Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




2012 National Book Award Finalists


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Cover art for BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS
NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 7, 2012

"The best book yet written on India in the throes of a brutal transition."
In her debut, Pulitzer Prize–winning New Yorker staff writer Boo creates an intimate, unforgettable portrait of India's urban poor. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOUSE OF STONE
NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 28, 2012

"A complicated, elegiac, beautiful attempt to reconcile the physical bayt (home) and the spiritual."
A nostalgic, bittersweet journey back to the Lebanese homestead. Read full book review >
Cover art for GOBLIN SECRETS
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 6, 2012

"The result is wryly humorous and bearably yet excitingly menacing: Even while much is left unexplained, Rownie's triumph is both gripping and tantalizing. (Fantasy. 9-13)"
Rownie's search for his brother turns into an unlikely heroic quest. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE PASSAGE OF POWER
NONFICTION
Released: May 1, 2012

"The Johnson project deserves equal praise."
The fourth volume of one of the most anticipated English-language biographies of the past 30 years. Read full book review >
Cover art for BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK
FICTION
Released: May 1, 2012

"War is hell in this novel of inspired absurdity. "
Hailed as heroes on a stateside tour before returning to Iraq, Bravo Squad discovers just what it has been fighting for. Read full book review >
Cover art for NEVER FALL DOWN
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 8, 2012

"Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers will seek out the history themselves. (preface, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-15)"
A harrowing tale of survival in the Killing Fields. Read full book review >