Fall/Winter2023-TradeRecommendations
TheLastSupperClub AWaiter'sRequiem
MatthewBatt

"Deliciouslyfunny,vividlypeopled,wise, andbig-hearted, TheLastSupperClub isa bookyouwilldevourinonesittingand wishyoucouldgobackforseconds.The memoirtakesabehind-the-sceneslookat theadrenaline-fueledworldofrestaurant life,reverentlyrevealingallthecareand thoughtthatgoesintoamealbeforethe plateiseverloweredbeforeyou.If AnthonyBourdain’sKitchenConfidential andStephanieDanler’sSweetbitterhada lovechild,itwouldbethissuperbbook!"
—AdrienneBrodeur,author of WildGame:MyMother,HerSecret,andMe
Duringayearonsabbaticalfromhisuniversityposition,MatthewBatt realizedheneededmoney—fast—anditjustsohappenedthatoneof thebiggestbreweriesintheMidwestwaslaunchingarestaurantand lookingtohire.Soitwasthattheforty-somethingtenuredprofessor foundhimselfwaitingtablesatahigh-endrestaurantsituatedina Minneapolisbrewery.Andlovingit.
TellingthestoryofBatt’searlyworkinrestaurants,fromaredsauce jointpossiblyrunbythemobtoanill-conceivedfusionconcept eatery, TheLastSupperClub thendetailshisexperiencesatthefine diningrestaurant,ajobthatcontinuedwellpasthissabbatical—that lasted,infact,rightuptotherestaurant’ssuddenandunceremonious closingthreeyearslater,shortlyafteritwasnamedoneofthebest restaurantsinthecountrybyFood&Wine.
IdealBeauty
TheLifeandTimesofGretaGarbo

LoisW.Banner
Oneofthesilverscreen’sgreatest beauties,GretaGarbowasalsooneofits mostprofoundenigmas.Astarinboth silentpicturesandtalkies,Garbokept viewersrivetedwithunderstated performancesthatsuggesteddeep melancholyandstrongdesiresroilingjust underthesurface.Andoffscreen,the intenselyprivateGarbowasperhapseven moremysteriousandalluring,asher retirementfromHollywoodatage36only fueledthepublic’sfascination.
IdealBeauty revealsthewomanbehindthemystique,awomanwho overcameanimpoverishedchildhoodtobecomeastudentatThe SwedishRoyalDramaticAcademy,anactressinEuropeanfilms,and ultimatelyaHollywoodstar.Chroniclinghertoughnegotiationswith LouisB.MayeratMGM,itshowshowGarbocarvedoutenough powerinHollywoodtocraftadistinctlynewfeministscreenpresence infilmslikeQueenChristina.BannerdrawsonovertenyearsinindeptharchivalresearchinSweden,Germany,France,andtheUnited Statestodemonstratehow,awayfromthecamera’sglare,Garbo’slife wasevenmoreintriguing.IdealBeautytakesafreshlookatanicon whohelpedtodefinefemalebeautyinthe20thcenturyandprovides answerstomuch-debatedquestionsaboutGarbo’schildhood, sexuality,career,illnessesandbreakdowns,andspiritualawakening.
RUTGERSUNIVERSITYPRESS
September202325b&willus.,2colorillus.286pp




