Rachel Pastan's book In the Field, her fourth novel, borrows inspiration from pioneer geneticist Barbara McClintock and illuminates women's journeys working in science. Kimberly Haas profiles.

For at least three centuries, Italian culture has been an important part of our region. The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia, a new book from Temple University Press, takes a multifaceted look at Philly’s Italian story. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

The new book about the late Kobe Bryant captures his early days, his high school and NBA career, and his achievements and failures with a Philadelphia-centric lens. Stephen Silver reviews.

In Jessamine Chan’s debut novel The School for Good Mothers, Frida’s very bad day results in her child being taken away and Frida sent to a school where mothers must learn to be “good” or lose their children. Kirsten Bowen reviews.

In this new novel by Philly coauthors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza, the lifelong friendship of two women is tested by a tragedy that feels all too familiar. Helene Cohen Bludman reviews.

We usually herald the digital age as a blow to the music and publishing industries, but in her new book, American Lit Remixed, Melissa Strong argues that an exciting synergy is emerging. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.

Yolanda Wisher & the Afroeaters pay a visit to the Barnes, a restorative healing workshop at Theatre Exile, Jingle Jawn, and more. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.

Pennsylvania’s abolitionist Quakers ended slavery in the commonwealth long before any other state, right? A new book from Temple University Press explains that there’s a lot more to the story. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Philly poet and author Esther Greenleaf Mürer translates two novels by noted Norwegian author Jens Bjørneboe, who is less well-known here. Both Winter in Bellapalma and Ere the Cock Crows leave the reader at loose ends. Helen Walsh reviews.

In Sam Gridley’s new Philly-set novella, a now-privileged teacher grapples with her anarchist past as she continues to join leftwing activists. Walter Bilderback reviews.