Book Club: January 2026
Each week, shepherdexpress.com posts reviews of new or recent books. These are not necessarily the books you hear about in mainstream media, but the books you ought to know about.
Our book reviews lean heavy on culture, especially music and film, but also on politics, history and social issues. A well informed, culturally literate public is essential for our democracy, and in an age of dumbed-down media, reading is more important than ever. The books reviewed at shepherdexpress.om survey some of the best current writing about the world we share.
Recent Reviews Include:
Rob Miller, The Hours are Long, But the Pay is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music
The Hours are Long, But the Pay is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music, by Rob Miller
The cofounder of the “insurgent country” Bloodshot Records reminisces about the years when alt music really was alternative.
'Martin Scorsese All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short' by Olivier Bousquet, Arnaud Devillard and Nicolas Schaller
In a career that spans the 1960s through the 2020s, Scorsese has directed crime films, historical epics, romantic comedies, mythic dramas, music and movie documentaries, even a children’s picture. The new book examines his career film by film.
Agnes Callard, Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life
Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life, by Agnes Callard
The hard questions asked by the ancient Greek philosopher remain as valid today as when first spoken.
Michael Schumacher (1950-2025)
Photo by Emily Schumacher
Michael Schumacher (1950-2025)
Michael Schumacher
Schumacher was one of Wisconsin’s most prolific nonfiction writers and wrote dozens of books, including biographies of Francis Ford Coppola, Eric Clapton, Will Eisner and Allen Ginsberg.
Sudhir Hazareesingh, Daring to be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World
Daring to be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World by Sudhir Hazareesingh
Daring to the Free accommodates many voices as it pivots between continents, uncovering the often forgotten yet crucial role of enslaved women in organizing and supporting resistance and the occasional alliances between Africans and Amerindians.
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April F. Masten, Diamond and Juba: The Raucous World of 19th-Century Challenge Dancing
Diamond and Juba: The Raucous World of 19th-Century Challenge Dancing, by April F. Masten
In the 1840s, Blacks and Irish, packed together in New York City slums, exchanged culture, created new variations on the jig and engaged in heated contests between dancers.
