The Cultural Revolution at the Margins: Chinese Socialism in Crisis, by Yiching Wu Jonathan Mirsky on how Mao unwittingly helped to stir up and then crushed a longing for democracy and equality among millions of young people 7 August
Feminism, Gender and Universities: Politics, Passion and Pedagogies, by Miriam E. David A study of pioneering women collates stories that might otherwise be lost, writes Ruth Woodfield 7 August
Class Warfare: Class, Race, and College Admissions in Top-Tier Secondary Schools, by Lois Weis, Kristin Cipollone and Heather Jenkins Social dynamics that affect elite US students are indicative of a broader trend, finds Julie J. Park 7 August
Apartheid, 1948-1994, by Saul Dubow Alexander du Toit lauds a detailed account of a bizarre 20th-century political experiment 7 August
Political Descent: Malthus, Mutualism, and the Politics of Evolution in Victorian England, by Piers J. Hale Simon Underdown on a meticulously researched analysis of two camps’ opposing arguments over Darwin’s work 31 July
Reason in a Dark Time: Why the Struggle Against Climate Change Failed – and What it Means for our Future, by Dale Jamieson Steven Yearley on the economic and ethical reasons for why attempts to prevent climate change have failed 31 July
The War on Learning: Gaining Ground in the Digital University, by Elizabeth Losh Tara Brabazon on a study of the interface between education and technology 31 July
Crisis Without End? The Unravelling of Western Prosperity, by Andrew Gamble Vera Troeger on a persuasive, if gloomy, look at the dangerous paradoxes at the heart of neoliberalism 31 July
Austerity Bites: A Journey to the Sharp End of Cuts in the UK, by Mary O’Hara Kitty Stewart on the reality of suffering caused by the coalition’s reductions of the welfare state 24 July
In Pursuit of the Good Life: Aspiration and Suicide in Globalizing South India, by Jocelyn Lim Chua Caroline Osella on the causes behind the astonishingly high rate of suicide in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala 24 July
Global Health Law, by Lawrence O. Gostin Juliet Sorensen is inspired by a call to action for lawyers and legal scholars to work towards the goal of health for all 24 July
The People: The Rise and Fall of the Working Class 1910-2010, by Selina Todd Clare Griffiths appraises a century of untold tales about life on the bottom rung of the social ladder 10 July
Far Afield: French Anthropology Between Science and Literature, by Vincent Debaene Jeremy MacClancy on the evolving relations between two complementary disciplines in France in the first half of the 20th century 10 July
Van Gogh on Demand: China and the Readymade, by Winnie Won Yin Wong Tracey Warr on a myth-busting examination of the mass production of oil paintings in Dafen village 10 July
Still Ours to Lead: America, Rising Powers, and the Tension Between Rivalry and Restraint, by Bruce Jones Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman on a shrewd analysis of the global order 3 July
The New Emperors: Power and the Princelings in China, by Kerry Brown Seven men rule the Middle Kingdom, but why them? Jonathan Mirsky on a study of Party potentates 3 July
Another Darkness, Another Dawn: A History of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, by Becky Taylor Annabel Tremlett lauds an exploration of the experiences of Travellers in Europe and their cultural contributions 3 July
Think Like a Freak: How To Think Smarter About Almost Everything, by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt Philip Roscoe savours the latest entertaining and enlightening serving of maverick thinking 3 July
Children of the Prison Boom: Mass Incarceration and the Future of American Inequality, by Sarah Wakefield and Christopher Wildeman Rachel Condry extols an analysis that draws upon survey data and interviews to ask vital questions about the hidden victims of parental incarceration 3 July
Just Freedom: A Moral Compass for a Complex World, by Philip Pettit John Shand on a philosopher’s idea of freedom as non-domination 26 June
The Athletic Trap: How College Sports Corrupted the Academy, by Howard L. Nixon II John Harris on an analysis that advocates change in how universities manage sport programmes 26 June
Economics of the 1%: How Mainstream Economics Serves the Rich, Obscures Reality and Distorts Policy, by John F. Weeks Ioana Negru on a work that challenges macroeconomic assumptions and policies after the financial crisis 26 June
40 Years of Evolution: Darwin’s Finches on Daphne Major Island, by Peter R. Grant and B. Rosemary Grant Tim Birkhead advocates long-term scientific studies, particularly for natural selection observations 19 June
Birth Control and the Rights of Women: Post-Suffrage Feminism in the Early Twentieth Century, by Clare Debenham Carmel Quinlan on the social and cultural history of the birth control movement from 1921 to 1973 19 June
Hard-Core Romance: Fifty Shades of Grey, Best-Sellers, and Society, by Eva Illouz Laura Frost on the needs met by an erotic best-seller 19 June
American Tax Resisters, by Romain D. Huret Martin Daunton on the history of the anti-tax movement in America 19 June
Malcolm X at Oxford Union: Racial Politics in a Global Era, by Saladin Ambar Hakim Adi finds an analysis of an often overlooked speech reveals much about the activist’s views 12 June
Revolutionizing Retail: Workers, Political Action, and Social Change, by Kendra Coulter Amanda Pyman on the changes necessary to improve conditions for shop workers 12 June
