Editors’ Picks for June 2026

10 reviews handpicked from the latest issue of Choice

Posted on June 16, 2026 in Editors' Picks

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Overall, this work makes a substantial contribution to sociology and Latinx studies by critically examining and expanding on prevailing conceptions of Latinx fatherhood.

—L. H. Moreno, Bowling Green State University

Suarez, Fatima. Latino fathers: what shapes and sustains their parenting. New York University, 2025. 239p bibl index ISBN 9781479826285, $89.00; ISBN 9781479826322 pbk, $30.00; ISBN 9781479826353 ebook, $21.00.

Much of the sociological scholarship on Latinx men centers on crime, poverty, and immigration. By contrast, this groundbreaking book examines how Latinx men interpret evolving cultural notions of fatherhood and masculinity. The study opens the door to understanding the positive aspects of Latinx fatherhood and its contradictions. Suarez (Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas) starts by asking an important question: where are Latinx fathers? To answer that question, she challenges myths about Latinx fatherhood by sharing Latinx men’s own interpretations and reflections on the topic. The Latinx men she interviewed share their experiences of fatherhood and what it means to them as they navigate the social landscape of stereotypes, political economy, and racism. Mirroring the book’s opening question, the text concludes with a series of reflective questions for readers regarding their own relationships with fathers, father figures, or parents in general. Overall, this work makes a substantial contribution to sociology and Latinx studies by critically examining and expanding on prevailing conceptions of Latinx fatherhood. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —L. H. Moreno, Bowling Green State University

This is an essential document—required reading for all the practitioners represented by the contributors, as well as social workers and counsellors.

—D. Sydiaha, emeritus, University of Saskatchewan

Empathy in clinical psychiatry and mental health care: clinical, conceptual, and scientific perspectives, ed. by Alvaro Barrera. Oxford, 2025 (c2026). 298p index ISBN 9780198917328 pbk, $70.00; ISBN 9780198917342 ebook, contact publisher for price.

In Empathy in Clinical Psychiatry and Mental Health Care, editor Barrera (Univ. of Oxford, England) is joined by 21 academics across various disciplines, including medicine, psychiatry, ethics, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, business, philosophy, and law. The book emerged from a symposium at Oxford in June 2018 and was continued at a meeting in June 2025. The first of four sections reviews conceptual issues and the neuroscience of empathy. A chapter within this section analyzes the problems associated with empathy. The second section devotes one chapter to each of five pathological issues: medical practice, psychopathology, diagnosis, disorders of empathy, and psychological interventions. The third section addresses the role of empathy in some challenging areas of practice: psychosis, suicide, personality disorder, alcoholism, autism, and forensic psychiatry. The final section covers the role of empathy in the work of nurses, occupational therapists, general psychiatric practice for adult patients, mental health lawyers, and the role of AI. This is an essential document—required reading for all the practitioners represented by the contributors, as well as social workers and counsellors. Summing Up: Essential. Undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —D. Sydiaha, emeritus, University of Saskatchewan

This is an excellent companion to Nadina Galle’s The Nature of Our Cities (2024).

—L. B. Allsopp, Arizona State University

Berman, Marc G. Nature and the mind: the science of how nature improves cognitive, physical, and social well-being. Simon Element, 2025. 324p bibl index ISBN 9781668058770, $30.00; ISBN 9781668058787 pbk, $19.00; ISBN 9781668058794 ebook, $14.99.

As Berman (Univ. of Chicago) writes in the introduction, “This is a book about why nature matters so much to us, and how our interactions with nature can tell us more about our own psychology.” While simply said, Berman has developed a deep study of what he coined “environmental neuroscience” and ran numerous experiments to “understand the human-nature connection.” The book is divided into three parts, each containing four chapters. Part 1 delves into the attention crisis, discussing the process and findings of his experiments, and how elements of nature such as curved lines and sounds impact us. Part 2 focuses on nature prescriptions that help improve our mental, physical, and social health. Part 3 brings all this information to bear on the built environment by examining nature’s impact on our personal spaces, e.g., an indoor garden or curved moldings, the design of urban parks, and child-rearing in a nature-influenced environment. Each chapter ends with a “Try This” question asking readers to think about how the topics affect them and cite changes. Berman closes the book with a chapter on the future. This is an excellent companion to Nadina Galle’s The Nature of Our Cities (2024). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —L. B. Allsopp, Arizona State University

What it does very well is shine a light on the intellectual roots of the intelligence analysis process. Anyone with a serious interest in that discipline will benefit from reading Grace’s work.

—T. C. Ellington, Wesleyan College

Grace, Peter. The intelligence intellectuals: social scientists and the making of the CIA. Georgetown University, 2026. 288p bibl index ISBN 9781647126438, $119.95; ISBN 9781647126445 pbk, $39.95; ISBN 9781647126452 ebook, $39.95.