9781978806504 £25.99 HB
BlackEnlightenment

SuryaParekh
“
BlackEnlightenment doesnotexcuseor accuseamonolithized‘West,’butrather showshowEuropeantheorycouldnot acknowledgeitstransformationbyAfrica rising.Unusualandmeticulous documentation,brillianttextualreadings. Highlyrelevanttoourannihilationofwhite supremacy.”—GayatriChakravortySpivak, authorof ACritiqueofPostcolonial Reason:TowardaHistoryoftheVanishing Present
In BlackEnlightenment SuryaParekh reimaginestheEnlightenmentfromthepositionoftheBlacksubject. ParekhexaminestheworksofsuchBlackwritersasthefreeJamaican FrancisWilliams(1697–1762),Afro-BritishthinkerIgnatiusSancho (1729?–1780),andAfro-AmericanpoetPhillisWheatley(1753?–1784),placingthemalongsidethoseoftheirwhiteEuropean contemporariesDavidHume(1711-1776)andImmanuelKant(17241804).ByrethinkingtheEnlightenmentanditscanons,Parekh complicatescommonunderstandingsoftheEnlightenmentwherein Blacksubjectscouldexistonlyinnegationtowhitesubjects. Black Enlightenment pointstotheanxietyofraceinHume,Kant,andothers whileshowingtheimportanceofBlackEnlightenmentthought. Parekhpromptsustoconsiderthetimelinessofreading Black Enlightenment authorswhobecome“free”inasocietyhostiletothat freedom
DearCalifornia
TheGoldenStateinDiariesandLetters
EditedbyDavidKipen
Californiahasalwaysbeen,literally,aplace towritehomeabout.Renownedfigures andiconoclasts;politicians,actors,and artists;theworld-famousandthenot-somuch—allhavecontributedtheirvoicesto thepatchworkofthestate.Withthisbook, culturalhistorianandCaliforniascholar DavidKipenrevealsthislong-storiedplace throughitsdiariesandletters,andgives readersahighlyanticipatedfollowupto hisbookDearLosAngeles.

RunningfromJanuary1throughDecember31,leapingacross decadesandcenturies, DearCalifornia reflectsonthestate'sshifting landscapesandthenotionofplace.Entriestalkacrossthecenturies, fromindigenousstoriestoldbeforetheSpanisharrivedonthePacific coastthroughtopresent-daytweets,blogs,andotherephemera.The collectedvoicesshowhowfarwe'vewandered—andhowfarwestill havetogoinchasingtheelusiveCaliforniadream.
ThisisabookforreaderswholoveCalifornia—andforanyonewho simplytreasuresflavorfulwriting.Weavingtogetherthepersonal,the insightful,theimpressionistic,thelewd,andthehystericallyfunny, DearCalifornia presentscollectedwritingsessentialtounderstanding thediversity,antagonisms,andabidingpromiseoftheGoldenState.
STANFORDUNIVERSITYPRESS
October2023544pp
9781503614697 £25.99 HB
GodzillaandGodzillaRaids Again ShigeruKayama
TranslatedbyJeffreyAngles
"Atlonglast,thepathbreakingnovellas byShigeruKayamathatlaunchedthe Godzillafranchisearefinallyavailablein English.Itwaswellworththewait: JeffreyAngles’slivelytranslationcaptures alltheaction,emotion,andpoliticaledge oftheoriginalJapanesetexts.This engagingvolumewillbearevelationfor Godzillafans,arichresourceforstudents ofJapan,andarewardingreadforanyonewhoenjoysclassictalesof sciencefictionandadventure."—WilliamM.Tsutsui,chancellorof OttawaUniversityandauthorofGodzillaonMyMind:FiftyYears oftheKingofMonsters
ThefirstEnglishtranslationsoftheoriginalnovellasabouttheiconic kaijūGodzilla.

GodzillaemergedfromtheseatodevastateTokyointhenow-classic 1954film,producedbyTōhōStudiosanddirectedbyIshirōHonda, creatingaglobalsensationandlaunchingoneoftheworld’smost successfulmovieandmediafranchises.Awakenedandtransformed bynuclearweaponstesting,Godzillaservesasaterrifyingmetaphor forhumanity’sshortsighteddestructiveness:thiswastheintentof ShigeruKayama,thesciencefictionwriterwhodraftedthe1954 originalfilmanditsfirstsequeland,in1955,publishedthese novellas.
UNIVERSITYOFMINNESOTAPRESS
October2023256pp
9781517915230 £16.99 PB
HomeGirls,40thAnniversary
Edition
ABlackFeministAnthology
EditedbyBarbaraSmith
"Itisfittingthat HomeGirls alsoreflects andcelebratesthedifference,amongthe Blackfeministwriters,critics,andtheorists assembledfromtheUnitedStatesandthe Caribbean,amongBlackwomenofall colors,classes,andcultures."—Women's ReviewofBooks

