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The Half-True Story of Catherine the Great

Eileen Jones Jacobin
The Great shares a broadly similar style and subject with The Favorite, though it is neither as dark nor as committed to factual accuracy. The series shows the grotesque royal court life of Empress Catherine II of Russia, aka Catherine the Great.

On Social Distancing

Jacki Rigoni
California poet Jacki Rigoni responds to the phrase social distancing, just added to the dictionary in March, and how much we were doing without naming it.

Police are the Problem, Not the Solution

Michael Hirsch The Indypendent
With the mass outcry over the cop murders of George Floyd and so many other African Americans, it's worth reprising the review of a key 2017 book that sees even beyond defunding police to challenging the actual role of law enforcement in society.

How to Be an Antiracist

Jamal Eric Watson Diverse: Issues In Higher Education
In the wake of our current upsurge against racism in policing and in our society generally, this book, published late last year, has emerged as a top Amazon bestseller.

Life: a Bag of Cherries

Jeannette Ferrary Portside
A bag of fresh cherries can be a reminder and a call to action

Hydroxychloroquine

Pete Seidman
Pete Seidman, Florida activist, has his own version of the moral arc of history.

5 Ways to Leave Behind the “Warrior Cop” Mentality

Norm Stamper Yes! Magazine
In this review from five years ago, a retired Seattle Police Department official writes about a book that addresses some of the problems of U.S. policing as an institution. Both the strengths and weaknesses of this review are revelatory.