History & Politics

Wow! The author of Earth From Above has created another stunning and compelling book. In 6 Billion Others, it is the scope of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s project, rather than aerial photographs, that will take your breath away. He and his team wandered the world to film more than 5,000 people in 75 countries to gather their answers to some of life’s most fundamental questions. The resulting book is rich, thoughtful profile of humanity. “The only way we can go forward is to move towards our fellow men. Understand them. There is no chance of any kind of sustainable development if we can’t manage to live together,” says Arthus-Bertrand. —S.B.

From two ACLU employee-activists comes the perfect holiday gift for the history buff in your life. Their collaboration, Wherever There’s a Fight, details the history of civil rights in California, from the gold rush to today. In the face of our state’s same-sex marriage fight, there is no better time to read about the struggles California’s people have faced and changed over time, including an in-depth look at Japanese interment during WWII. No state is without its dark times, and California is no exception. —Adrienne Mages