In “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,” Imani Perry straddles genres to find her own — and our — South.
In “Seven Games: A Human History,” Oliver Roeder presents a study of checkers, backgammon, chess, Go, poker, Scrabble and bridge — and asks why we play.
Set along the frontier between the United States and Mexico, “Perpetual West,” by Mesha Maren, unfolds in a culture where the prospect of disappearance and death is a constant fear.
“Loyalty” and “The Counterclockwise Heart” — set in 1774 Boston and a fairy-tale kingdom divided against itself — explore how misinformation stokes fear and incites violence.