An often obvious but diverting jaunt through the nature of human connection.
Exploring “the most consequential social dynamic most people have never heard of.”
Synchrony is the alignment of your body and mind with an external source. Through new technologies, this phenomenon is only recently being studied by scientists. You can “click” or experience synchrony with just about anything: people, nature, animals, fictional or famous characters, and even inanimate objects like cars, planes, and boats. Murphy, author of You’re Not Listening, presents an overview of the field of synchrony, along with a plethora of examples of mysterious human connections—whether it is the ways we connect with our pets or the story of psychiatrist Hans Berger, inventor of electroencephalography, falling off a horse and his sister sensing a disaster. Synchrony, writes Murphy, is “a natural wonder that is far from fully understood. Some researchers suspect it may be an amplification or elaboration of so-called quantum entanglement—a phenomenon Albert Einstein famously called ‘spooky action at a distance’—where interacting subatomic particles begin to behave as one, even when separated in time and space.” Although the writing is smooth and accessible, the author’s theme is spread too thin and feels more speculative than scientific. From a 2022 TikTok video of a woman accepting a sandwich, to generosity at a Dairy Queen drive-through, to lawyers acting out psychodramas, the colorful variety begs the question: Isn’t everything synchrony? Is texting an emoji really “trying to compensate for the missing facial expression and body language that humans rely on to find resonance?” That all being said, the last chapter’s analysis of our current epidemic of loneliness (and its causes) is compelling and concerning (warning: tech companies are hiring neuroscientists to make us click more deeply with their digital content), the examples and quotes throughout are frequently insightful (even if, like many psychological studies, a reiteration of common sense), and what the book lacks in rigor and cohesiveness, the author makes up for with her enthusiastic vibe.
An often obvious but diverting jaunt through the nature of human connection.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781250352453
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A familiar format, but a timely reminder that cities are made up of individuals, each with their own stories.
Portraits in a post-pandemic world.
After the Covid-19 lockdowns left New York City’s streets empty, many claimed that the city was “gone forever.” It was those words that inspired Stanton, whose previous collections include Humans of New York (2013), Humans of New York: Stories (2015), and Humans (2020), to return to the well once more for a new love letter to the city’s humanity and diversity. Beautifully laid out in hardcover with crisp, bright images, each portrait of a New Yorker is accompanied by sparse but potent quotes from Stanton’s interviews with his subjects. Early in the book, the author sequences three portraits—a couple laughing, then looking serious, then the woman with tears in her eyes—as they recount the arc of their relationship, transforming each emotional beat of their story into an affecting visual narrative. In another, an unhoused man sits on the street, his husky eating out of his hand. The caption: “I’m a late bloomer.” Though the pandemic isn’t mentioned often, Stanton focuses much of the book on optimistic stories of the post-pandemic era. Among the most notable profiles is Myles Smutney, founder of the Free Store Project, whose story of reclaiming boarded‑up buildings during the lockdowns speaks to the city’s resilience. In reusing the same formula from his previous books, the author confirms his thesis: New York isn’t going anywhere. As he writes in his lyrical prologue, “Just as one might dive among coral reefs to marvel at nature, one can come to New York City to marvel at humanity.” The book’s optimism paints New York as a city where diverse lives converge in moments of beauty, joy, and collective hope.
A familiar format, but a timely reminder that cities are made up of individuals, each with their own stories.Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781250277589
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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