June’s new books from Ideas on Fire authors turn a close, critical eye toward the spaces people inhabit and the systems that shape their lives—from postcolonial urban transformation in Quito to the racialized infrastructures of housing, policing, and family in the United States.
Grounded in archival depth and lived experience, these projects illuminate how Black, queer, and migrant communities navigate and resist constraint while building new forms of belonging.
We’re honored to have supported these authors in bringing these incisive, deeply researched works into print.
Working on a book of your own? Our editorial team partners with scholars at every stage of the process, offering developmental editing, copyediting, mannuscript reviews, indexing, and publisher research to help ambitious ideas reach their fullest expression. Learn more here.
Break the System: Criminalized Black Mothers and the Reproductive Politics of Abolition
Susila Gurusami
A powerful ethnography revealing how carceral systems target Black mothers while illuminating abolitionist motherwork and radical care as pathways beyond incarceration.
Shameless: The Making of Black Gay Identities in LA
Terrell J.A. Winder
A dynamic ethnography of young Black queer men cultivating pride, kinship, and identity while resisting racial and sexual stigma in Los Angeles.
Uncovering the Virgen del Panecillo: Quito’s Postcolonial Urban Transformations
María Célleri
A decolonial history of a powerful national monument in Quito, Ecuador and its role in local and transnational politics.
A Kitchenette to Fit Your Needs: Housing Chicago's Great Migration
Amani C. Morrison
A vivid urban history of kitchenette housing revealing how Black residents shaped space, community, and survival in segregated US cities.
Digital Equity Ecosystems: How Community Coalitions Reduce Inequality and Strengthen Democracy
Colin Rhinesmith
University of California Press
An empowering read on the diverse community coalitions tackling digital inequality and building infrastructure to sustain democracy.
