New This Week: May 27th

It’s Tuesday and we have a dynamic collection of new titles hitting the shelves! From the gripping biography of a self-emancipated man who shaped his own legend, to deep dives into housing justice, punk rebellion, and Black political power, these books explore the intersections of race, class, culture, and resistance across American history and society. Learn more about these new titles below and see everything new this month on our Hot Off the Press page.

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Becoming Lunsford Lane: The Lives of an American Aeneas by Craig Thompson Friend

“This is a work of true excellence, a stunning achievement that combines deep research with elegant prose. Friend’s superb analysis draws a clear distinction between Lane the man and the inventive story of his life that Lane created. Though Friend goes to painstaking lengths to uncover Lane’s full historical truth, it is his fascination with this intriguing person that makes this book so readable.”—Douglas R. Egerton, Le Moyne College

“This is a vital work on one of the most underrated African American reformers of the antebellum era. The writing is strong and often elegant, the arc of the biography long, and the argument for Lane’s importance is, quite simply, unimpeachable. Friend should be congratulated not only for producing a book that does justice to Lunsford Lane as an iconic figure in African American life and letters but also for crafting a biography that approaches high art. Beautiful and at times moving, this is one of the best books I have read in the past several years, on any topic.”—Richard S. Newman, Rochester Institute of Technology

Closed Seasons: The Transformation of Hunting in the Modern South by Julia Brock

“This book will be the go-to history on the rise of modern hunting in the South and the laws that shaped it.”—Albert Way, Kennesaw State University

“By incorporating the voices of African Americans, Native Americans, and female conservationists, this exciting book brings the story of conservation lawmaking in the modern South to life, offering a richly human perspective on its history.”—Scott Giltner, Culver-Stockton College

Affordable Housing in Charlotte: What One City’s History Tells Us about America’s Pressing Problem by Tom Hanchett

“An incredibly valuable book that explains everything that is impacting local housing markets. It links together a variety of programs, policies, and initiatives that have been used to promote the construction of affordable housing—many that are unknown by both students and policymakers. Hanchett’s writing is easy to read and understand while also being incredibly well researched.”—Kenneth Chilton, Tennessee State University

“Affordable Housing in Charlotte is engaging, well crafted, and immaculately sourced, making it an impressive piece of scholarly work. The writing is framed such that this deep-historical analysis will also appeal to a wider audience concerned with our current affordable housing difficulties. This is an outstanding contribution to the fields of housing studies and urban geography.”—Bill Graves, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Hardcore Punk in the Age of Reagan: The Lyrical Lashing of an American Presidency by Robert Fitzgerald

“Hardcore Punk in the Age of Reagan is a memorable cataloging of Reagan’s crimes as articulated through the lyrics of punk bands of the era. Fitzgerald’s writing is entertaining and informative, and this book is a welcome and novel addition to Reagan-era studies for historians as well as anyone who loves punk music.”—Kevin C. Dunn, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

“Fitzgerald forces us to take 1980s punk seriously, making the case that punk rock lyrics served as a form of cultural criticism and anger directed at Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Perfect for historians, political scientists, or anyone wanting to know more about a key political and musical moment.”—Kevin Mattson, Ohio University

Class Warfare in Black Atlanta: Grassroots Struggles, Power, and Repression under Gentrification by Augustus Wood

Justice, Power, and Politics Series

“A model study of gentrification ‘from below.’ Augustus Wood shows how Black and white elites engineered the displacement of historic working-class African American neighborhoods and disrupted their grassroots social justice movements.”—Joe William Trotter Jr., author of From Enslavement to COVID-19: A History of African American Health and Labor

“Sound, unapologetic, and provocative. Class Warfare in Black Atlanta is a game-changing treatment of gentrification in Atlanta.”—Winston A. Grady-Willis, author of Challenging U.S. Apartheid: Atlanta and Black Struggles for Human Rights, 1960–1977