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 August.

Jackson Adams: I’ve been interested in spy fiction since seeing From Russia With Love at a very impressionable age. Cold War Spy Stories From Eastern Europe, edited by Valentina Glajar, Alison Lewis, and Corina L. Petrescu delves into this era by unearthing rarely-seen documents, classified files and never-before-told stories of espionage behind the Berlin Wall. It’s light on Q gadgets but there are stories that wouldn’t feel out of place in Sean Connery’s 1960s oeuvre.

What are you excited about, Anna?

Anna Weir: UNP is known for our extensive Native Studies list, so Life of the Indigenous Mind: Vine Deloria Jr. and the Birth of the Red Power Movement is right at home with us. Author David Martínez examines the early activism, life, and writings of Vine Deloria Jr. (1933–2005), the most influential indigenous activist and writer of the twentieth century and one of the intellectual architects of the Red Power movement. Deloria lived and worked for the betterment of American Indians, and came to view discourse on tribal self-determination as the most important objective for making a viable future for tribes. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of his powerful work Custer Died for Your Sins (1969), reflecting now on his life seems especially apt.

What else are you looking forward to, Jackson?

JA: August is apparently the month of spies for us. Murder, Inc.: The CIA under John F. Kennedy by James Johnston explores the Agency’s legacy of black ops and violence in Latin America. It’s a sobering piece that does illuminate some of Kennedy’s often contradictory views of violence, Cold War conflict, and the ideological battle with Fidel Castro and goes deep into the CIA’s efforts to separate their actions from the investigation into Kennedy’s assassination. Murder, Inc. is the kind of deep, reflective look at the darkness of the Cold War era that will absolutely be an eye-opener.

AW: I’m also excited to see the paperback edition of Invisible Reality: Storytellers, Storytakers, and the Supernatural World of the Blackfeet by Rosalyn R. LaPier. Winner of the 2018 John C. Ewers Book Award and the Donald Fixico Book Award, ​Invisible Reality presents a nuanced look at the history of the Blackfeet and their relationship with the natural world—now as a more affordable paperback!

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