For her book, Lopes visited ten countries to interview parents about their cultures’ child-rearing norms, such as the Dutch practice of “dropping” blindfolded preteens in the wilderness at night to foster independence.

Along the way, Lopes was particularly impressed by the communalistic approaches to parenting that are common outside America, where most parents mind their own children and their own business. She even had cause to experience the difference firsthand: When she went through a medically complicated childbirth in 2017, she found herself grateful for the support she received during a Brazilian “birth party,” in which family and friends attend a birth and offer postpartum support. To some people, that may sound like overstepping boundaries, but to Lopes, who was born in Brazil but raised mainly in America, it was a refreshing alternative to what she considers a potentially isolating experience. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” she said. “We were never meant to parent alone. It was always meant to be a community endeavor.” ◽

Blood & Hate: The Untold Story of Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s Battle for Glory by Dave Wedge ’93

Wedge, a New York Times best-selling author, chronicles the life of iconic boxer Marvelous Marvin Hagler, whose 1980s reign in the ring secured his reputation as one of the greatest middleweights of all time. Through historical anecdotes and interviews with those who knew Hagler best, this biography charts the athlete’s unbelievable rise from a childhood marked by poverty and struggle to his hard-won place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (Heather Terrell ’90)

Five legendary female mystery authors team up to investigate the real-world murder of a young nurse in this gripping work of historical fiction. Set in 1930s London, Terrell’s latest release under her pen name imagines a world in which Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie, and others ditch the male members of their famous writing group, the Detection Club, to prove they can solve a puzzling case on their own.

Girls with Goals: How Women’s Soccer Took Over the World by Clelia Castro-Malaspina ’05

Soccer is now the most popular women’s sport in the world. Its players, though, have faced sexism, bans, and myriad other obstacles while building the game’s global success. Castro-Malaspina’s thorough look at women’s soccer uses historical photos and personal anecdotes from athletes to trace the evolution of the game from its origins in nineteenth-century England to its widespread prominence today.

Intimate Conversations: Face to Face with Matchless Musicians
by Larry Ruttman, BC Law ’58

Ruttman, a podcast host and author, shares and explores a love for classical music through a collection of dialogues with the genre’s most renowned modern musicians. He interviews more than twenty greats, from Pulitzer Prize–winning composer John Harbison to opera diva Susan Graham, about their inspirations and musical influences.

Enduring Empire: U.S. Statecraft and Race-Making in the Philippines
by katrina quisumbing king ’07

In this ambitious debut, king explores the influence the United States has had over the Philippines since claiming sovereignty over the Southeast Asian islands in 1898. Although Philippine independence was recognized in 1946, the author contends that a system of white hegemony was upheld long afterward by the “racial-imperial rule” that characterized the decades-long colonization by the US. —E.C.