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12 Excellent New Biographies

Cover art for REINVENTING BACH
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
Kirkus Star REINVENTING BACH
by Paul Elie
"The author's passion, thorough research and imaginative heart produce one revelation after another."
The author of The Life You Save May Be Your Own (2003) returns with a tour de force about Johann Sebastian Bach and a description and assessment of the recordings that have made his work an essential part of our culture. Read full book review >
Cover art for JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 4, 2012
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS: A LIFE
by Harlow Giles Unger
"A fine examination of a life, well deserving a place alongside David McCullough's study of Adams père."
A neglected president receives his due as a statesman and practical politician. Read full book review >
Cover art for ON A FARTHER SHORE
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 4, 2012
Kirkus Star ON A FARTHER SHORE: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF RACHEL CARSON
by William Souder
"A poignant, galvanizing, meaningful tribute."
Fifty years after the publication of Rachel Carson's seminal Silent Spring, Pulitzer Prize nominee Souder (Under a Wild Sky: John James Audubon and the Making of The Birds of America, 2004, etc.) examines the legacy and lasting impact of Carson's passionate environmental work. Read full book review >
Cover art for DEARIE
NONFICTION
Released: Aug. 15, 2012
Kirkus Star DEARIE: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF JULIA CHILD
by Bob Spitz
"An engrossing biography of a woman worthy of iconic status."
Published to coincide with what would have been her 100th birthday, this biography of the iconic Julia Child (1912–2004) does full justice to its complex subject. Read full book review >
Cover art for GIL HODGES
NONFICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012
GIL HODGES: THE BROOKLYN BUMS, THE MIRACLE METS, AND THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF A BASEBALL LEGEND
by Tom Clavin, Danny Peary
"A loving appreciation of a rare commodity: an extraordinary athlete who was an even better man."
A neglected baseball great receives his due in this comprehensive biography. Read full book review >
Cover art for SOUNDINGS
NONFICTION
Released: July 17, 2012
SOUNDINGS: THE STORY OF THE REMARKABLE WOMAN WHO MAPPED THE OCEAN FLOOR
by Hali Felt
"A well-researched, engaging account of an important scientific discovery that should also find a place on women's-studies shelves."
A complex, rich biography of a groundbreaking geologist who discovered "a rift valley running down the center of the Atlantic," essentially transforming 20th-century geophysics despite "mid-century American gender bias" and scientific rivalries. Read full book review >