Ending Terrorism in Italy, by Anna Cento Bull and Philip Cooke Ilaria Favretto on how the ‘years of lead’ were brought to a close 29 August
Law after Modernity, by Sionaidh Douglas-Scott Michael King is unconvinced by the case for postmodern justice 29 August
Sex and Buildings: Modern Architecture and the Sexual Revolution, by Richard J. Williams Annmarie Adams on one man’s quest to find places where form meets libido 22 August
Making Capitalism Fit For Society, by Colin Crouch Chris Pierson considers a pitch for ‘assertive social democracy’ in an age dominated by neoliberalism 22 August
Representing Europeans: A Pragmatic Approach, by Richard Rose Dario Castiglione considers an informative reflection on the state of Europe and the political problems it faces 22 August
The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills, by David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu Kitty Stewart on how belt-tightening means life-shortening for some 22 August
Learn to Write Badly: How to Succeed in the Social Sciences, by Michael Billig Sandra Leaton Gray on a must-read for academics and their students 15 August
Eating Anxiety: The Perils of Food Politics, by Chad Lavin Erika Cudworth discusses neoliberalism’s ‘digestive turn’ 15 August
Crash and Beyond: Causes and Consequences of the Global Financial Crisis, by Andrew Farlow Victoria Bateman on the parallels and differences between 1929 and 2008 15 August
Mothers in Academia, edited by Mari Castañeda and Kirsten Isgro Female scholars talk candidly about their experiences of combining an academic career with child-rearing 15 August
The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History, by Emma L. E. Rees Shahidha Bari welcomes a thoughtful look at ordinary anatomy and extraordinary anxiety By Shahidha Bari 15 August
The Triumph of Emptiness: Consumption, Higher Education, and Work Organization, by Mats Alvesson Consumerisation’s spread to all aspects of life and work leaves a hollow feeling, finds Cary Cooper 8 August
The English in Love: The Intimate Story of an Emotional Revolution, by Claire Langhamer Hilary Hinds praises an account of the social shifts discerned in small ads, smooching and soulmates 8 August
Just Business: Multinational Corporations and Human Rights, by John Gerard Ruggie An exercise in persuasion by an expert in corporate responsibility is a must-read for Aurora Voiculescu 1 August
Why Europe Matters: The Case for the European Union, by John McCormick Roger Morgan welcomes a book that tackles ignorance, dispels confusion and inspires appreciation about the EU 1 August
Fortunes of Feminism: From State-Managed Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis, by Nancy Fraser Gwendolyn Beetham on a collection of essays that remind us that an alternative to global capitalism’s inequality is badly needed 1 August
Contested Spaces: Abortion Clinics, Women’s Shelters and Hospitals, by Lori A. Brown Annmarie Adams on the architecture of buildings with ‘controversial’ uses 1 August
A World without Wall Street?, by François Morin, translated by Krzysztof Fijalkowski and Michael Richardson Howard Davies finds the mooted global monetary solutions unrealistic and the translation astoundingly sloppy 1 August
Broke: Who Killed the Middle Classes? by David Boyle Stewart Lansley on claims that the bourgeois advance is stuck in reverse 11 July
A Child of One’s Own: Parental Stories by Rachel Bowlby Bryony Randall lauds an insightful and overdue study of literary representations of parenting 11 July
Arts of the Political: New Openings for the Left by Ash Amin and Nigel Thrift Fred Inglis welcomes fresh currents of political resistance 11 July
Impossible Citizens: Dubai’s Indian Diaspora by Neha Vora Caroline Osella considers a slice of the subcontinent at the heart of the Gulf 11 July
Memorylands: Heritage and Identity in Europe Today by Sharon Macdonald Ulrike Zitzlsperger on the changing nature of heritage and the consequent effects on national identities in European nations 11 July
Defying Decrepitude: A Personal Memoir by Alan Peacock James Stevens Curl enjoys the wry company of a kindred spirit 4 July
China Goes Global: The Partial Power by David Shambaugh A neat model for the nascent superpower is proving elusive, says Kerry Brown 4 July
Trying Biology: The Scopes Trial, Textbooks, and the Antievolution Movement in American Schools by Adam R. Shapiro Simon Underdown on a key battle between science and religion 4 July
Philosophy and Resistance in the Crisis: Greece and the Future of Europe by Costas Douzinas Pavlos Eleftheriadis on an angry book charting a volatile situation 4 July
Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste by Philip Mirowski A powerful critique of neoclassical economics raises profound questions for all, says Christopher Phelps 4 July
The XX Factor: How Working Women Are Creating a New Society by Alison Wolf A better gender balance in government benefits all, Sylvia Walby observes 27 June
Cruel Modernity by Jean Franco Joanna Bourke on a harrowing look at the darkness in human hearts 27 June
