Cook, Jesselyn. The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family. Crown. Jul. 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780593443255. $30. SOC SCI

Cook, an investigative reporter at NBC News, won the Lukas Work-in-Progress Award for this exploration of the harm the far-right conspiracy theory movement QAnon has caused in U.S. society, especially how it has created deep divides within families. Cook also looks at the psychology of why people believe in conspiracies and how some profit from disinformation.

Freeman, Andrea. Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch. Metropolitan. Jul. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781250871046. $27.99. POL SCI

Law professor Freeman (Skimmed), one of the pioneers of the field of food politics, examines the historic and current ways food has been used as a weapon of conquest and control in the U.S., from George Washington ordering his troops to destroy Indigenous people’s crops to the targeted marketing of unhealthy goods to communities of color.

Harvey, Jennifer. Antiracism as Daily Practice: Refuse Shame, Change White Communities, and Help Create a Just World. St. Martin’s. Jul. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781250286703. $29. SOC SCI

Writer and educator Harvey wrote the best-selling book Raising White Kids and here offers a step-by-step guide for white Americans to combat racism in their communities, emphasizing how vital it is to choose behaviors that foster racial justice, engage with others, and make antiracism a daily commitment.

Hendrickson, Debra. The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Frontlines of Climate Change. S. & S. Jul. 2024. 240p. ISBN 9781501197130. $27.99. SCI

Explicating how vulnerable the youngest are to the changing environment, Hendrickson, a pediatrician in Reno, NV, the fastest-warming city in the U.S., looks at the impact climate change is having on children and shares examples of patients harmed by smoke, smog, and pollen, and others affected by record-setting heat, hurricanes, and the Zika virus.

Kahn, Jeremy. Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future. S. & S. Jul. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781668053324. $29.99. TECH

Journalist Khan covers AI and other emerging technologies for Fortune magazine. Drawing on this expertise and industry contacts, he offers predictions about AI’s dramatic impacts over the next decade—both the exciting and promising possibilities and the disruptive and potentially devastating effects—and argues that AI should be carefully designed and vigilantly regulated.

Olson, Parmy. Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race That Will Change the World. St. Martin’s. Jul. 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781250337740. $30. TECH

Olson (We Are Anonymous), a tech writer at Bloomberg, details the battle between the world’s two leading AI firms and cautions readers about the threat of AI that’s being ignored by its top creators—the profit-driven spread of flawed and biased technology into industries, education, media, and more. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Scales, Helen. What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean. Atlantic Monthly. Jul. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780802162991. $28. SCI

Marine biologist Scales (The Brilliant Abyss) shares the history of ocean ecology and examines the future threats to oceans as waters warm and chemicals and plastics harm sea creatures. However, Scales also offers some optimism as she offers innovative ideas for protecting coastlines and cleaning the toxic seas.