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Out of Air, by Rachel Reiss ’99 (Macmillan). Recent high school graduate Phoebe “Phibs” Ray is never more at home than when she’s underwater. And while she and her four closest friends are taking one last summer trip to a distant Australian island to do what they love most—scuba dive—Phibs discovers a spectacular underwater sea cave, rumored to be a lost cave with a buried treasure. But after she and her buddy Gabe surface from the cave, they’re undergoing strange changes: oozing gashes that don’t heal; haunting whispers in their heads. Something is lurking beneath their skin, transforming them from the inside out. When treasure hunters arrive, desperate to find the location of the cave and holding Phibs’ group for ransom, she’ll do anything to keep her friends safe. In the process she learns that, of all the dreadful creatures of the sea, she might be the most terrifying of them all. Out of Air is the debut novel by Reiss, a writer and experienced scuba diver who has explored marine reefs around the world. She lives in Southern California with her family and her rambunctious dog, Ozzy.

Much Ado About Keanu: A Critical Reeves Theory, by Sezin Devi Koehler ’01 (Chicago Review Press). With his prolific movie career and endearing real-life persona, Keanu Reeves has become the universal screen saver of pop culture. But Reeves is much more than box office receipts and internet memes, and Much Ado About Keanu provides an in-depth look at his art, identity, and ethnicity. Critical barbs and seven Razzie nominations notwithstanding, Reeves is one of the beloved performers working today, and over his 40-year career he has made huge strides for Asian and Indigenous representation. Pop culture sociologist and Reeves devotee Sezin Devi Koehler examines Reeves’ creative output through a series of essays that challenge how audiences engage with his movies, highlighting the importance of Keanu as a multitalented artist and trailblazer, not only for racial representation but for intersectional, queer, and feminist readings of cinema as well. Koehler has written for Entertainment Weekly, Black Girl Nerds, The Daily Beast, Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, Bitch Media, and more. Having spent the majority of her life abroad, she now calls East Oakland home (and writes from a house that looks suspiciously like the one from the 1998 film Practical Magic).

Rethinking Philosophy of Religion with Wittgenstein: Religious Diversities and Racism, by Thomas D. Carroll ’92 (Bloomsbury). Can Wittgenstein's philosophy help us to see religious diversities? Through a cross-cultural focus on Chinese philosophical and religious traditions and the intertwining of racism and religion in the United States, Carroll highlights two related features of Wittgenstein's philosophy: the relevance of contextual backgrounds to interpreting ways of life and the importance of reflecting on existential purposes in philosophical inquiry. Committed to the essential task of expanding philosophy of religion, Carroll critically studies the term “religion” and goes beyond the traditional categories of belief to consider diverse religious phenomena such as rituals, practices, institutions, forms of belonging, and pragmatic forms of religious engagement. By demonstrating how Wittgenstein's ideas can enrich our understanding of the complex phenomenon of religion and the place it has in our lives, this inclusive and timely study asks us to rethink how we approach philosophy of religion. is an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), where he teaches courses in philosophy, religious studies, and interdisciplinary humanities. 

A Shadow for Alice (A Sequel to Wonderland), by D.L. Armstrong ’69 (Cupcake Press). This illustrated, annotated, and poem-studded sequel to Carroll’s Alice books follows a new Alice as she falls through her shadow into a topsy-turvy world. Sadly, the inhabitants—the well-meaning Robots, the lovesick Caterpillar, the poetic Seagull, and the questionable Aunt Lucy—are definitely not helpful. Can our Alice reclaim her missing shadow and find her way back home?  And what will she bring back with her from that bewildering quest? After completing a B.A. in English and a doctorate in English literature from Johns Hopkins, followed by a brief teaching career, Armstrong joined Cal State University’s public affairs office. Now retired, he collects and writes children’s books.

Zine: Number one song in Heaven, by Jonah de Forest ’24. In this collection of writing and art that explores the intersection of queerness, cultural iconography, religion, and selfhood, de Forest draws on the talents of fellow Tigers Beatrice Irwin ’25 and Olivia Greene ’24, who took some of the photos, and Bella Busto ’25, who designed the cover text. The zine is available at North Figueroa Bookshop (Highland Park), Stories Books and Cafe (Echo Park), the Pop-Hop (Eagle Rock), and Book Alley (Pasadena), and was featured in Pride display in June. De Forest majored in theater and performance studies at SA���ʴ�ý with a minor in interdisciplinary writing.

Film: Turtle Walker, by Taira Malaney ’13. In the late 1970s, Satish Bhaskar embarked on an epic journey along India’s coastlines and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where he uncovered the vital nesting beaches of sea turtles. During his death-defying quest, he unraveled mysteries surrounding these enigmatic ocean creatures—and sets out to save them from extinction. After a devastating tsunami struck in 2004, Bhaskar grapples with a pressing question: What happens to sea turtles when their nesting beaches disappear? Written and directed by Malaney, Turtle Walker premiered at DOC NYC in November 2024 and recently won Best International Film at the 2025 San Francisco Frozen Film Festival. Malaney majored in psychology at Occidental, where her focus was on fostering empathy in youth. She founded Emaho Films in 2016 to tell strong character-driven stories that explore the relationship between human beings and the natural world. Since then, Malaney has written, directed, and edited several award-winning documentary shorts, including A Living Legacy (2017) and The Call of Pashmina (2018). She lives in Goa, India.