Books

city scape drawing

Can endangered languages be saved? This new book may have the answer.

New York City is home to over 700 languages, but some will soon cease to exist. Is there still time to save them? The World’s Carolyn Beeler talks to linguist and author Ross Perlin about his new book, “Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York."

Can endangered languages be saved? This new book may have the answer.
Frantz Fanon sitting at a table during a press conference

New book explores the life of psychiatrist and writer Frantz Fanon

New book explores the life of psychiatrist and writer Frantz Fanon
A photo of a book, Eyeliner: A Cultural History

New book taps into the cultural history of eyeliner

New book taps into the cultural history of eyeliner
tablescape of assorted Nigerian foods

A food writer celebrates the tastes of her hometown: Lagos, Nigeria

A food writer celebrates the tastes of her hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Cast members perform during a rehearsal of the opera "Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable" at the Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Sept. 20, 2023.

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale
Seafood Congee, as presented in the Taiwanese cookbook Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation.

A new book explores Taiwan's culinary identity

The culinary contributions of Taiwan are often overshadowed by other cuisine from the region, especially China. Now, a new cookbook highlights some of the ingredients and flavors that make Taiwanese cooking unique.

A new book explores Taiwan's culinary identity
collections of Moomins things

Finnish Moomins book series finds new audiences in the US

​​​​​​​The Moomins are troll-like characters from a Finnish children's book series that became popular around the world starting in the 1950s. But they never really took off in the United States. The author Tove Jansson rejected Walt Disney's offer to buy the brand. Now, a bookstore chain in the US is trying to popularize the Moomins here.

Finnish Moomins book series finds new audiences in the US
man outside

Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova and fans rediscover an old hit 

​​​​​​​In 1989, the Ukrainian punk rock band Vopli Vidopliassova released an album called “Tantsi” or “Dances.” In 2019, the original session tape was rediscovered, and in 2023, Tantsi was finally officially released.

Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova and fans rediscover an old hit 
Ilona Kravchenko and Jan Vana perform in “Giselle” with the Ukrainian Classical Ballet in Bucharest, Romania.

The long fight for arts and culture in Ukraine as war rages on

When Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022, the pursuits of many of Ukraine's leading artists and cultural institutions came to a halt. The World takes a look back at the myriad ways in which war impacted artistic and cultural expression in Ukraine, and how advocates continue to work tirelessly to keep making art against all odds.

The long fight for arts and culture in Ukraine as war rages on
woman at computer

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work

​​​​​​University professors and researchers depend on getting published. So it was considered a bold move when the editors of two prestigious brain journals resigned en masse this month after the publisher refused to lower the fees it charges academics to publish their work.

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work
Indian students in uniform clothing arrive at a government-run junior school in Udupi, Karnataka state, India, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. 

Indian govt removes parts of Muslim history from federal textbooks

The Indian government’s new school textbooks have significant deletions in them related to Muslims in Indian history. Some historians accuse the ruling BJP government of rewriting the country's history to suit its Hindu nationalist ideology.

Indian govt removes parts of Muslim history from federal textbooks
In this photo provided by The Federation Council of The Federal Assembly of The Russian Federation Press Service, lawmakers of Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation listen to the national anthem at a session in Moscow, Russi

In Russia, a novel about a summer romance between two men sparks outrage

Novels about queer topics have been pulled from bookstores in Russia under a recent law that bans all mention of LGBTQ life in popular culture. It's part of a regional crackdown against novelists and poets.

In Russia, a novel about a summer romance between two men sparks outrage
Belongings of Halima Ali Maiyanga and Maryam Ali Maiyanga, two of the young women kidnapped by Boko Haram in a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on

Author and human rights activist Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode documented the heartbreaking stories of the Chibok families nine years after the Boko Haram abductions that gripped the world’s attention.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on
book on surface

'Can we reject these labels?': A new book questions how patriarchy became the norm.

How did patriarchy become common around the world, and can we change the dominance of men in societies? Science journalist Angela Saini explores these questions in her new book, "The Patriarchs; The Origins of Inequality."

'Can we reject these labels?': A new book questions how patriarchy became the norm.
The cover to "Solito" by Javier Zamora.

New memoir speaks to the trauma of migration and the potential for healing

Poet and author Javier Zamora recounts nearly every detail of his harrowing journey from El Salvador to the United States when he was 9 years old in a new memoir called "Solito."

New memoir speaks to the trauma of migration and the potential for healing