Bobuq Sayed — No God but Us - with Lupita Aquino

Gautham Rao — White Power: Policing American Slavery - with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Beginning in the colonial era and growing through the American Revolution and the Southern plantation system, slaveholders' violent police regime continued after Emancipation, through Reconstruction, to today. Moving across time, space, and place, White Power [https://politics-prose.com/book/9781469694849] uncovers how slaveholders created their own white supremacist police and government to deny Black people rights, power, and humanity. Legal historian Gautham Rao introduces us to laws that empowered white people to forcibly exercise their desired racial superiority over Black people, shows how they spread from the South throughout the nation, and traces the rebellions, fugitivity, activism, and legal systems that challenged them. Rao's narrative includes slaveholders, lawmakers, and the Ku Klux Klan, dramatic escapes by runaway enslaved people, abolitionist activism in courtroom showdowns, and pitched battles between white paramilitaries and enslaved rebels. He offers a new interpretation of the history of policing in the US, centering the institution and legacy of slavery and speaking to the origins of today's persistence of white vigilance, white supremacist militia groups, and white racist cops determined to maintain power over Black people by force. Equally determined, however, was Black Americans' refusal to accept it. Gautham Rao is associate professor of history at American University in Washington, DC, and Editor-in-Chief of Law and History Review. Rao is in conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the world’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars. His books have been translated into multiple languages and republished throughout the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Kendi is Professor of History and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. He is author of many highly acclaimed bestsellers including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. He is the author of the international bestseller How to Be an Antiracist. Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781469694849?ic_referral=ek4ZSxcq-2GgaQE8QcLmx8CVRfffkIRbyUEJwvdIJbQwM2i_GlcSF8q_Fe8p5jSYPkot4SQ7IRASg6lAQ-iKZoB-4MiInC_Jmfo996OpJs_4CfdN69VZhN31bgBctTRsQUv-edU

Bobuq Sayed — No God but Us - with Lupita Aquino

In this wry, provocative debut, two gay Afghan men—cast out of their respective countries of birth by circumstances beyond their control—collide in Istanbul, a city that will test their willingness to sacrifice everything for the ones they love. When Delbar—a hapless twenty-something with dreams of becoming a drag queen—is spectacularly outed, he flees the insular immigrant-dense suburbs of Washington, DC to seek refuge with his sympathetic aunt in Istanbul. There, he discovers a vibrant community of dissidents, sex workers, activists, poets, and heretics. Among them are Leif and his boyfriend, Mansur, with whom Delbar quickly develops a blazing fascination. But Mansur also nurses a wounded heart, having left his own family, and his first love, behind in Iran. This time, Mansur’s learned not to dream bigger than his own survival. He’ll keep a low profile, work hard to send money back, and remain faithful to Leif—at least until his refugee status is granted. When riot police descend on attendees of the annual Istanbul Pride march, Mansur and Delbar are thrust into dangerous proximity. With the country surging into authoritarianism, each person must ask themselves: what constitutes a life well-lived, and how high is the price of freedom? Told through the alternating viewpoints of Delbar and Mansur, Bobuq Sayed’s debut is a story of borders and boundaries transgressed, and a seductive exploration of what it means to make a home at the margins of society. At once an immigrant family saga, a thwarted love story, and a searing portrait of politics made intimately personal, No God but Us [https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063419469] is an ambitious introduction to a bold new voice. Bobuq Sayed is the author of A Brief History of Australian Terror and the novel No God but Us. They were a 2022–23 Steinbeck fellow at San José State University, a Lambda Literary scholar, and an award-winning James A. Michener fellow in the University of Miami's MFA program. Bobuq currently lives in New York City. Sayed is in conversation with Lupita Aquino, better known as @Lupita.Reads on Instagram and TikTok, who passionately spreads her love for books online. She has moderated numerous book events and founded La Comunidad Reads, an author-inclusive book club in partnership with the DC Public Library. Alongside her vibrant online presence, she has contributed insightful book coverage to outlets such as TODAY.com, Aster(ix) Literary Journal, She Reads, The Washington Independent Review of Books, and many more. Notably, Lupita has served as a judge for the 2024 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, the 2023 Louise Meriwether First Prize for the Feminist Press, and was on the Selection Committee for the Aspen Words Literary Prize in 2021. She enjoys exploring local bookstores and libraries with her wife and son when not immersed in books. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063419469?ic_referral=-cjTpakf4ONOrL2lBTj9xpsk7cWpomeAG2o6KEA_KF8wMxTvbeI7c9BK87pEYY5CtB1sv9zC2UCpM0zebgO7NjRFILr_uU-E2v8NIZasYWigKYFBbxb8zPnxTsb5pH6x3N8e5GM

