Hump day recommendations 01/11/2023

This week, we share a few from our readers. Thank you to everyone who submitted their picks. Enjoy!

Read: "And There Was Light – Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle," by Jon Meacham. I thought I knew a lot about Old Abe, but I am learning new things, like his ideas on the Bible when he was in his '20s. Highly recommend this book. — Tom Zdrojeski, Massapequa Park, NY

Watch: "Firing Line with Margaret Hoover" on PBS. I recommend Signal readers watch all the interviews (recent and past). Readers will appreciate the deep conversations moderated by Margaret Hoover on a variety of topics and perspectives. — Ray Pun, San Francisco, CA

Read: "Five: The Untold Stories of the Women Murdered by the Jack the Ripper." This is my top non-fiction book of 2022. Rather than focusing on the details surrounding their deaths, the book delves into the lives of the women from birth, their working-class backgrounds, and the really unexpected twists and turns of their enlightening life stories. It was really eye-opening for the conditions and social standards of 19th Century Britain and really makes you think of how far we’ve come. — Ruaridh Heath, Manchester, UK

Listen: "Blowback" is an amazing podcast about the characters behind the scenes of conflicts America likes to forget about. Starting with the war in Iraq (then moving on to Cuba and North Korea), it breaks down the motives and outcomes of the American strategy of isolating "rogue states" in an effort to bring about regime change from the narrative of the people at the levers of power. — Lawrence Wood

More from GZERO Media

​U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 17, 2025.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

A federal judge set up a showdown with the Trump administration on Wednesday with a ruling that threatens to find the government in contempt if it fails to comply with a judicial order to provide due process to Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador.

Gavin Newsom speaks at the Vogue World: Hollywood Announcement at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, CA on March 26, 2025.
Photo by Corine Solberg/Sipa USA

California governor Gavin Newsom kicked off a campaign to promote Canadian tourism in his state, pitching its sunny beaches, lush vineyards, and world-class restaurants.

An employee checks filled capsules inside a Cadila Pharmaceutical company manufacturing unit at Dholka town on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, April 12, 2025.
REUTERS/Amit Dave

Donald Trump’s administration announced that it is opening investigations into pharmaceutical and semiconductor supply chains, which will likely result in tariffs that will hurt suppliers in Europe, India, and Canada.

Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party speaks after Democrat Josh Stein won the North Carolina governor's race, in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., November 5, 2024.
REUTERS/Jonathan Drake

As the Democrats start plotting their fight back into power in the 2026 midterms, one issue has come up again and again.

People gather after Friday prayers during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, on April 4, 2025.
REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Jordanian authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of 16 people accused of planning terrorist attacks inside Jordan. The country’s security services say the suspects had been under surveillance since 2021, and half a dozen of them were reportedly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization.