Polar Embassy Book Reports

Book Report XVII: The Intersectional Environmentalist

Leah Thomas writes a manifesto for an inclusive climate justice movement for an equitable, just, and healthy future for the earth and the humans who live on it. Read more...

Book Report XVI: Around the World in 80 Games

A deep dive into the mathematics, history, and social contexts of games from around the world, and the philosophy of games and their meaning. Read more...

Hand holding Scwharz. Deutsch. Weiblich. book by Natasha Kelly in front of Odradek Bookstore in Berlin Schöneberg

Book Report XV: Schwarz. Deutsch. Weiblich.

Why feminism must call for more than gender equality: Natasha Kelly explains intersectionality in Germany's context and introduces the Black women who have been a part of German history for hundreds of... Read more...

The book "Sex in Echt" on a dark wood table. The cover shows fun and playful cartoons around two legs.

Book Report XIV: Sex in Echt

The sex education book we wish we'd had in high school! Read more...

A hand with red and blue nail polish holds a white book with the title "Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal" against a wooden floor background.

Book Report XIII: Climate Crisis & the Green New Deal

A dialogue between Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin, laying out their vision for the “Green New Deal.” Read more...

Book Report XII: The Biggest Bluff

A psychologist and poker rookie commits herself to the world poker championship and brings us along for the ride, sharing her professional insights into how humans navigate chance, risk, confidence,... Read more...

Book Report XI: A Bigger Picture

Vanessa Nakate, a climate justice activist, has earned the world’s attention with her local and international climate justice advocacy. Part-memoir and part-manifesto, she introduces herself, her contexts as a young... Read more...

Book Report X: The Value of a Whale

In the face of climate catastrophe, is green capitalism really the best we can do? A critical approach to carbon offsets, quantifying nature, and "cap and trade" systems. Read more...

Book Report IX: A History of Playing Cards

A peek into the archives of the US Playing Card Company from 1930. A history in need of a modern new edition. Read more...

Book Report VIII: Undrowned

Part meditation, part field guide—Undrowned invites us to learn from marine mammals about survival, care, and interdependence in a hostile world. Read more...

Book Report VII: The Climate Book

Greta Thunberg's collection of guest essays offers a powerful overview of the many angles of climate justice. It is a terrifying but energizing story of humanity's greatest existential challenge. Read more...

Book Report VI: Queering the Tarot

Excellent advice on how to be mindful of the specific experiences of queer communities when you read Tarot for someone queer (including yourself!). Read more...

Book Report V: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

Humans emit 51 billion tons of greenhouse gas every year. Gates lays out a sobering but optimistic vision of getting that to zero using innovative technology and policy. Read more...