Sinceitsinitialpublicationin1983, Home Girls hasbecomeanessentialtextonBlack women'slivesandcontainsworkbymanyoffeminism'sforemost thinkers.Thiseditionfeaturesanupdatedlistofcontributor biographiesandanall-newprefacethatprovidesBarbaraSmiththe opportunitytolookbackon40yearsofthestruggle,aswellasthe influencetheworkinthisbookhashadongenerationsoffeminists. TheprefacefromthepreviousRutgerseditionremains,aswellasall oftheoriginalpieces,setinafreshnewpackage.
Contributors: byCenen,TaniaAbdulahad,DonnaAllegra,BarbaraA. Banks,BeckyBirtha,CherylClarke,MichelleCliff,MichelleT.Clinton, Willi(Willie)M.Coleman,ToiDerricotte,AlexisDeVeaux,JewelleL. Gomez,Akasha(Gloria)Hull,PatriciaSpearsJones,JuneJordan,Audre Lorde,RayminaY.Mays,DeidreMcCalla,ChirlaneMcCray,PatParker, LindaC.Powell,BerniceJohnsonReagon,SpringRedd,Gwendolyn Rogers,KateRushin,AnnAllenShockley,BarbaraSmith,Beverly Smith,ShirleyO.Steele,LuisahTeish,JameelahWaheed,AliceWalker andRenitaJ.Weems
RUTGERSUNIVERSITYPRESS
October202312b&wimages506pp
9781978838994 £21.99 PB
AlsoofInterest
TheTruthThatNeverHurts25thanniversaryedi�on byBarbaraSmith
9781978839045£21.99PB
HackingtheUnderground Disability,Infrastructure,andLondon'sPublic TransportSystem

RaquelVelho
“Velhocapturesthetextureofdailyliving inrelationtopublictransportation(and lackthereof).HackingtheUnderground willbeofgreatinteresttomany,including disabledpeople,disabilityactivists,allies, designers,planners,andorganizers.”




AlisonKafer,authorof Feminist,Queer, Crip
"Mindingthegap"whileusinga wheelchairontheLondonUndergroundgoesbeyondasharpeyeand carefulfootplacementtoavoidafall:itcanentailcarryingand deployingaportableramptoembarkanddisembarkorcarefully mappingoutacustomrouteaheadoftime.Theextensive infrastructureofLondon'spublictransportationsystemrequires constantimprovisationfromuserswhomovethroughthesystem differentlythannondisabledpeopledo.Centeringthevoicesof disabledpassengers,HackingtheUndergroundhighlightshow marginalizedgroupssubvertandultimatelytransforminfrastructures, activelyshapingthem.
RaquelVelhodrawsonemancipatoryactionresearchinLondon, capturingthehegemoniccharacterofinfrastructureswithoutlosing theexperiencesandactionsofmarginalizedusers.Proposingacrip feministandprofoundlyrelationalapproachtoinfrastructure,Velho illustrateshowthebuiltenvironmentholdsthepotentialforboth inclusionaryandexclusionaryworld-building.
UNIVERSITYOFWASHINGTONPRESS
Series:FeministTechnosciences
November20232b&willus.202pp
9780295751948 £25.99 PB
AlsoofInterest
TheArchitectureofDisabilityby DavidGissen 9781517912505£21.99PB
MarxforCats
ARadicalBestiary
LeighClaireLaBerge
“MarxforCats isanundomesticatedand indefinablemeowdecoeur.Youcanopen thisbookanywhere---it'saMarxistChoose YourOwnAdventure---andcomeawayas unsettled,possessed,andreflectiveasany transportativeencounterwithacatmight leaveyou.” JordyRosenberg,authorof, ConfessionsoftheFox
Attheoutsetof MarxforCats,LeighClaire LaBergedeclaresthat“allhistoryisthe historyofcatstruggle.”Revisingthemedievalbestiaryformtomeet Marxistcritique,LaBergefollowsfelinefootprintsthroughWestern economichistorytorevealananimalityattheheartofMarxism.She drawsonatwelve-hundred-yeararcspanningcapitalism’sfeudal prehistory,itscolonialistandimperialistages,thebourgeois revolutionsthatsupportedcapitalism,andthecommunistrevolutions thatopposedittooutlinehowcatshavelongbeenunderstoodas creaturesofeconomiccritiqueandliberatorypossibility.Byattending totherepeatedarchivalappearanceoflions,tigers,wildcats,and “sabo-tabbies,”LaBergearguesthatfelinesarecentraltohow Marxistshaveimaginedtheeconomy,andbyaskingwhathumansand animalsoweeachotherinamomentofecologicalcrisis,LaBerge joinscurrentdebatesabouttheneedforandpossibilityofecosocialism.Inthisplayfulandgenerouslyillustratedradicalbestiary,La Bergedemonstratesthatclassstruggleisultimatelyaninterspecies collaboration.

