MIND-BOGGLING TRUE STORY of a hoaxster who pretended to be a survivor of the 2001 World Trade Center attack.

CHARMING, DIFFIDENT META-ETIQUETTE guide from the ever delightful Henry Alford has good advice amid the laughs.

INSIDE ARTISANAL MARIJUANA culture in Holland and the US. Fascinating topic marred by smug, annoying writing.

TRAVELOGUE OF THE WORLD’S most polluted places is unexpectedly funny, unsurprisingly thought-provoking.

OFFBEAT, ENTERTAINING SCHOLARLY study of the US Jewish community’s role in our alcohol industry and culture.

TROUBLING TRUE STORY of a South Carolina death row inmate’s conviction on shockingly scanty (at best) evidence.

FASCINATING, DEEPLY RESEARCHED account of the creation of “heterosexuality” as a medical and legal category.

A FLIGHT ATTENDANT TELLS all about the airline industry and out-of-control passengers. Eye-opening snark!

THE HEADLINE-GRABBING ABDUCTION OF a young Englishwoman in Tokyo in 2000, explored in thoughtful complexity.

INSIDE THE INTERNET activism that helped to spark the Arab Spring protests, with one of its early organizers.