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LATEST ISSUE OF
Kirkus Reviews
Best-seller Jeannette Walls talks about mining her own history for her new novel, The Silver Star.
Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS



Best Nonfiction of 2012: History (page 4)

Cover art for DESERT AMERICA
NONFICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Star DESERT AMERICA: BOOM AND BUST IN THE NEW "NEW WEST"
by Rubén Martínez
"Less self-absorbed than Luis Alberto Urrea, less cynical than Charles Bowden, less otherly obsessed than William Vollmann--and right in the pocket, a necessary chronicle of a weird corner of America."
A savage journey into terror, cacti, drugs, desperation and all-around anomie in the superheated atmosphere of the desert Southwest. Read full book review >
Cover art for FREEDOM'S CAP
NONFICTION
Released: March 6, 2012
Kirkus Star FREEDOM'S CAP: THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL AND THE COMING OF THE CIVIL WAR
by Guy Gugliotta
"Impressive research underlies a well-told story that's simultaneously depressing (what a nasty species we are) and inspiring (what a wonderful species we are)."
Partisan bickering, back-stabbing rivalries, xenophobia, character assassination, political moves that would make Machiavelli blush--no, not Washington circa 2011, but the Washington Capitol in the 1850s. Read full book review >
Cover art for SAVAGE CONTINENT
NONFICTION
Released: July 3, 2012
Kirkus Star SAVAGE CONTINENT: EUROPE IN THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II
by Keith Lowe
"Authoritative but never dry, stripping away soothing myths of national unity and victimhood, this is a painful but necessary historical task superbly done."
A breathtaking, numbing account of the physical and moral desolation that plagued Europe in the late 1940s. Read full book review >
Cover art for CONSIDER THE FORK
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 9, 2012
CONSIDER THE FORK: A HISTORY OF HOW WE COOK AND EAT
by Bee Wilson
"Rarely has a book with so much information been such an entertaining read."
From British food writer Wilson (Sandwich: A Global History, 2010, etc.), a savory survey of kitchen implements and their impact. Read full book review >
Cover art for CITY
NONFICTION
Released: June 1, 2012
Kirkus Star CITY: A USER'S GUIDE TO THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF URBAN LIFE
by P.D. Smith
"As exciting, sprawling and multifarious as a shining city on a hill."
Smith (Doomsday Men: The Real Dr. Strangelove and the Dream of the Superweapon, 2007, etc.) composes a polyphonic paean to our urban past, present and future. Read full book review >
Cover art for CITY OF PROMISES
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 24, 2012
Kirkus Star CITY OF PROMISES: A HISTORY OF THE JEWS IN NEW YORK
by Deborah Dash Moore, edited by Howard B. Rock, Annie Polland, Daniel Soyer, Jeffrey S. Gurock, Diana Linden
"Such a large historical project could have easily descended into tedious and dry academia, but instead, all three volumes are briskly paced, well-researched and insightful. Aficionados of urban histories, in particular, will find much to enjoy."
This ambitious three-volume history, overseen by Moore (Judaic Studies and History/Univ. of Michigan; American Jewish Identity Politics, 2008, etc.), provides a lively, much-needed overview of the role that Jews have played in the history and success of the Big Apple, helping to transform it into "a city of promises, some fulfilled, some pending, some beckoning new generations." Read full book review >