A broad examination that sometimes lacks focus but introduces intriguing debates.
Neill offers the first entry in a nonfiction series reflecting on racism and fallacies of American politics.
In an introduction, the author explains that his work is intended as a primer on racism, exploring its psychology, history, and “how our understanding around it has evolved.” Subsequent volumes, he says, will address the hypocrisy he claims that he’s witnessed in his “family of choice” of left-wing progressives: “Intolerance, perfectionism, purity tests, and language policing leave me feeling alienated from brothers and sisters I have embraced as allies,” he states. He organizes this book around lessons that he says he had to learn, such as reconsidering what a racist is, learning new sociological terms, and exploring tools for “course correction.” Neill examines these issues in multiple ways, using anecdotes from his own life, summaries of sociological theories, and accounts from his long history in the recovery community. “It’s hard to see the arsonists of racism is because their hideout is in our heads,” he asserts, before offering a list of logical fallacies that accompany biased thinking. In this book, he strives for an easygoing, approachable tone, even when dealing with difficult subject matter; he’s quick with Titanic jokes while employing the image of an iceberg to explain white supremacy, for example. There’s no shortage of thought-provoking material here as he carefully examines accepted notions, and his own thoughts, from multiple angles. However, as he alternates between accessible summaries of sociological theory, exploration of the parallels between addiction recovery and recognition of internal biases, and critiques of the left, readers may be unclear about what his argument is, or who it’s for. At times, it feels as if the book is trying to earn the trust of some conservatives (“I do believe Donald Trump spreads misogyny and hate….But the anger he tapped into among the American electorate was real and, I’d suggest, some of it justified”), while elsewhere, it’s clearly intended for readers on the left. Nonetheless, the book lays a foundation for fascinating discussion.
A broad examination that sometimes lacks focus but introduces intriguing debates.Pub Date: March 14, 2025
ISBN: 9798313808024
Page Count: 148
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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