Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Current Affairs Book Reviews Available Now (page 2)


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Cover art for AMERICAN BETRAYAL
NONFICTION
Released: May 28, 2013

"A frustrating mixture of incontrovertible facts and dubious speculation. Proceed with caution."
A nationally syndicated conservative columnist explores the extent and impact of the Soviet Union's penetration of the United States government. Read full book review >
Cover art for AMERICAN SAVAGE
NONFICTION
Released: May 28, 2013

"At turns serious and humorous, this multifaceted collection of essays will entertain both longtime Savage fans and new readers."
Personal and political essays from the columnist and gay rights advocate. Read full book review >
Cover art for CHANGE THEY <i>CAN'T</i> BELIEVE IN
NONFICTION
Released: May 26, 2013

"A dispassionate, academic account supported by reasoned facts in place of political passions."
Two University of Washington political science professors offer a rigorous scholarly investigation of the tea party. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE UNWINDING
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"Exemplary journalism that defines a sobering, even depressing matter. A foundational document in the literature of the end of America--the end, that is, for the moment."
New Yorker writer Packer (Interesting Times: Writing from a Turbulent Decade, 2009, etc.) ranges across the country to chronicle the time when "the coil that held Americans together in its secure and sometimes stifling grip first gave way." Read full book review >
Cover art for STUMBLING GIANT
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A thoughtful reconsideration of China's actual place in the new world order, based on reality rather than fanciful speculation."
A Hong Kong–based executive suggests that the dreaded Chinese juggernaut has a few cracks in its armor. Read full book review >
Cover art for TIME NO LONGER
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A difficult, unsettling and ultimately disappointing critique of the American worldview."
"[E]xceptionalism is a national impediment America can no longer afford," declares journalist Smith (Somebody Else's Century: East and West in a Post–Western World, 2010, etc.) in this challenge to Americans' view of themselves. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BODY ECONOMIC
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"A dramatic study emphasizing some of the combined consequences of ideological obsessions and bureaucratic thoughtlessness."
How budget-cutting responses to recession produce increases in death rates and epidemiclike breakdowns in public health. Read full book review >
Cover art for COOL WAR
NONFICTION
Released: May 21, 2013

"Current affairs books always run the risk of going rather quickly from the New Releases shelf to the remainder bin, but Feldman's book carries enough insight to warrant serious attention from anyone interested in what may well be the defining relationship in global affairs for decades to come."
A brief consideration of the current state of Sino-American relations. Read full book review >
Cover art for AMERICAN WARRIOR
NONFICTION
Released: May 14, 2013

"Military buffs will give this high marks; general readers may find it hard to relate to the author's relentlessly macho ethos, but they will find it hard not to admire his fierce dedication."
Memoirs from members of Special Forces tend to mix combat fireworks with a leavening of modesty, but O'Neal, writing with veteran co-author Fisher (with Tom Coughlin: Earn the Right to Win, 2013, etc.), dispenses with the modesty at no great cost. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE REAL NORTH KOREA
NONFICTION
Released: May 8, 2013

"A well-reasoned survey by a scholar who excels at long-term thinking."
Examination of North Korea's misery-producing dictatorship, why it cannot last and how to replace it. Read full book review >
Cover art for MOTHERHOOD, RESCHEDULED
NONFICTION
Released: May 7, 2013

"A page-turner in which each of the stories is different but compelling."
Freelance journalist Richards chronicles how five single women attempted to take charge of their own fertility. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FRACTURING OF THE AMERICAN CORPORATE ELITE
NONFICTION
Released: May 7, 2013

"Intriguing reading for an academic audience."
An expert in sociology and organizational methods challenges the view that business has too much influence on government. Read full book review >