Every December, we put together a list of books we love that are authored by Revealer writers. If you’re looking for a good book to curl up with this winter, or a gift idea for a reader in your life, we recommend these excellent books.

1) Each chapter in Samira Mehta’s beautiful collection of essays tells a personal story about the complications of race in the United States. She introduces readers to her mixed-race family, her experiences as a woman of color with white friends, and her conversion to Judaism. The writing is vivid, insightful, and at times quite humorous. Mehta is the author of the Revealer article about Christian-Jewish interfaith families, “The December Dilemma: Less Oy, More Joy.” Don’t miss her moving new book, out in January, The Racism of People Who Love You: Essays on Mixed Race Belonging.

2) If personal stories about the current state of religion and politics interest you, we have the book you need. Before he became a religion scholar, Bradley Onishi was an evangelical youth pastor. He shares some of his background in his popular Revealer article “God is Ultimate Masculinity: Evangelical Visions of Manhood in the Wake of the Atlanta Massacre.” In his excellent new book, Onishi blends his expertise in religion with his personal experiences in evangelical communities to make sense of the January 6 attack and rising Christian nationalism. If you care about maintaining a separation between church and state, and if you want insights into those who do not, make sure to check out Onishi’s critically important and wonderfully written new book, out in January, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—And What Comes Next.

3) Are you interested in the interplay of science and religion? Andrew Aghapour, author of the Revealer article, “My Brain on Muse, the Tech Meditation Headset,” teamed up with Revealer contributor Peter Manseau to write about how science and religion have influenced one another, especially through an examination of artifacts housed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Their book, Discovery and Revelation: Religion, Science, and Making Sense of Things, is both incisive and visually impressive.

4) While we’re on the topic of science and religion, you should read Mary-Jane Rubenstein’s excellent Revealer article, “The New Corporate Space Race: A Colonial Remix.” In her new book, Rubenstein builds on that article and weaves personal stories, pop culture, and expertise in religion to offer an accessible take on the many problems with corporations and billionaires colonizing the cosmos—and what all of that has to do with religion. Rubenstein offers a fresh, astute, and urgent take on why we need to care about the corporate space race and why it matters for our planet. Don’t miss her engaging and highly readable book, Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race.

5) Have you ever reflected on your digital life? Chris Stedman, who writes about the internet and atheists in the Revealer article “Atheists, Social Media, and American Politics,” questions if our online selves are actually different from how we exist offline. Arguing that the distinction between “in real life” and online life is a false binary, Stedman offers a beautifully written reflection on the powerful role digital media plays in our lives, the problems with social media, and the digital world’s rich possibilities. Check out his astute, personal, and compelling book IRL: Finding Our Real Selves in a Digital World.

6) Our final recommendation is, we are proud to say, a national bestseller authored by frequent Revealer writer, Simran Singh. He is the author of multiple popular Revealer articles, including “Why Sikhs Serve” and “Why I Share My Story: Vulnerability, Representation, and Empowerment.” In his new book, Singh blends personal stories with his expertise in religion to offer a powerful introduction to the Sikh tradition. The writing is accessible, vivid, and punctuated by moving stories. Don’t miss Singh’s excellent book, The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life.

Happy reading!