A State of Play: British Politics on Screen, Stage and Page, from Anthony Trollope to The Thick of It, by Steven Fielding Vernon Bogdanor has a few points of order on an analysis of political fiction’s wider effects 12 June
Mammon's Kingdom: An Essay on Britain, Now, by David Marquand Danny Dorling lauds an impassioned call to tame the UK’s ever more toxic worship of money 12 June
Lord Mansfield: Justice in the Age of Reason, by Norman S. Poser Mary Sokol on the life of William Murray, the 18th-century lawyer, judge and politician 29 May
The Unknown Lloyd George: A Statesman in Conflict, by Travis L. Crosby Concentration on politician’s character and motivation makes for an almost psychological study, says A.W. Purdue 29 May
Academic Life and Labour in the New University: Hope and Other Choices, by Ruth Barcan Fred Inglis on the deep predicament of scholars in present-day institutions 29 May
Women of the World: The Rise of the Female Diplomat, by Helen McCarthy Roger Morgan applauds a pioneering work offering a welcome introduction to a neglected set of issues 29 May
Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain, by Robert Ford and Matthew J. Goodwin A study of Ukip’s rise yields surprising facts about the party’s followers, says Daphne Halikiopoulou 22 May
Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism, by David Harvey Chris Knight extols a persuasively argued work from a Marxist thinker on tensions in the system 22 May
Malthus: The Life and Legacies of an Untimely Prophet, by Robert J. Mayhew Niall O’Flaherty on a penetrating and nuanced account of Malthus’ insights and the consequent responses 22 May
Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream, by Suzanne Mettler David Bell on how US political gridlock is ruining the chance for social and economic equality 22 May
After They Closed the Gates: Jewish Illegal Immigration to the United States, 1921-1965, by Libby Garland Hasia Diner on the evolution of US immigration policy, its complex aims and intended and unintended consequences for a small group of Jews 22 May
One Hour in Paris: A True Story of Rape and Recovery, by Karyn L. Freedman Lynne Segal on an analytic philosopher’s first-hand account of sexual violence and its aftermath 22 May
The Supermodel and the Brillo Box: Back Stories and Peculiar Economics from the World of Contemporary Art, by Don Thompson Marta Herrero lauds an analysis from an insider affording rare insight into the market 15 May
Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, by Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone Self-help guide encourages employees to conform, tolerate and adapt, says Sandra Leaton Gray 15 May
It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, by Danah Boyd Tara Brabazon on an attempt to capture and express the voice of young people 15 May
Beyond Reason and Tolerance: The Purpose and Practice of Higher Education, by Robert J. Thompson, Jr. In a utilitarian age, service learning helps cultivate rounded individuals, says Steven Schwartz 15 May
The Lawn Road Flats: Spies, Writers and Artists, by David Burke Architecture meets social experiment in a Modernist block of flats, Flora Samuel writes 15 May
On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, by Alice Goffman Dick Hobbs on how the intense nature of policing creates secondary casualties in poor communities 15 May
The Psychopath Whisperer: Inside the Minds of Those Without a Conscience, by Kent Kiehl Luna Centifanti welcomes a disentanglement of popular confusions over brain and behaviour 8 May
The Army and Democracy: Military Politics in Pakistan, by Aqil Shah Farzana Shaikh finds persuasive arguments in an analysis of democracy and military rule in Pakistan 8 May
Gender and Violence in Haiti: Women’s Path from Victims to Agents, by Benedetta Faedi Duramy In a culture of impunity, the categories of victim and perpetrator are still blurred, says Gwendolyn Beetham 8 May
Risk Savvy: How To Make Good Decisions, by Gerd Gigerenzer A good grasp of basic statistics will help us to make the right life choices, finds Omar Malik 1 May
Capital in the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas Piketty Philip Roscoe extols a mischievous economics blockbuster brimming with ideas and predictions 1 May
Punk Sociology, by David Beer Les Gofton on the application of the punk ethos to studying sociology 1 May
Publishing and the Advancement of Science – From Selfish Genes to Galileo’s Finger, by Michael Rodgers Jon Turney on an editor whose work with popular science writers helped to re-establish the genre 24 April
The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success, by Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld Deborah Rogers on the Tiger Mother’s new polemic 24 April
China’s Foreign Policy, by Stuart Harris The Party is still at the root of everything, says Jonathan Mirsky 24 April
The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus, by Mitchell Thomashow A US approach to environmental integrity offers useful pointers for the UK, says David Maguire 17 April
Vanishing for the Vote: Suffrage, Citizenship and the Battle for the Census, by Jill Liddington New data enrich an account of the activists who refused to be counted in 1911, says June Purvis 17 April
Deconstructing Dignity: A Critique of the Right-to-Die Debate, by Scott Cutler Shershow Sigrid Sterckx on a Derrida-inspired analysis of calculation, incalculability and ending life 10 April
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel Hazel Christie relishes a polished and powerful narrative that explains how memory works 3 April
