New releases

Empires Without Imperialism by Jeanne Morefield (Oxford, $29.95). Morefield, an associate professor of politics at Whitman College, examines the deflective politics and rhetoric of several pro-imperial public intellectuals from the late British Empire and contemporary America.

Experiencing Spirituality: Finding Meaning Through Storytelling by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham (Tarcher, $25.95). The authors use stories from all ages, cultures, religions and philosophies to shed light on such human experiences as humor, confusion, wonder and forgiveness. Ketcham lives in Walla Walla.

The Impossible Will Take a Little While by Paul Rogat Loeb (Basic Books, $18.99). In an update of his 2004 book, Seattle author Loeb looks at how the leaders and unsung heroes of world-changing movements have persevered in the face of doubt, fear and long odds.

Cinderella Stays Late and Red Riding Hood Gets Lost by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams ((Scholastic, $5.99). For ages 8-11: The first two entries in a new series, Grimmtastic Girls, find fairy-tale characters attending Grimm Academy. Red, Snow, Rapunzel and Cinda must thwart evil plots that threaten Prince Awesome. Williams lives in Renton.

Read more here:

The problem with empires, surveying spirituality