Jackson Adams and Anna Weir are publicists at UNP. Today they share their thoughts about a few upcoming titles they’re particularly excited about as readers. The books in this discussion will be published in July.

Jackson Adams: So much of the last few weeks has been dominated by discussion of immigration at the United States’ border with Mexico so it’s been a pleasure to learn a little more about unexpected immigration patterns. Mexicans in Alaska: An Ethnography of Mobility, Place, and Transnational Life details the lives and cultures of the families who move between Acuitzio del Canje, Michoacán, Mexico, and Anchorage, Alaska, detailing the unique culture that has been cultivated in both locations and dispelling preconceptions about the demographic makeup of our northernmost state.

What are you looking forward to, Anna?

Anna Weir: The main character of the book I’m most looking forward to also makes a journey north—five, actually, in search of the North Pole. Flight to the Top of the World: The Adventures of Walter Wellman chronicles an eccentric and audacious explorer/journalist/impromptu cat dad at the dawn of the media age. Through this biography, author David Bristow offers a glimpse into an America at a time of rapid social and technological change and illuminates its (often contradictory) dreams of the future.

What else are you looking forward to, Jackson?

JA: I’m a sucker for any text that makes larger points by first examining food. Franco-America in the Making: The Creole Nation Within is a deep dive into how pockets of French culture throughout North America contributed to the American melting pot, skipping some of the most well known bastions of Franco culture for hidden, influential gems. I’ll be the first to admit that the more culinary oriented details drew most of my attention but the spotlight author Jonathan Gosnell shines on the influence of women’s social clubs in the eighteenth and nineteenth century is also illuminating.

AW: Switching gears here to a people group that have done their fair share of world-travelling, at times by intention and at times by force. From our friends at the Jewish Publication Society, Turning Points in Jewish History analyzes 30 formative events throughout history, providing both primary texts and contemporary commentaries to explain the impact of each event on the Jewish people as a whole. If that sounds like an awful lot of information to pack into one book, Kirkus Reviews assures us that “each chapter is supremely readable, understandable, and enlightening, making the book a valuable addition to any library.” I hope it will provide a more context to some of the issues facing the Jewish people, and what they mean for America, today.

Tune in next month for more reading suggestions from your friendly neighborhood publicists!