mustered the courage to swerve off that path in search of greater fulfillment. It details her relationship with Barack—a love story of two opposites—and their challenging quest to navigate family and political life. Through it all, we witness a woman who perpetually strives to become a better version of herself.

You’ve likely heard of the MeToo movement, but you may not know where the phrase “me too” originated. In Unbound, award-winning activist Tarana Burke explores the pivotal role she played in founding the movement. Burke coined the phrase “me too” as a tool for healing from sexual violence based on her own journey of recovery via community connection, and she continues to work toward healing sexual violence in the Black community.

Our guide begins with a discussion of Burke’s experience of childhood sexual abuse. Next, we explore how community organizing helped Burke cope with her trauma and grow. Then, we consider the factors that led Burke to found the “me too” movement. Finally, we discuss how “me too” changed Burke’s life, explain how it relates to the MeToo hashtag, and describe Burke’s hopes for the movement’s future. In our commentary, we’ll provide more context about sexual violence and its intersection with racial injustice, explore both the original and the viral movements, and share other experts' advice on healing.

Before becoming the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson was a little girl whose parents taught her she could achieve anything despite living in a world that might question her belonging. In Lovely One, Jackson reveals how a strong sense of identity, perseverance, supportive communities, and commitment to making justice accessible propelled her from Miami to Harvard to the nation’s highest court.

Jackson’s journey offers powerful lessons for anyone navigating challenging environments while staying true to themselves. How do you build resilience when facing obstacles? Where do you find community when you’re “the only one” in the room? How do you balance ambition with personal values? Through Jackson’s experiences—from confronting imposter syndrome at Harvard to balancing a high-powered legal career with raising a neurodiverse child—readers gain insights for facing their own challenges with authenticity and purpose and creating success on their own terms.

Do you feel like social justice advocacy has gone too far? Or like you have to constantly be careful about what you say? The authors of Cynical Theories agree and explain how this came to be. While past movements for equality used to fight for concrete issues, the authors contend that contemporary activists and scholars are instead more concerned with policing language and culture, shutting down rational debate, and challenging the very foundations of liberal society.

In our guide to Cynical Theories, we’ll show how, in the authors’ view, social justice scholarship and activism changed from a force for good to a dangerous movement with totalitarian tendencies. We’ll also discuss why the tenets of liberalism—namely freedom of speech and belief in science—are more important now than ever. Through our commentary, we’ll offer insights and alternate views on the history of social justice and its impact on our modern world.

Finding Me, Viola Davis’s memoir published in 2022, recounts her extraordinary journey from the depths of poverty to the heights of Hollywood stardom. In this deeply personal account, Davis shares how acting became a beacon of hope and a path toward self-discovery in the midst of poverty, abuse, and racial discrimination.

Davis, celebrated for her roles in The Help, Doubt, How To Get Away With Murder, and Fences, has distinguished herself in film, television, and theater, achieving the historic "Triple Crown of Acting." Beyond her acting career, she co-runs JuVee Productions, aiming to produce diverse storytelling across various media.

This guide provides a detailed overview of Davis's life, enriched with historical context and additional information not found in the memoir, while also exploring Davis’ impact on the discussions about the importance of diverse storytelling in the media.

Since the 2016 election, America has witnessed college campus protests against “controversial” or “dangerous” speakers. The Coddling of the American Mind explores this phenomenon, showing how a set of dangerous and false beliefs have taken root in the minds of today’s college students, convincing these young people that they are inherently fragile and must be protected from the allegedly harmful impacts of speech with which they disagree. This attitude threatens academic freedom, undermines democracy, and is ultimately harmful to the social and emotional development of today’s youth.

You’ve likely heard of the MeToo movement, but you may not know where the phrase “me too” originated. In Unbound, award-winning activist Tarana Burke explores the pivotal role she played in founding the movement. Burke coined the phrase “me too” as a tool for healing from sexual violence based on her own journey of recovery via community connection, and she continues to work toward healing sexual violence in the Black community.

Our guide begins with a discussion of Burke’s experience of childhood sexual abuse. Next, we explore how community organizing helped Burke cope with her trauma and grow. Then, we consider the factors that led Burke to found the “me too” movement. Finally, we discuss how “me too” changed Burke’s life, explain how it relates to the MeToo hashtag, and describe Burke’s hopes for the movement’s future. In our commentary, we’ll provide more context about sexual violence and its intersection with racial injustice, explore both the original and the viral movements, and share other experts' advice on healing.