Happy Money: The New Science of Smarter Spending by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton Steven Schwartz considers some sound investment decisions 20 June
The Dinner Party: Judy Chicago and the Power of Popular Feminism, 1970-2007 by Jane F. Gerhard Mary Evans relishes this re-evaluation of an installation artwork that depicts a collection of famous women 20 June
Celebrity Politics by Mark Wheeler Judith Bara on the politicisation of celebrities and the celebritisation of politicians 20 June
China’s Growth: The Making of an Economic Superpower by Linda Yueh Yongjin Zhang on the riddle at the heart of an Eastern paradox 13 June
The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South by Vijay Prashad Stefan Andreasson on an engaging but unbalanced view of a vital subject 13 June
Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air by Richard Holmes Robert J. Mayhew lifts off with a true balloon enthusiast 13 June
Liberty and Security by Conor Gearty Amanda Cahill-Ripley on a radical critique of counter-terrorism 13 June
The Democracy Project by David Graeber Rationality yields to sentimentality in an Occupy Wall Street-inspired call for direct action, Fred Inglis finds 6 June
Among Murderers: Life after Prison by Sabine Heinlein Laura Piacentini ponders the power of the penal system to destroy a prisoner’s sense of self 6 June
Higher Education in the Digital Age by William G. Bowen Miriam E. David considers a commentary on the preservation of pedagogy in the face of technological advances 6 June
Divided Nations: Why Global Governance is Failing, and What We Can Do About It by Ian Goldin Dries Lesage on a wake-up call for 21st-century bodies no longer fit for purpose 6 June
Northern Ireland: The Reluctant Peace by Feargal Cochrane Cheryl Lawther on a history of the conflict and peace process and how the past continues to affect current attitudes 30 May
Top Student, Top School? How Social Class Shapes Where Valedictorians Go To College by Alexandria Walton Radford Sandra Leaton Gray on inequality in access to higher education in the US as a result of class 30 May
Payback: The Case for Revenge by Thane Rosenbaum Judith Rowbotham on the arguments for a justice system that enables a victim to be avenged 23 May
Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust: The Jimmy Savile Scandal by Frank Furedi R. Danielle Egan on an analysis of scandals that fails to link them with a sociological narrative 23 May
Human Capitalism: How Economic Growth Has Made Us Smarter – and More Unequal by Brink Lindsey An argument that blames financial inequality on ‘cultural attitudes’ exasperates Kitty Stewart 23 May
What’s Wrong with Climate Politics and How to Fix It by Paul G. Harris Joanna Depledge applauds bold suggestions for how to end the international stalemate over the environment 23 May
The Unpredictable Species: What Makes Humans Unique by Philip Lieberman Kerstin Hoge probes an account of mental creativity that takes no prisoners 23 May
German Europe by Ulrich Beck, translated by Rodney Livingstone Roger Morgan on Germany’s economic domination of the European Union and the need for a sociological approach to redress the balance 16 May
The Politics of Exile by Elizabeth Dauphinee Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik on a study of the process of researching the Bosnian wars 9 May
Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson Michelle Harvey agrees with inspiring advice to young science researchers to never forget what initially attracted them to the discipline 9 May
Curious Subjects: Women and the Trials of Realism by Hilary M. Schor Shelley King on asking questions, realist fiction and female subjectivity in Victorian novels 9 May
Return from the Natives: How Margaret Mead Won the Second World War and Lost the Cold War by Peter Mandler Chris Knight on an anthropologist whose theories were embraced then shunned by the US military 2 May
The Political Worlds of Women: Gender and Politics in Nineteenth Century Britain by Sarah Richardson Susan Hogan on a challenge to analyses of 19th-century politics that marginalise the role of women 2 May
The Second Arab Awakening: Revolution, Democracy, and the Islamist Challenge from Tunis to Damascus by Adeed Dawisha Christina Hellmich on the complex dynamics reshaping the Arab world 2 May
Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growing Threat by Jeffrey D. Simon Matthew Feldman on the expanding threat to society from unpredictable individuals 2 May
Utopia and Terror in Contemporary American Fiction by Judie Newman Kate North recommends an analysis of the use of apparently contradictory concepts in selected texts over the past 15 years 25 April
Karl Marx: A Nineteenth Century Life by Jonathan Sperber Sheila Rowbotham on a crisp portrait of a restless thinker who was neither infallible nor prophetic 25 April
Soldier, Sailor, Beggarman, Thief: Crime and the British Armed Services since 1914 by Clive Emsley A. W. Purdue on the prevalence of crime within the British armed forces 18 April
