We rely on physicians and the American healthcare industry to keep us healthy—and when we are gravely sick, we rely on them to keep us alive. Dr. Sandeep Jauhar has been on both sides of that equation, and his books give us an insight normally reserved for insiders.

The stories we tell ourselves shape who we are, as individuals, and as a society. Padma Venkatraman is a novelist whose stories explore enduring themes about the use of violence to resist evil, the meaning of family, and tension between tradition and modernity.

Sports have the power to unify people from diverse backgrounds, to give us something to be excited about and to talk about, together, no matter who we are, what we do, or where we’re from. But in the last couple of years, politics intruded in our pastimes. As an Emmy-winning sports anchor and reporter, Trenni Kusnierek has a unique perspective on sports in American culture.

One of America’s persistent myths is that the first European migrants to the so-called “new world,” found a largely uninhabited continent. In a new documentary, Gary Glassman brings alive the thriving cities, social networks, art, and science of Native America.

One of the most persistent ideas in the politics of the West, whether we’re talking about Europe or the United States, is that government debt is best attacked through reducing government spending. Mark Blyth, warns though, that “austerity,” as such plans are known, is a historically dangerous idea.

Since 1976, nearly 1500 Americans have been executed in the name of justice. Sister Helen Prejean, though, cautions about the human cost of the death penalty and the innocent victims wrongfully put to death.

“Weaponized narrative” is a term I hadn’t heard prior to the last couple of years, but information has long been an element of national power and a weapon when employed by skilled operators. Molly McKew warns the United States and its Western allies face a foe tremendously skilled and motivated in the use of information as a weapon.

Since September 11, 2001, more than 2.7 million Americans have fought America’s battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chris Chivers has written a searing, new account of those wars and the men and women who have served in them.