Becca Rothfeld

Robert Macfarlane’s “Is a River Alive?” and James C. Scott’s “In Praise of Floods” are informative, enjoyable and provocative explorations of waterways

Hannah Zeavin, Nancy Reddy and Alex Bollen take on the bad science and stubborn cultural norms behind motherhood myths

In “They Poisoned the World,” investigative journalist Mariah Blake writes about the campaign to hide the dangers of forever chemicals.

In “Little Bosses Everywhere,” Bridget Read looks at the enduring popularity of companies like Mary Kay and Amway for aspiring entrepreneurs

John Cassidy’s “Capitalism and Its Critics” is a rewarding guide to the many fascinating attempts throughout history to rethink or resist the economic system

Ben Ratliff’s “Run the Song” is an ecstatic and eccentric blend of criticism, music, autobiography and philosophy.

In “Hayek’s Bastards,” historian Quinn Slobodian reframes the movement as a perverse outgrowth of libertarianism

In “Authority,” celebrated and provocative critic Andrea Long Chu writes about fiction, TV, video games and the politics of criticism

Nan Shepherd’s “The Living Mountain” has been reissued with a new introduction by Robert Macfarlane

In the gripping ‘Let Only Red Flowers Bloom,’ reporter Emily Feng writes about people who faced consequences for failing to toe the country’s line