Skip to content

Pithy Summary

for inquisitive minds: outlines of compelling non-fiction books || mini explainers @pithysummary_

  • Bulletins
    • Non-fiction Features
    • Fiction Spots
    • Memoir & Poetry Spots
    • Children’s Spots
    • Product Spots
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archives
  • Instagram

Author Archives: Carlen

Presumed Guilty: How the Supreme Court Empowered the Police and Subverted Civil Rights

How the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions can shape police behavior, for better or worse.

Posted byCarlenJanuary 9, 2026February 2, 2026Posted inArchives, Non-fiction

Pithy Summary – Bulletin #49

The Non-fiction Feature: Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
The Fiction Spot: 2054 by Elliot Ackerman & Admiral James Stavridis
The Product Spot: NatGeo Geography page

Posted byCarlenOctober 13, 2025October 13, 2025Posted inArchives, Bulletins

Prisoners of Geography – Ten Maps that Explain Everything about the World

How geography can shape political decisions, economies, and futures.

Posted byCarlenOctober 13, 2025January 9, 2026Posted inArchives, Non-fiction

NatGeo Geography page

NatGeo’s Geography page, filled with explainers and interactive programs, is a chance to explore what geography is and how it shapes our world and choices.

Posted byCarlenOctober 13, 2025October 13, 2025Posted inArchives, Products

2054

2054 is a political sci-fi thriller, set a few decades in the future, after a war between the U.S. and China completely blows up the current political order.

Posted byCarlenOctober 13, 2025October 13, 2025Posted inArchives, Fiction

The Rock Eaters

The Rock Eaters is Brenda Peynado’s beautiful collection of short stories, and it spans a wide range of issues–immigration, class differences, xenophobia, debt and more–and often has a touch of magical realism.

Posted byCarlenSeptember 1, 2025September 1, 2025Posted inArchives, Fiction

The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe

A suspenseful recounting of how the federal government created the student loan system, and how banks, Sallie Mae, and universities transformed it into the monster it is today.

Posted byCarlenSeptember 1, 2025September 1, 2025Posted inArchives, Non-fiction

NAACP student debt stories

The NAACP–a legendary civil rights organization that advocates for black Americans–has compiled stories from students from around the country, focused on the incredible burden of the student debt system and its impact on their lives.

Posted byCarlenSeptember 1, 2025September 1, 2025Posted inArchives, Products

Pithy Summary – Bulletin #48

The Non-fiction Feature: The Debt Trap by Josh Mitchell
The Fiction Spot: The Rock Eaters by Brenda Peynado
The Product Spot: NAACP student debt stories

Posted byCarlenSeptember 1, 2025September 1, 2025Posted inArchives, Products

The Undying: pain, vulnerability, mortality, medicine, art, time, dreams, data, exhaustion, cancer, and care

A sharp, personal look at breast cancer and the politics surrounding it.

Posted byCarlenJuly 27, 2025July 27, 2025Posted inArchives, Memoir & Poetry

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 21 Older posts

Enjoy the Monthly Bulletin

Two books, one product, one simple email

    ​

    Built with ConvertKit

    Some posts include affiliate links from Bookshop, which supports independent bookstores. If you purchase any book via my links, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no cost to you. The Pithy Summary Bookshop store is available here!

    • Privacy & Terms & Disclaimer
    Pithy Summary, Proudly powered by WordPress.