DUKEUNIVERSITYPRESS
November2023100illustrations408pp
9781478019251 £23.99 PB
MyLifeinPaper AdventuresinEphemera
BethKephart
"InKephart’sskilledhands,aneveryday itemmadeofplantfibersbecomesa repositorynotjustforpersonalhistory,but also‘varnishedintimacies.’Thepoignant irony...isthatwhilepaperservesasan instrumentforhistory,itisasephemeralas thelivesitdocuments....Assheoffers insightintothefascinatingworldof papermaking,Kephartalsorevealsthe intimateconnectionbetweenmemoryand itsmostubiquitous—andalsomost fragile—receptacle.Aneloquentanduniquememoir.”—Kirkus Reviews
Paperbothshapesanddefinesus.Babybooks,diaries,sewing patterns,diplomas,resumes,letters,deathcertificates—wefindour storiesinthem. MyLifeinPaper isBethKephart’smemoiristic explorationofthepaperlegaciesweforgeandleave.

Kephart’sobsessionwithpaperbeganinthewakeofherfather’s death,whenshebegantohandcraftbooksandmakeandmarble paperinhismemory.Butitwaswhensheread MyLifewithPaper,an autobiographybythelaterenownedpaperhunterandhistorianDard Hunter,thatshefeltshehadfoundakindredspirit,someonetowhom shemightaddressaseriesofone-sidedlettersaboutlifeandhowwe liveit.Rememberingandcrafting,wantingandloving,doubtingand forgetting—thespineandweaveof MyLifeinPaper cameintoview. Paper,forKephart,providesproofofouryearning,proofofour failure,proofofthepeoplewholovedusandthepeoplewehavelost. Itoffers,too,acounterweighttotheficklestateofmemory.
MyLifeinPaper, illustratedbytheauthorherself,isanintimateand poignantmeditationonlife’smostpressingquestions.
Spymaster'sPrism

TheFightagainstRussianAggression
JackDevine
“
Spymaster’sPrism isamust-read,andthe titlesaysitall.TheColdWarisnotover. Theactorsmayhavechanged,butthegoal remainsthesame.JackDevineisareal spymaster,beginninghiscareerasayoung CIAoperationsofficerwhorosetothe highestranksoftheCIA.Thisbookbelongs oneveryone’sshelf.”—SandraGrimes,CIA Russianoperationsspecialistand coauthorof CircleofTreason:CIATraitor AldrichAmesandtheMenHeBetrayed Spymaster’sPrism isaprescientstudyofourunendingstrugglewith Russiaanditsintelligenceagencies’relentlessefforttoundermineour nationalsecurity.Repletewiththemostsalientspystories,covert actions,andcounterintelligenceinvestigationsfromthebeginningof theColdWarupuntiltheeveofPutin’smisguidedmarchonKiev, legendaryspymasterJackDevinebuildsavividandcomplexmosaic thatillustrateshowRussiahasemployedintelligenceactivitiesto undermineourdemocracythroughoutmodernhistoryandlaythe groundworkforthisinvasion.
Devinetellsthisstorythroughthegimlet-eyedperspectiveofa seasonedCIAprofessionalwhoservedhiscountryformorethanthree decades,sometimesatthehighestlevelsoftheagency,offering objectiveandcandidanalysisthatwillbringnewinsightintoRussia’s invasion.Devineofferskeylessonsfromourintelligencesuccesses andfailuresoverthepastseventy-fiveyearsthatilluminatehowbest toaddressourcurrentstrategicshortfalls,emergeaheadinthewar, andbepreparedforwhat’stocomefromanyadversary.Thiscogent studyilluminateswhyintelligencehasbeensuchakeydriverinthe warandhowitwillbeacriticalleverinordertoprevail.
POTOMACBOOKS
November202313photos,1appendix,index304pp
9781640126015 £22.99 PB
NotMyType AutomatingSexualRacisminOnlineDating AprylWilliams
ForewordbySafiyaNoble
Intheworldofonlinedating,race-based discriminationisnotonlytolerated,but encouragedaspartofapervasivebelief thatitissimplyaneutral,personalchoice aboutone'sromanticpartner.Indeed,itis somuchapartofourinheritedwisdom aboutdatingandromancethatitactually directsthealgorithmicinfrastructuresof mostmajoronlinedatingplatforms,such thattheyopenlyreproduceracistandsexisthierarchies.In NotMy Type:AutomatingSexualRacisminOnlineDating,AprylWilliams presentsasocio-technicalexplorationofdatingplatforms'algorithms, theirlackoftransparency,thelegalandethicaldiscourseinthese companies'communityguidelines,andaccountsfromindividualusers inordertoarguethatsexualracismisacentralfeatureoftoday's onlinedatingculture.Shediscussesthisrealityinthecontextoffacial recognitionandsortingsoftwareaswellasuserexperiences,drawing parallelstothelonghistoryofeugenicsandbannedinterracial partnerships.Ultimately,Williamscallsfor,bothareconceptualization ofthetechnologyandpoliciesthatgoverndatingagencies,andalsoa reexaminationofsocioculturalbeliefsaboutattraction,beauty,and desirability.
STANFORDUNIVERSITYPRESS
February2024268pp
9781503635050 £23.99 PB
AlsoofInterest
AlgorithmsofOppression:HowSearchEnginesReinforceRacism bySafiyaUmojaNoble 9781479837243£23.99PB

