Best Customs & Traditions Social Sciences Books of 2025

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt is a true-crime book that reads like a novel. In this book, Berendt tells the story of a landmark murder case that took place in Savannah, Georgia. He skillfully interweaves the unpredictable twists and turns of the murder case with a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in Savannah, revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. This book is a sublime and seductive reading experience, and it has become a modern classic in the true-crime genre.

The War on the West by Douglas Murray is an instant New York Times bestseller that questions the current trend of celebrating non-Western cultures and disparaging Western ones. The author argues that this anti-West rhetoric is hypocritical and inconsistent, and that we must defend Western culture, institutions, and politics. Murray's book is an incisive takedown of foolish anti-Western arguments and a rigorous new apologetic for civilization itself. This book is a compelling must-read for anyone who cares about Western culture and where it's headed.

Drinking with the Saints (Deluxe): The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour is a delightful book that combines two things that many people enjoy: religion and cocktails. The author, Michael Foley, provides a comprehensive guide to wine, beer, and spirits, including over three hundred cocktail recipes suitable for the seasons, feasts, and saints' days of the Church year. The book also features lively full-color sketches of scores of saints, from the popular to the obscure, and tips on giving the perfect toast and mixing the perfect drink. This book is a must-have for anyone who enjoys a good drink and wants to learn more about the saints and their stories.

WINNER OF THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTIONINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“An elegant meditation on the complexities of the American South—and thus of America—by an esteemed daughter of the South and one of the great intellectuals of our time. An inspiration.” —Isabel WilkersonAn essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—and a revelatory argument for why you must understand the South in order to understand AmericaWe all think we know the South. Even those who have never lived there can rattle off a list of signifiers: the Civil War, Gone with the Wind, the Ku Klux Klan, plantations, football, Jim Crow, slavery. But the idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and habits of the region are stranger and more complex than much of the country tends to acknowledge. In South to America, Imani Perry shows that the meaning of American is inextricably linked with the South, and that our understanding of its history and culture is the key to understanding the nation as a whole.This is the story of a Black woman and native Alabaman returning to the region she has always called home and considering it with fresh eyes. Her journey is full of detours, deep dives, and surprising encounters with places and people. She renders Southerners from all walks of life with sensitivity and honesty, sharing her thoughts about a troubling history and the ritual humiliations and joys that characterize so much of Southern life.Weaving together stories of immigrant communities, contemporary artists, exploitative opportunists, enslaved peoples, unsung heroes, her own ancestors, and her lived experiences, Imani Perry crafts a tapestry unlike any other. With uncommon insight and breathtaking clarity, South to America offers an assertion that if we want to build a more humane future for the United States, we must center our concern below the Mason-Dixon Line.  A Recommended Read from: The New Yorker • The New York Times • TIME • Oprah Daily • USA Today • Vulture • Essence • Esquire • W Magazine • Atlanta Journal-Constitution • PopSugar • Book Riot • Chicago Review of Books • Electric Literature • Lit Hub

Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora [A Cookbook] is an exceptional tribute to Black culinary ingenuity, capturing the voices of the African Diaspora through the lens of food. With contributions from over 100 Black cultural luminaries from around the world, the book explores the interweaving of food, experience, and community through moving essays, arresting artwork, and delicious recipes. The book's unique approach, including original poetry, essays, and stunning artwork, makes it a joyful celebration of Black culture and a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of food and identity.

The Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism within US Slave Culture is a groundbreaking book that explores the connections between homoeroticism, cannibalism, and cultures of consumption in American literature and US slave culture. Vincent Woodard takes seriously the enslaved person's claims of human consumption and draws attention to the ways in which Blacks experienced their consumption as a fundamentally homoerotic occurrence. This book is an important contribution to the study of US and transatlantic slavery and sheds light on a topic that has largely been ignored until now.

I Am a Church Member by Thom S. Rainer is a thought-provoking book that addresses the attitudes and responsibilities of church members. Rainer emphasizes the importance of being a functioning and unifying member of a church. He also stresses the significance of praying for church leaders and leading families to be healthy church members. The book includes study questions that guide the reader through six intentional chapters. Overall, I Am a Church Member is a great resource for both church leaders and members who want to understand the biblical commitment required for belonging to a church.

Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Dr. Thom Rainer is a must-read book for pastors and church members. Rainer has autopsied dying churches for over 25 years and has discovered 12 consistent themes among them. However, the good news is that from these themes, he has also found lessons on how to keep churches alive. This book offers radical paths necessary to keep churches vibrant and alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ's Kingdom. B&H Books has done an excellent job of publishing this Christian Church Administration book that will be valuable for generations to come.