Front Table Newsletter 9/9

On this week’s Front Table, witness the struggles of surviving on a remote Scottish isle and providing affordable housing in the U.S.; take a dive into modern river science and the life of one of modern Europe's most important thinkers; reflect on poetry from Rumi's master; and explore the lasting effects of colonialism and the West's failed experiments to "fix" African economies. Find these titles and more at semcoop.com.

The Projects: A New History of Public Housing
(New York University Press)
Howard A. Husock

As the US struggles to provide affordable housing, millions of Americans live in deteriorating public housing projects, enduring the mistakes of past housing policy. In The Projects, Howard A. Husock explains how we got here, detailing the tragic rise and fall of public housing and the pitfalls of other subsidy programs.


The Book of I
(Europa Editions)
David Greig

The year is 825 CE. In the aftermath of a vicious attack, an unlikely trio finds themselves the lone survivors on a remote Scottish isle. As the seasons pass in this wild and lonely setting, their inherent distrust of each other melts into a complex meditation on the distances and bonds between them.


Following the Bend: How to Read a River and Understand Its Nature
(Princeton University Press)
Ellen Wohl

When we look at a river, either up close or while flying over a river valley, what are we really seeing? Following the Bend takes readers on a majestic journey by water to find answers, along the way shedding light on the key concepts of modern river science, from hydrology and water chemistry to stream and wetland ecology.


The Invisible Sun: A Guide for the Soul From Rumi's Master
(HarperOne)
Attar; Sholeh Wolpé, trans.

Twelfth-century Persian poet Attar (1145-1221) was revered by Rumi and though his work is beloved around the world, he is mostly unknown to English readers. Translated in simple, elegant language by award-winning poet Sholeh Wolpé, The Invisible Sun is a beautiful treasury of Attar's most prescient poetry, offering comfort and inspiration.


Goethe: A Life in Ideas
(Princeton University Press)
Matthew Bell

Goethe was a poet, a novelist, a scientist and an essayist widely regarded as one of the most important thinkers of modern Europe. In this important and ambitious work, Matthew Bell offers a wide-ranging intellectual biography of Goethe, tracing the evolution of his thought and reassessing its value. 


Wilderness of Mirrors
(Restless Books)
Olufemi Terry

Exquisitely written and deeply absorbing, this debut from Caine Prize-winning author Olufemi Terry captures the heady abandon of early adulthood in a country still reeling from the lasting effects of racial partition and colonialism.


Afronomics: A History of Western Ignorance
(New Press)
Bronwen Everill 

For centuries, Westerners have tried to "fix" African economies. From the abolition of slavery onward, missionaries, philanthropists, and NGOs have arrived on the continent, full of good intentions and bad ideas. Their experiments have invariably gone awry, to the great surprise of all involved. Historian Bronwen Everill argues that these interventions fail, and frequently cause harm, because they start from a misguided premise: that African economies just need to be more like the West.