TheCactusHunters
DesireandExtinctionintheIllicitSucculent Trade
JaredD.Margulies
"TheCactusHunters takesusintothe fascinatingworldofsucculentcollecting. JaredD.Marguliesskillfullytracesthe consequentialwaysinwhichpeopleand cactimoveoneanother,remaking possibilitiesforlife,desire,wealth, extinction,andmoreintheprocess.This bookoffersapowerfulexampleofthe valueofcloseattentiontotheentangled livesofplantsandtheirpeople."—Thom vanDooren,authorof AWorldinaShell:SnailStoriesforaTimeof Extinctions

Cactiandsucculentsarephenomenallypopularworldwideamong plantenthusiasts,despitebeingamongtheworld’smostthreatened species.Thefervordrivingtheillegaltradeinsucculentsmightalsobe drivingsomespeciestoextinction.Delvingintothestrangeworldof succulentcollecting, TheCactusHunters takesustotheheartofthis conundrum:themysteryofhowandwhyardentloversoftheseplants engageintheirillicittrade.Thisisaworldofalluringdesires,where collectorsandconservationistsalikeareanimatedbypassionsthatat timesexceedthelimitsoflaw.
Whatinspiresthedesireforaplant?Whatkindofsatisfactiondoesit promise?Theanswer,JaredD.Marguliessuspects,mightbetraced throughtherootsandworkingsoftheillegalsucculenttrade—an explorationthattraversesthefieldsofbotanyandcriminology, politicalecologyandhumangeography,andpsychoanalysis.




UNIVERSITYOFMINNESOTAPRESS
November202350b&willus.392pp
9781517913991 £21.99 PB
ThePeerEffect

HowYourPeersShapeWhoYouAreandWho YouWillBecome
SyedAli&MargaretM.Chin
Fordecades,parentshaveaskedtheirkids, “Ifyourfriendsjumpedoffabridge,would you?”Theansweris,“Duh,yes.”Peers,as parentswellknow,haveatremendous impactonwhotheirkidsareandwhat theywillbecome.Andevenwhilethey insistotherwise,parentsknowthatthey’re largelypowerlesstochangethis.Butthe effectofpeersisnotjustastoryabout kids;peerscanalsoaffectadultbehavior— theyaffectwhatwedoandwhowearewellintooldage.Noted sociologistsSyedAliandMargaretM.Chincallthis“thepeereffect.” Intheirbook,theytakereadersonatourofhowourpeers,andthe peerculturestheycreate,shapeourbehaviorinschoolsandthe workplace.AliandChinbegintheirlookatthepeereffectatthehigh schoolfromwhichtheybothgraduated:NewYorkCity’sprestigious StuyvesantHighSchool,arguablythebestpublichighschoolinthe nation.Throughafascinatingandoftenhumorousnarrative,they showhowpeerscaninfluenceeachother—inthiscase,howhighly motivatedstudentscancreateacultureofinfluencetoachieve successinlearningandinadmissiontoelitecolleges.Theyalsoshow themanyotherwaysthatpeerscaninfluenceoneanotherbeyond schoolperformance,fromhookupculturetoschoolbullyingand youthsuicide.
NEWYORKUNIVERSITYPRESS
November2023240pp
9781479805044 £24.99 HB
WhoWroteThis?
HowAIandtheLureofEfficiencyThreaten HumanWriting
NaomiS.Baron
"Thereisnoquestionwhowrotethis—a lessoninitselftothereader.Whobutthe prolificNaomiS.Baroncanbringa linguisticanalysis,aphilosophicalscalpel, andhistoricalbreadthtosomeofthemost difficultquestionsabouttheverypurpose ofwrittenlanguageforthefutureof humanity?"

