Imagine Books, the adult nonfiction imprint of the children’s book publisher Charlesbridge, has been part of the Charlesbridge catalog since 2010—but now has a dynamic new focus, thanks to editorial director Kevin Stevens, who joined the imprint in 2018.

Imagine charged Stevens with bringing its mission into line with that of the parent company, known for publishing talented authors of diverse voices and viewpoints who provide powerful stories for young readers on subjects from the worlds of history, politics, science, nature, and culture.

Under Stevens’s leadership, Imagine has published notable titles on timely, important, and progressive subjects, such as Taking a Knee, Taking a Stand: African American Athletes and the Fight for Social Justice by Bob Schron (March 2020) and We Are Not Refugees by Agus Morales, a study of the global refugee crisis, translated from the Catalan by Charlotte Whittle (March 2019). One of Stevens’s first acquisitions was Shelley Mickle Fraser’s Borrowing Life: How Scientists, Surgeons, and a War Hero Made the First Successful Organ Transplant (March 2020), a narrative nonfiction at the intersection of history, medicine, science, and biography, and a good example of Stevens’s goal, as he puts it, of “publishing authors whose books capture unique narratives of personal triumph, social responsibility, or significant history.”

Imagine’s 2021 curated offerings expand and deepen this goal with a range of books aimed at the general reader that nevertheless stimulate, educate, and challenge. New and forthcoming titles include:

The Call of Kilimanjaro: Finding Hope Above the Clouds by Jeff Belanger (March 2021). Belanger is an adventurer, journalist, and one of the most visible explorers of the unexplained today. He is the Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends series on PBS and the weekly New England Legends podcast. This moving book presents an honest and engaging account of one hiker’s journey to spiritual transformation as he climbs to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Next Smart Step: How to Overcome Gender Stereotypes and Build a Stronger Organization by Kelly Watson and Jodi Ecker Detjen (February 2021). Watson has spent more than 20 years as an accomplished operations and organizational development consultant. Detjen is the MBA program director and a clinical professor of management at Suffolk University in Boston, Mass. Their book allows readers to recognize and manage unconscious biases, seeing diversity as a 21st-century skill, and move towards equal partnerships in the workplace. The Next Smart Step outlines strategies for flexibility, communication, openness, and mutual respect, helping to create a positive environment and a stronger team.

In Defense of Liberal Democracy: What We Need to Do to Heal a Divided America by Manuel Hinds (April 2021) comes at a perfect time, as the country seeks to find bipartisan solutions to polarizing issues. Hinds, a winner of the Manhattan Institute’s Hayek Prize, has worked in the public and private sectors and as a consultant to international institutions, including the World Bank, and governments on issues related to the financial system. Merging expert historical, political, and economic analysis, In Defense of Liberal Democracy shows how our recent technological revolution has led to a crisis of divisiveness, which he calls the Connectivity Revolution. Hinds examines our national past and present (up to and including the 2020 presidential election) to illustrate how current events can be as dramatic as any historical legacy in warning us of the danger of abandoning our democratic principles.

Dance or Die: A Memoir by Ahmad Joudeh (September 2021). Born in Damascus in 1990 as a stateless refugee, Ahmad Joudeh experienced numerous life-threatening situations growing up. His home was destroyed, he lost five family members, and he witnessed a child killed during battle. In August 2016, when Joudeh’s struggle to pursue his dream of becoming a dancer in war-torn Syria was reported on Dutch National Television, the Dutch National Ballet invited him to the Netherlands, where he joined the company. Organizing the Dance For Peace Fund, they began raising awareness of the life-threatening issues refugees face. In 2019, Roozbeh Kaboly’s documentary film Dance or Die brought the life of Ahmad Joudeh to the screen, winning an International Emmy Award. Imagine Books is proud to publish his story in a book by the same name, Dance or Die: From Stateless Refugee to International Ballet Star, A Memoir.