Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip-Hop Tradition

Book Review

Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip-Hop Tradition

By Jeremy C. McCool and Earl Hopkins

A persuasive case for the primacy of two singular artists.

Beyond The Book
Our 7 Most Favorable Reviews in June 2026

We came, we read, we gushed.

    A Terrible Intimacy: Interracial Life in the Slaveholding South

    Book Review

    A Terrible Intimacy: Interracial Life in the Slaveholding South

    By Melvin Patrick Ely

    The boundaries between the enslaved and the free were blurry but never invisible.

    Beyond The Book

    Our 5 Most Popular Posts: June 2026

    We love every piece we run. There are no winners or losers. But all kidding aside, here are June’s winners.

    Author Q&A

    An Interview with John A. Jenkins

    By Bert Brandenburg

    An Interview with John A. Jenkins

    The journalist talks Watergate, the Pentagon Papers, and the summer when everything came to a head.

    Book Review

    Mare: A Novel

    By Emily Haworth-Booth

    Mare: A Novel

    A childless woman seeks to make peace with her future and the planet’s.

    Book News

    Our Reviewers Deserve a Raise

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    Book Review

    Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess

    The game’s fighters extend far beyond queens and rooks.

    Book Review

    Behold the Bird in Flight

    By Terri Lewis

    Behold the Bird in Flight

    A young girl’s impetuous decision alters the course of her life.

    Feature

    Our Week in Reviews: 6/27/26

    A recap of the books we’ve spotlighted in the past few days.

    Book Review

    What Is Wrong with Men

    By Jessa Crispin