books
This Summer, Let’s Screw Book Bans
We Can Use Censorship as an Opportunity to Get People Reading—and Romancing
Ban this column! Please!
It might seem strange to call for the cancellation of one’s own newspaper column. Besides, who needs to squelch such a piece when media audiences are declining …
Zócalo’s 2023 Summer Reading List Delivers Much-Needed R&R
Your Season of Rest and Reads Is Here, Courtesy of Our Friends and Contributors
This summer, we could all use a little R&R—rest and reads, that is. And while Zócalo can’t help you with the first part (though if we could send a beach …
Heartbreak and Yearning on the Streets of East Oakland
Columnist Joe Mathews Goes Nightcrawling
Kiara Johnson, 17, lives at the Regal-Hi apartments on High Street in East Oakland—for now.
She doesn’t have the money for next month’s rent, which her landlord is doubling. She can’t …
Announcing the 2023 Zócalo Book Prize Shortlist
Congratulations to Saladin Ambar, Michelle Wilde Anderson, Stephanie Cacioppo, Anand Giridharadas, and Gaia Vince
The books shortlisted for the 2023 Zócalo Book Prize address five of the most urgent issues of our current moment: racial inequality, economic inequality, the struggle for human connection, political …
Zócalo’s 2022 Summer Reading List Charts New Waters
From Poets to Politicians, Our Friends Suggest Intellectual Travel Companions as We Set Sail for the Season
We at the good ship Zócalo are setting sail for another summer of intellectual exploration. As always, to aid us on this important voyage, we’ve recruited an intrepid crew of …