NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 14, 2011
"A well-rounded treatment of the life of a man who made significant contributions to his country and the world at large."
The long-awaited authorized biography of George F. Kennan (1904–2005), the creator of America's Cold War containment strategy.
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NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 8, 2011
"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.
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NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 1, 2011
"Mostly impressive work from a writer who frequently causes readers to challenge their own perspectives."
Though many of the articles collected here illuminate the surfaces of popular culture, the best of them go deeper into the heart of America.
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NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 18, 2011
"Erudite and occasionally dense, but ultimately illuminating, even transformative."
FICTION
Released: Oct. 14, 2011
"But yes, it matters, and such is the stuff of biography. How do we know the truth about anyone's life? Hollinghurst's carefully written, philosophically charged novel invites us to consider that question."
Lives tangle and untangle in a literate, literary mystery at the heart of World War I by Man Booker Prize winner Hollinghurst (
The Line of Beauty, 2004, etc.).
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FICTION
Released: Oct. 11, 2011
"Dazzling work—Eugenides continues to show that he is one of the finest of contemporary novelists."
A stunning novel—erudite, compassionate and penetrating in its analysis of love relationships.
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NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 4, 2011
"Raw, searing reading from start to finish."
In this brilliantly jagged sequel to the gang-life classic,
Always Running (1994), acclaimed journalist, poet and fiction writer Rodriguez (
Music of the Mill, 2005, etc.) chronicles his struggle to leave behind a drug- and crime-ridden world that always threatened to "call him back."
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NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 26, 2011
"Vogel meticulously considers all facets of this complex leader for an elucidating—and quite hefty—study."
A thorough picking-over of Deng Xiaoping's record and accomplishments, setting him firmly as the linchpin linking an antiquated authoritative thinking to modern growth and acceleration.
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NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 23, 2011
"Appearing on the 50th anniversary of Hemingway's death, this beautifully written, nuanced meditation deserves a wide audience."
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 14, 2011
"A saga as richly realized as a fine Victorian novel."
Former Reuters journalist Gabriel (The Art of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta and Claribel Cone, 2002, etc.) offers a rich, humanizing portrait of the Marx family.
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FICTION
Released: July 12, 2011
"Spiotta keenly understands how busily we construct images of ourselves for the public, and how hard loved ones work to dismantle them."
A woman tussles with memories of her brother, a rock 'n' roll cult hero, in a sharp, challenging novel about identity and family history.
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NONFICTION
Released: June 28, 2011
"A staggering work of research, occasionally toilsome to read."
Exhaustive record of Britain's growing alarm at the escalating American Civil War and outright sympathy and shelter for the Confederacy.
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NONFICTION
Released: May 3, 2011
"An ambitious narrative that presents a teeming worldview through intimate, human portraits."
From historian Hochschild (
Bury the Chains: The First International Human Rights Movement, 2005, etc.), a selective history of the slaughter of innocents in World War I.
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NONFICTION
Released: April 4, 2011
"A bold, sure-footed, significant biography of enormous depth and feeling."
A candid, corrective look at the Nation of Islam leader and renegade—and a deeply informed investigation of the evolution of his thinking on race and revolution.
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NONFICTION
Released: April 4, 2011
"Ackerman's book is important for the guidance and hope it offers to stroke victims and their families, and it's also a satisfying, tender and humane celebration of love between two literary elites."
From prolific poet and essayist Ackerman (
Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day, 2009, etc.), a sensitive memoir about how her relationship with her husband, novelist Paul West, evolved in the aftermath of his stroke.
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NONFICTION
Released: March 29, 2011
"Whether in sketches or rigorous studies, each piece bears the mark of Dyer's unique intelligence and wit."
A grab-bag of critical essays, reportage and personal stories from the irrepressibly curious Dyer (
Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, 2009, etc).
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NONFICTION
Released: March 1, 2011
"Gleick loves the layered detail, which might cause some to sigh, "TMI." But for completist cybergeeks and infojunkies, the book delivers a solid summary of a dense, complex subject."
Think your inbox is jammed now, your attention span overtaxed? It's only the beginning, writes pop-science writer Gleick (
Isaac Newton, 2003, etc.) in this tour of information and the theory that goes along with it.
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NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 18, 2011
"Splendidly researched, sensibly argued and compassionately told."
Jasanoff (History/Harvard Univ.; Edge of Empire: Life, Culture, and Conquest in the East 1750–1850, 2005) examines the effects of the American Revolution on those whose loyalty to the Crown compelled them to flee the new United States.
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FICTION
Released: Feb. 8, 2011
"Determining whether the novel's main character is hero, villain or somewhere in between might require the reader to start over with the book after finishing it."
A masterful command of narrative voice distinguishes a debut novel that requires patience and rewards it.
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NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 1, 2011
"A dryly humorous memoir of love, travel and wide-eyed idealism."
Chronicle of the chaotic year during which two-time Pushcart Prize–winning author Unferth (English/Wesleyan Univ.;
Vacation, 2008, etc.) and her then-boyfriend went from being college coeds to aspiring communist revolutionaries in Central America.
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