The world is very serious right now. And our mature responses to the child who's leading our country don't seem to be making a dent. Maybe it's time to tweak power's nose a bit?

This week's sponsor, Shepherd Siegel, is an award-winning educator and a student of play as a tool for revolution. His new book, Disruptive Play: The Trickster in Politics and Culture, tracks the long history of nose-tweakers and playful rebels who've led social progress in our country and elsewhere. Fittingly, it's a playful book with a weighty message: when you take someone else's power seriously, you give up your own. Read an excerpt on our sponsor feature page for a taste, and then add Siegel's January 8 reading at Third Place Ravenna to your calendar.

Sponsors like Shepherd Seigel make the Seattle Review of Books possible. Did you know you can sponsor us, too? There's only ONE slot remaining in our fall/winter block, for the week of January 21. Grab it fast, and be one of the first books (or events) our readers see in 2019! Take a glance at our sponsorship information page for details.