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The National Medal of Arts Recipients

Cover art for A WIDOW'S STORY
NONFICTION
Released: Feb. 15, 2011
A WIDOW'S STORY: A MEMOIR
by Joyce Carol Oates
"Oates continues to keep her readers guessing at her next thrilling effort."
A wildly unhinged, deeply intimate look at the eminent author's "derangement of Widowhood." Read full book review >
Cover art for NEMESIS
FICTION
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
Kirkus Star NEMESIS
by Philip Roth
"For it is within these short novels that Roth tackles nothing less than the human condition, which finds its nemesis in the mirror."
For those who monitor the growing list of books by Philip Roth, his forthcoming, Nemesis, presents a revelation as startling as the discovery of a planet or the alignment of a new constellation. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE PURPOSE OF THE PAST
NONFICTION
Released: March 17, 2008
THE PURPOSE OF THE PAST: REFLECTIONS ON THE USES OF HISTORY
by Gordon S. Wood
"A takeaway point well worth the price of admission, but there are many more in this solid collection. Fruitful reading for academics and history buffs alike."
History teaches little and has scarce influence on the present. So why bother to study it at all? Read full book review >
Cover art for RALPH ELLISON
NONFICTION
Released: April 20, 2007
Kirkus Star RALPH ELLISON: A BIOGRAPHY
by Arnold Rampersad
"A revealing exploration of Ellison's life and work."
A superb biography of the noted African-American writer and the tormented times in which he lived. Read full book review >
Cover art for ANDY CATLETT
FICTION
Released: Jan. 1, 2007
ANDY CATLETT: EARLY TRAVELS
by Wendell Berry
"An eloquent distillation of Berry's favorite themes: the importance of family, community and respect for the land. "
This short, elegiac novel is the latest in Berry's Port William series. Read full book review >
Cover art for “TO BEGIN THE WORLD ANEW”
NONFICTION
Released: Jan. 15, 2003
“TO BEGIN THE WORLD ANEW”: THE GENIUS AND AMBIGUITIES OF THE AMERICAN FOUNDERS
by Bernard Bailyn
"Bailyn's distinctive voice, as level-headed and acute as ever, works as both a stimulant and a balm, wrapped in an umbra of intellectual integrity. (65 illustrations, 4 pages of color)"
A two-time Pulitzer-winner takes to the essay form again (Faces of Revolution, 1990) as he endeavors to portray the likes of Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin in all their ambiguities, inconsistencies, and ability to think freely. Read full book review >