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2011 Best of Nonfiction: Pop Culture and Entertainment

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Cover art for THE ECSTASY OF INFLUENCE
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 8, 2011
Kirkus Star THE ECSTASY OF INFLUENCE: NONFICTIONS, ETC.
by Jonathan Lethem
"Inevitably a mixed bag, but with high ambitions and a strong sense of purpose."
Conceptual ambition, sense of purpose and a fan's evangelical devotion distinguish this collection from the typical novelist's gathering of nonfiction miscellany. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT
NONFICTION
Released: June 7, 2011
Kirkus Star THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT: THE ASTONISHING RISE AND SPECTACULAR FALL OF A SERIAL IMPOSTOR
by Mark Seal
"Impossible to put down—Patricia Highsmith couldn't have written a more compelling thriller."
Vanity Fair contributing editor Seal (Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa, 2009) unravels the complex case of "Clark Rockefeller," a fiendishly clever con man who, over the course of three decades, insinuated himself into the highest echelons of American society using only his wits and a borrowed name. Read full book review >
Cover art for ELECTRIC EDEN
NONFICTION
Released: May 17, 2011
Kirkus Star ELECTRIC EDEN: UNEARTHING BRITAIN'S VISIONARY MUSIC
by Rob Young
"A breathtakingly accomplished, entertaining and illuminating epic."
A dense, brilliant charting of England's folk-music tradition and its multiplicity of modern mutations. Read full book review >
Cover art for BOTTOM OF THE 33RD
NONFICTION
Released: April 12, 2011
Kirkus Star BOTTOM OF THE 33RD: HOPE, REDEMPTION, AND BASEBALL'S LONGEST GAME
by Dan Barry
"Destined to take its place among the classics of baseball literature."
New York Times columnist Barry (City Lights: Stories About New York, 2007, etc.) delivers an all-angle take on the longest, and surely the strangest, game in baseball history. Read full book review >
Cover art for 33 REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE
NONFICTION
Released: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Star 33 REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE: A HISTORY OF PROTEST SONGS, FROM BILLIE HOLIDAY TO GREEN DAY
by Dorian Lynskey
"Lynskey presents a difficult, risky art form in all its complexity."
An ambitious, astute summary of political songs, from the 1940s to the present. Read full book review >
Cover art for EVERYONE LOVES YOU WHEN YOU'RE DEAD
NONFICTION
Released: March 15, 2011
Kirkus Star EVERYONE LOVES YOU WHEN YOU'RE DEAD: JOURNEYS INTO FAME AND MADNESS
by Neil Strauss
"Gonzo interviewing at its best."
Veteran pop-culture journalist Strauss (Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life, 2009, etc.) offers an eclectic collection of interviews with the "artists, celebrities, and crazy people of the world." Read full book review >
Cover art for HALFWAY TO HOLLYWOOD
NONFICTION
Released: March 15, 2011
Kirkus Star HALFWAY TO HOLLYWOOD: DIARIES 1980-1988
by Michael Palin
"Pythonophiles will find this essential, of course. But fans of good writing should dip into these pages, too, for Palin--Michael, not Sarah--knows his way around a book."
Renowned funnyman and world traveler Palin surveys the ruins of the British Empire and heads outward in the follow-up to Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years (2007). Read full book review >