A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar (Suzanne Joinson)—Part of this very interesting story takes place along the ancient Silk Road, which I learned about while studying in Japan in college. I have always enjoyed reading about how people deal with culture shock and fish-out-of-water moments.—Dory Rand, President

Unpopular Mandate (New Yorker)—Ezra Klein takes the individual mandate for health insurance as a test case to show how political parties distance themselves from policies they once upheld as best practices for the sake of political expediency.—Katie Buitrago, Policy and Communications Associate

Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West (William Cronon)—A fascinating history of Chicago’ rise as a major urban center.  One of my former students gave it to me for Christmas when she heard I had moved to Chicago.—Spencer Cowan, Vice President of Research

The Melting North (The Economist)—The Economist examines what Arctic melting may mean for industry, wildlife, and humans, in this fascinating look at the vanishing arctic ice.—Michael Aumiller, Research Associate