Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968, by Ryan Walsh

"An engrossing look at the Boston counterculture rooted in a single year, Walsh’s page-turner sheds new light on a surprising cast of musicians (Van Morrison, the Velvet Underground, Jim Kweskin, James Brown); but it’s especially memorable for its portrayal of that music’s place in a broader ecosystem of psychedelic local-access TV, cutting edge filmmaking, and the cult-like Mel Lyman Family commune, whose story has long deserved a wider audience."

Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture, by Grace Elizabeth Hale

"Art school students, DIY entrepreneurs, gender non-conformists, outsider artists, grassroots activists, and more. As both an historian and an original participant in the culture, Grace Elizabeth Hale brings an illuminating perspective to the unlikely southern scene that gave us the B52s, REM, and (so) much more."

Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound, by Andrea Swensson

"No great artist, however singular, just comes out of nowhere. Got to Be Something Here reveals the long lineage of Minneapolis jazz, R&B, soul, and funk—important and fascinating in its own right—that set the stage for the likes of Prince."

Girls to the Front, by Sara Marcus

"An inspiring punk rock story on the rise, fall, and continued promise of the Riot Grrrl revolution."

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson

"Astonishing for its ability to interweave the intimate and the epic, Wilkerson’s masterpiece balances details of individual lives against the full sweep of the 20th century. Unlike other books on this list, this one’s not about music or art or even a particular place—but it’s  a masterclass on research methods, storytelling, structure, and style. Even its table of contents is practically a poem."