Deb Haaland — A Voice Like Mine: A Memoir - with Jonathan Capehart

New Mexico 2026 gubernatorial frontrunner, organizer, congresswoman, and former cabinet secretary Deb Haaland shares her story, offering a powerful and personal look at what it means to be “the first.” Nothing about Deb Haaland’s upbringing or family history set her up for a life of firsts: the first Native American woman elected to chair a state political party in the United States; one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress; the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet. Yet Haaland has embraced every opportunity, knowing that each step forward lifts up those who are too often left out of the conversation. A 35th-generation New Mexican and member of the Pueblo of Laguna, Haaland has lived a remarkable life shaped by poverty, alcoholism, and single parenthood. After a late but meteoric rise in politics, she stepped down from her cabinet position as Secretary of the Interior in January 2025 and is now running for Governor of New Mexico in the 2026 election. In A Voice Like Mine [https://politics-prose.com/book/9781250434227]—titled after Haaland’s congressional campaign slogan, “Congress has never heard a voice like mine”—she shares the personal history that shaped her courage to organize, run for office, and lead. She tells the stories that have defined her life in politics and beyond, from her grandfather’s cornfield, where she learned the importance of hard work and care for the earth, to the oak-paneled halls of Washington, D.C. Throughout her journey, Haaland has drawn on her heritage in her activism and service, leading with humility, purpose, and a commitment to “leave the ladder down” for those who follow. Deb Haaland, a 35th-generation New Mexican who organized for President Obama, led the New Mexico State Democratic Party to victory and made an unprecedented run and win as one of the first Native women to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also made history as the first Native American appointed to a U.S. President's cabinet. Drawing on her experience as a military kid, a single mom, and a Pueblo woman, Deb has championed working families, fought to give underserved communities a voice, and taken action to address the climate crisis. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Haaland is in conversation with Jonathan Capehart, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who is co-host of the morning edition of “The Weekend” on MS NOW (7am - 10am) and the New York Times bestselling author of “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from A Black Man’s Search for Home.” At PBS, Capehart serves as a political analyst on “PBS News Hour” and is featured on the popular Friday segment “Brooks and Capehart.” Capehart is a former Associate Editor at The Washington Post, where he was an opinion writer for 18 years. Capehart was deputy editorial page editor of the New York Daily News (2002-2004) and served on its editorial board (1993-2000). They won the 1999 Pulitzer for Editorial Writing for their campaign to save the Apollo Theater.  PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781250434227?ic_referral=nz1AMR-SbrqAXq-ilN5YuMIKA-u717DKMyFXxZnQqrMwMw5C9mR2iJrS8sFDljeAx8KiDvujEonO5fwcOTMOuCBE3Xu4a-nGF_IQG7C0n3dAPuHzgqxuoArTyutog855awHL8ZE

Jim Rasenberger — A Perfect Coincidence: The Extraordinary Friendship and Astonishing Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson - with Jonathan Horn

An extraordinary look at the long and complex relationship between Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who died on the same historic day—July 4, 1826, exactly fifty years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence—and timed to the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. In creating the Declaration of Independence, approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, Jefferson and Adams collaborated in what Jefferson later called “a perfect coincidence” of thought and action. Exactly fifty years later, in the most perfect coincidence in American history, they died within hours of each other—both former US presidents, both essential architects of the nation. This book explores those two remarkable coincidences and the fifty-year relationship in between. Thomas Jefferson, a charismatic Southern aristocrat, and John Adams, a cantankerous Yankee, were once close friends, then bitter political enemies. In the last years of their lives, they reconciled and resumed an extraordinary correspondence, totaling some 380 letters that continued until their final months. Other than the Declaration of Independence, the greatest symbolic gift either man gave his country may have been dying together on that fateful Independence Day in 1826. For many Americans, this moment was viewed as a “visible and palpable” manifestation of “Divine favor”—as one contemporary put it—and fueled the conviction that America was a land of miracles. Published to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States—and the 200th anniversary of the men’s deaths—this book is essential reading for anyone interested in presidential biographies, the Revolutionary War era, and the enduring power—yet terrible fragility—of American democracy. Jim Rasenberger is the author of five books—A Perfect Coincidence; Revolver; The Brilliant Disaster; America, 1908; and High Steel—and has contributed to the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Smithsonian, and other publications. A native of Washington, DC, he lives in New York City. Rasenberger is in conversation with Jonathan Horn, an author and former White House presidential speechwriter whose books include Washington’s End and the Robert E. Lee biography The Man Who Would Not Be Washington, which was a Washington Post bestseller. He has written for outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times Disunion series, New York Post, The Daily Beast, National Review, and POLITICO, and has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS NewsHour. A graduate of Yale, he lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, two children, and dog. His latest book is The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781668003428?ic_referral=4OO5b1ebgbuy8xeewMFSLWevEY1LV9-GDK1Soo8KuMIwM83UO6dk9mEonAp1A_pIJuskyvKyb6-9i-SKhUckZsxWyyJKMT8225P3CPgVK2vP0rWtVU6wf9Gw2BPUzJBwIsIgRTg

Julie Schumacher — Patient, Female: Stories - with Michelle Brafman

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Committee Members, a collection of wryly funny stories about ordinary women--in all their complexity, fallibility, and humanity. An unsuspecting couple is treated to a luxury vacation by their deceased neighbor. After begrudgingly agreeing to volunteer at a nursing home, a middle school girl gambles over games of bridge with elderly residents. A single mother struggles to understand the unique bond between her autistic son and his dying grandmother. Four friends experience decades of highs and lows as pawns in The Game of Life. A professional gynecology patient runs into a high school flame while at work, undressed, on the job. In this irreverent collection, celebrated novelist Julie Schumacher balances sorrow against laughter. Here, we experience story not only as narrative, but as syllabus and as board game. Each protagonist--ranging from girlhood to senescence--receives her own indelible voice as she navigates social blunders, generational misunderstandings, and the absurdity of the human experience. Exquisitely honest and expertly crafted, Patient, Female [https://politics-prose.com/book/9781639551651] renders--with dark humor and wit--the foibles of human behavior and our endearing imperfections. Julie Schumacher is the author of eleven books, including the national bestseller Dear Committee Members, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Schumacher's other works include two short story collections, a satirical coloring book, and five novels for young readers. Her essays and stories have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Ms., The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and in The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Awards annual anthologies. She is a Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota, where she has received multiple teaching awards and has been recognized as a Scholar of the College. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  Schumacher is in conversation with Michelle Brafman, the author of Washing the Dead, Bertrand Court: Stories, and Swimming with Ghosts, the companion novel to Draw Near to Me. Her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, O Quarterly, Slate, LitHub, Tablet, The Forward, and elsewhere. She teaches fiction writing in the Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing Program and spoken about her work and the creative process at more than 200 venues, including book stores, literary festivals, classrooms, synagogues, and myriad book groups. Learn more at michellebrafman.com [http://michellebrafman.com/]. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781639551651?ic_referral=2QmI4C0ithXtPmznnRJrMeaX0SQGoABDrx-zIHyV96UwM0qdact2IGJKp-SxOCizWpnYBOsihIUG-ie6wPWSvBY0ifiT2aKa7kD6bAN7e9dIHU3Q6ROYa1XBcVUtC1sV1JZXeyQ