—MaryanneWolf,authorof Reader,ComeHome
"Addressingthefluencyandfabricationsofchatbotsbasedonlarge languagemodels,BarondispelsthehypeandrootsAIwritinginalong historyofeffortstoautomatethoughtanditsevaluation.Insightful andwitty,comprehensiveandentertaining."
—FrankPasquale,author of TheBlackBoxSociety
Funny,informed,andconversational, WhoWroteThis? urgesusas individualsandascommunitiestomakeconsciouschoicesaboutthe extenttowhichwecollaboratewithAI.Thetechnologyisheretostay. BaronshowsushowtoworkwithAIandhowtospotwhereitrisks diminishingthevaluablecognitiveandsocialbenefitsofbeingliterate.
STANFORDUNIVERSITYPRESS
September2023344pp
9781503633223 £25.99 HB
WhoWouldYouKilltoSavethe World?
ClaireColebrook
“Acrucialcontributiontothefieldof extinctionstudies.Colebrook’sbook challengesphilosophyitself,thewhole conceptualdiscoursethatframeswhat ‘we’call‘ourplace’andhowthisframing producedarelegatedothernessnamedthe ‘more-than-human-world.’Herbookisan efficientandconvincingdemonstrationof thenecessitytoquestionourdriveto survival.”—FrédéricNeyrat,authorof The UnconstructableEarth:AnEcologyof Separation
WhoWouldYouKilltoSavetheWorld? examineshowpostapocalyptic cinemausesimagesfromthepastandpresenttodepictwhatit meanstopreservetheworld—andwhoisleftoutofthenarrativeof rebuildingsociety.ClaireColebrookredefines“theworld”asaffluent Westernsocietyand“savingtheworld”aspreventingusfrom becomingtheotheredthemwhoareviewedintheirsuffering. Colebrookfurtherexamineshowtheuseofpostapocalypticcinemais ahumanist—Western,capitalist,colonizing,white,heteronormative, andindividualist—creationandchallengesthenotionthataworld builtonfoundationsofexploitationisworthsaving.
UNIVERSITYOFNEBRASKAPRESS
Series:Provocations
September2023180pp
9781496234988 £16.99 PB
WhyWillieMaeThorntonMatters LynnéeDenise

“Thisbookisanachievementinmanyways:in sharpnessoflanguage,inbrillianceof storytelling.Butitisalsoanachievementinthat itaffordsWillieMaeThorntonthepresenceshe deserves,apresencethatoutlivesandoutlastsa historythathasneverdoneherjustice.” Hanif Abdurraqib
“Deniseoffersadesperately-neededcorrective inthisvolumeabouttheart,life,andlegacyof Thornton,whosesong “HoundDog”(later recordedbyElvis)changedthecourseof Americanmusic.Astandoutinstallmentinthe UniversityofTexasPress’salwaysgreatMusic Mattersseries.” TheMillions
Aqueer,Black“biographyinessays”abouttheperformerwhogaveus “HoundDog,”“BallandChain,”andothersongsthatchangedthe courseofAmericanmusic.




BorninAlabamain1926,raisedinthechurch,appropriatedbywhite performers,buriedinanindigent’sgrave—WillieMae“BigMama” Thornton'slifeeventsepitomizetheblues—butLynnéeDenisepushes pastthestereotypestoreadThornton’slifethroughaBlack,queer, feministlensandrevealanartistwhowasaninnovatoracrossher four-decade-longcareer.
UNIVERSITYOFTEXASPRESS

Series:MusicMatters

September2023240pp
9781477321188 £21.99 HB
AlsoofInterest
HoundDog byEricWeisbard
9781478025085£16.99PB