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<\/p>\nRead these books to dive deeper into the history of scientific breakthroughs, the state of American politics, and more.<\/p>\n
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In the back-to-school spirit, six Johns Hopkins experts share foundational books they recommend for policymakers and leaders interested in exploring the analysis and history of scientific breakthroughs, U.S. democracy, American art, and more.<\/p>\n
Leaning heavily on established works and historical moments, this book list includes a biography that captures the little-known New York City street that was home to some of America\u2019s most influential 20th-century artists, a classic criticism and analysis of the state of American universities, and the story of how Edwin Hubble made a groundbreaking discovery that revolutionized our understanding of the universe.<\/p>\n
Rural Versus Urban:\u202fThe Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy by Suzanne Mettler and Trevor E. Brown<\/a><\/p>\n Lilliana Mason<\/a>, an SNF Agora Institute professor of political science, recommends this book for readers looking to understand the polarization of American politics through a different lens. \u201cWhile political punditry focuses on red states versus blue states, this book gets at the more accurate political divide in the United States: the difference between rural and urban parts of the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In it, Suzanne Mettler, a professor at Cornell University, and Trevor Brown<\/a>, a postdoctoral fellow\u202fat the SNF Agora Institute Center for Economy and Society, chart how political division has become a defining factor in every state over the past 50 years, why this poses a threat to democracy, and how to repair the divide.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a country where rural areas are vastly overrepresented in the Senate and the electoral college, the authors examine the implications of this advantage being delivered largely to one political party,\u201d Mason added.<\/p>\n The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak<\/a><\/p>\n Adam Riess<\/a>, a Nobel laureate and professor of physics and astronomy at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, recommends this book, which documents the many players and decisions behind Edwin Hubble\u2019s groundbreaking discovery that galaxies existed beyond our own Milky Way.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Day We Found the Universe is like eavesdropping on the moment the universe spilled its biggest secret\u2014that there\u2019s a whole lot more out there than we ever dreamed,\u201d Riess said. \u201cBartusiak makes the astronomers feel like real characters in a cosmic drama, and you can\u2019t help but get caught up in the excitement. It\u2019s history, but it reads like a great story you\u2019ll want to share.\u201d<\/p>\n The Slip: The New York City Street That Changed American Art Forever by Prudence Peiffer<\/a><\/p>\n Jennifer Kingsley<\/a>, the director of the Johns Hopkins Museums and Society program, called this book \u201can intimate look at a street in New York City and how it shaped the lives and artistic practices of artists such as Agnes Martin and Ellsworth Kelly.\u201d<\/p>\n From 1956 to 1967, a set of empty sail-making warehouses on a dead-end street at the lower tip of Manhattan became home to a diverse group of artists who went on to define a new era in American art. Peiffer provides a history of this street, called the Coenties Slip, the artists it propelled, and their influence on late-20th century art and film.<\/p>\n The Higher Learning in America: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men by Thorstein Veblen<\/a><\/p>\n With public trust in institutions, including universities, in decline, William Howell<\/a>, the inaugural dean of the School of Government and Policy, spent his summer reading essays and\u202fbooks on the purpose of research in higher education. This 1918 book stood out to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m particularly drawn to [Veblen\u2019s] defense of \u2018disinterested\u2019 inquiry\u2014not indifference, but research pursued independently of instrumental aims or partisan agendas,\u201d he said. \u201cVeblen\u2019s concern was the encroachment of commercial interests on academic life, yet his account resonates far beyond its historical moment. At its core, he was concerned with preserving the vitality and independence of academic inquiry and learning. And by returning us to first principles, he offers vital lessons for navigating our own troubled times.\u201d<\/p>\n The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn<\/a><\/p>\n A departing postdoc gave Alexis Battle<\/a>, a professor of biomedical engineering and computer science, this book, which argues that transformative breakthroughs happen outside of the typical scientific method.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is eye-opening to explicitly consider how the current paradigms in which we conduct science influence the space of hypotheses we formulate, discoveries we are likely to make, and how we interpret our data,\u201d Battle said. \u201cScientists like to imagine we are objective collectors and interpreters of observations, but our thinking is usually influenced and constrained by many factors in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n The Trial of Dedan Kimathi by Ng\u0169g\u0129 wa Thiong\u2019o and Micere Githae Mugo<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Rural-Versus-Urban-1.png\")
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