In The Intelligence Intellectuals, Grace (Univ. of Otago, New Zealand) skillfully documents a key moment in the development of the social sciences and the creation of intelligence analysis as a mature discipline within the CIA. While much ink has been spilled over the relationship between elite educational institutions and the American intelligence community in its early days, Grace makes a unique and important contribution to scholarly understanding of the CIA during the early Cold War. With extensive documentation for the period between 1945 and 1950, The Intelligence Intellectuals unfolds a story of a foundering CIA that lacked credibility among policymakers and risked failure. By bringing in leading social scientists and adapting their methods to the problem of creating a useful analytical product, the agency succeeded in laying a foundation for contemporary intelligence analysis. This is not an introductory text (it is not intended to be), and it does not touch on the covert operations side, which also underwent significant development during this period. What it does very well is shine a light on the intellectual roots of the intelligence analysis process. Anyone with a serious interest in that discipline will benefit from reading Grace’s work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —T. C. Ellington, Wesleyan College

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Offering a fuller representation of the monument and its memorialization, this timely addition to the corpus of America 250 scholarship will be especially useful to students and scholars of Indigenous studies, American studies, cultural studies, art history, public history, and geography.

—J. Decker, Rochester Institute of Technology

Davis, Matthew Justin. A biography of a mountain: the making and meaning of Mount Rushmore. St. Martin’s, 2025. 313p index ISBN 9781250285102, $30.00; ISBN 9781250285119 ebook, $15.99.

Designed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, Mt. Rushmore—encompassing the towering profiles of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln against the sacred and majestic Black Hills of South Dakota—looms large in the national imaginary. Davis blends historical research with modern reportage to unpack the making and meaning of this national park, monument, and pop culture meme. He traces the mountain’s status as sacred Lakota tribal ground through its transformation into a colossal public monument while simultaneously examining the controversial personality of Borglum, highlighting his ties to the KKK and his previous work on a Confederate memorial. Davis posits that Mt. Rushmore’s meaning is not static but rather continually reinvigorated through ceremony, ranging from political dedications to naturalization ceremonies. Arguing that every visitor, tourist, and activist possesses the power to create and shape the meanings of national monuments through pride, curiosity, or protest, Davis presents the monument as a “Rorschach test” for American ideals, concluding with its role in the politicized present, including Donald Trump’s 2020 site visit. Offering a fuller representation of the monument and its memorialization, this timely addition to the corpus of America 250 scholarship will be especially useful to students and scholars of Indigenous studies, American studies, cultural studies, art history, public history, and geography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —J. Decker, Rochester Institute of Technology

The authors have filled a foundational void in the music education literature with this well-organized and approachable work.

—B. Haskett, Saginaw Valley State University

Stewart-Meli, Teresa. Diversity in music education: honoring the languages, literacies, abilities, and cultures of all, by Teresa Stewart-Meli and Victor Antonio Lozada. Bloomsbury Academic, 2025. 188p index ISBN 9798881805760, $105.00; ISBN 9798881805777 pbk, $39.00; ISBN 9798881805784 ebook, contact publisher for price.

Diversity in Music Education by Stewart-Meli (nonprofit owner) and Lozada (Univ. of North Texas) is an excellent addition to the literature. This work explores how multilingualism, giftedness, neurodiversity, and physical variations contribute to an inclusive music classroom. In addition, the authors provide teaching strategies to help educators effectively teach students with these characteristics. Each student brings strengths, experiences, and knowledge to the classroom, and this work provides educators with the necessary supports to connect with each student. The authors address a variety of musical contexts, including general music classrooms, performing ensembles, and private studios, and offer suggestions for supporting students in these settings. This text is essential for undergraduate music education students and provides a broad foundation to help future educators begin their quest to create truly inclusive, thoughtful, and creative spaces for students. Lastly, the authors included several appendixes, including a guide for adaptation and a listing of vendors for adaptive instruments. The authors have filled a foundational void in the music education literature with this well-organized and approachable work. Summing Up: Essential. Undergraduates, faculty, and professionals. —B. Haskett, Saginaw Valley State University

This is critical reading for professionals and all archaeologists.

—C. C. Kolb, independent scholar

The future of archaeology, ed. by Gary M. Feinman and T. Douglas Price. Eliot Werner, 2025. 175p bibl index ISBN 9798991226493 pbk, $32.95.

Well-known archaeologists Feinman (Field Museum of Natural History) and Price (Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison) previously coedited Archaeology at the Millennium: A Sourcebook (CH, May’02, 39-5259), which reviewed the discipline looking both backward and forward. They have now assembled 14 international colleagues at the quarter century to evaluate the current and future statuses of archaeology as a discipline separate from anthropology as both a humanity and scientific discipline in thought-provoking, cutting-edge critiques. The book’s four main sections—”Diversity Across Regions,” “New Methodological Lenses,” “Conceptual Implications,” and “Infrastructural Changes”—focus on many relevant topics. Fieldwork is an essential, critical part of archaeology, as is the training in a variety of fields for analyses and dissemination of results. With the creation of an archive of the past, assessing long-term sequences of changes in earlier social networks, the contributing authors strive to document what has endured, is sustainable, or has collapsed. Notable chapters focus on Indigenous people archaeology, integrative archaeology, bioarchaeology, the future of publishing, and reconfiguring the discipline. This is critical reading for professionals and all archaeologists. Summing Up: Essential. General readers through faculty; professionals. —C. C. Kolb, independent scholar

This volume makes stark the costs of ableism and exceptionalism within medicine and medical technology development, making it an excellent text for courses in disability studies, philosophy, political science, and, most critically, medicine and allied healthcare.

—S. Berry-Sullivan, Utica University

Monteleone, Rebecca. The double bind of disability: how medical technology shapes bodily authority. Minnesota, 2025. 209p bibl index ISBN 9781517917678, $100.00; ISBN 9781517917685 pbk, $25.00; ISBN 9781452974064 ebook, $25.00.

Drawing together case studies of the use, or encouraged use, of three types of medical technology, Monteleone (Univ. of Toledo) illustrates the disjuncture between the lived experience and embodiment of disabled people and the medical authorities and institutions meant to help them. The titular double bind refers to the simultaneous expectation that disabled people manage their own conditions and their dismissal by medical authorities as sites of expertise or insight in the development of medical technologies that directly impact their quality of life. Throughout the chapters, which describe the three technologies and their users/potential users, readers see how users are impacted by the double bind and how they fall victim to, or reject, a responsibility for their wellness, which “demands the pursuit of the idealized nondisabled bodymind” (p. 155). Monteleone centers the experience of people whose lives are significantly impacted by medical technologies, contrasting their interviews with those of clinicians and patient education materials related to the technologies: deep brain stimulation implants, artificial pancreas systems, and prenatal genetic testing. This volume makes stark the costs of ableism and exceptionalism within medicine and medical technology development, making it an excellent text for courses in disability studies, philosophy, political science, and, most critically, medicine and allied healthcare. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —S. Berry-Sullivan, Utica University

Readers do not need to watch the films to appreciate the book, as each work and its key characters are clearly described, and those already familiar with the films may find themselves eager to revisit them from a new angle.

—A. Sheppard, Arkansas State University

Tabet, Sam. Beyond the lesbian vampire: reclaiming the violent lesbian in contemporary queer horror. University of Wales Press, 2025. 282p bibl index ISBN 9781837722884, $94.00.

Beyond the Lesbian Vampire is a fascinating look at the “violent lesbian” in contemporary queer horror cinema. Tabet (independent scholar) examines this historically fraught figure within a long lineage of cultural fear and fascination, tracing her evolution from witch or vampire to a complex, self-aware presence in seven films released between 2016 and 2019. Through close, theoretically grounded readings of films such as The Neon Demon, Good Manners, and The Perfection, Tabet demonstrates how these contemporary films pay homage to earlier lesbian depictions while also reframing lesbian violence as something rooted in motivation, context, and circumstance. Through this perspective, the characters emerge not simply as tropes but as fully realized, complex individuals who experience fear, desire, assimilation, and resistance. Beyond the Lesbian Vampire balances rigorous scholarly analysis and extensive reference and film lists with photos and accessible prose, making it valuable to scholars, students, and informed general readers alike. Readers do not need to watch the films to appreciate the book, as each work and its key characters are clearly described, and those already familiar with the films may find themselves eager to revisit them from a new angle. Highly recommended for horror, queer, and gender studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. —A. Sheppard, Arkansas State University

Eckstein possesses a distinctive voice as he zeroes in on his central argument and lays out evidence demonstrating how sound plays a meaningful role in modern social agitation and resistance.

—W. Alvarez, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Eckstein, Justin. Sound tactics: auditory power in political protests. Pennsylvania State, 2025. 177p bibl index ISBN 9780271099378, $99.95; ISBN 9780271099385 pbk, $29.95; ISBN 9780271099729 ebook, open access.

In Sound Tactics, Eckstein (Pacific Lutheran Univ.) speaks pointedly to the current period of global democratic erosion and social agitation. He argues that sound is a unique form of meaning in the context of political protest, functioning in tandem with text to magnify resistance to those in power. Eckstein examines some of the ways that protesters use sound to signal temporality in advanced societies obsessed with time, seize the public’s attention in the attention economy, and convey messages of dissatisfaction in an era in which open opposition to established power structures is risky. Eckstein uses political protest as a case study to illustrate how the convergence of politics, communication, and collective resistance constitutes a potential long-term transformation. The result is a rhetorical examination of sound that contributes an important analysis of social movements, including the March for Our Lives, #HUResist movement at Howard University, and the “casseroles” protests in Montreal. Eckstein possesses a distinctive voice as he zeroes in on his central argument and lays out evidence demonstrating how sound plays a meaningful role in modern social agitation and resistance. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty. —W. Alvarez, Metropolitan State University of Denver

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