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Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

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New and Notable Nonfiction for September

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Cover art for DEATH IN THE CITY OF LIGHT
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Star DEATH IN THE CITY OF LIGHT: THE SERIAL KILLER OF NAZI-OCCUPIED PARIS
by David King
"The author's successful transition into the true-crime genre—expertly written and completely absorbing."
The gripping narrative of a twisted serial killer preying on the most vulnerable citizens of Paris during the Nazi occupation. Read full book review >
Cover art for A MORE PERFECT HEAVEN
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
A MORE PERFECT HEAVEN: HOW NICOLAUS COPERNICUS REVOLUTIONIZED THE COSMOS
by Dava Sobel
"A liquid entertainment of choice passages on the thoughts and deeds of Copernicus."
Sobel (The Planets, 2005, etc.) offers another meaty-while-mellifluous story of science. Read full book review >
Cover art for WE MEANT WELL
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Star WE MEANT WELL: HOW I HELPED LOSE THE BATTLE FOR THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE
by Peter Van Buren
"One of the rare, completely satisfying results of the expensive debacle in Iraq."
Laugh-out-loud stories about how the United States failed to rebuild Iraq. Read full book review >
Cover art for HEMINGWAY'S BOAT
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 23, 2011
Kirkus Star HEMINGWAY'S BOAT: EVERYTHING HE LOVED IN LIFE, AND LOST, 1934-1961
by Paul Hendrickson
"Appearing on the 50th anniversary of Hemingway's death, this beautifully written, nuanced meditation deserves a wide audience."
A splendid view of Papa and his beloved boat Pilar. Read full book review >
Cover art for LENNON
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 20, 2011
Kirkus Star LENNON: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE MUSIC--THE DEFINITIVE LIFE
by Tim Riley
"Essential for Lennon fans, and one of the most thorough yet accessible rock biographies to appear in recent years."
After hundreds of books on the former Beatle, is there anything left to say? Read full book review >
Cover art for THE SWERVE
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Star THE SWERVE: HOW THE WORLD BECAME MODERN
by Stephen Greenblatt
"More wonderfully illuminating Renaissance history from a master scholar and historian."
Greenblatt (Humanities/Harvard Univ.; Shakespeare's Freedom, 2010, etc.) makes another intellectually fetching foray into the Renaissance—with digressions into antiquity and the recent past—in search of a root of modernity. Read full book review >
Cover art for WINNING THE WAR ON WAR
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 15, 2011
WINNING THE WAR ON WAR: THE DECLINE OF ARMED CONFLICT WORLDWIDE
by Joshua S. Goldstein
"Optimistic, useful history of diplomacy as counterweight to brutality."
A surprising study that suggests warfare is decreasing and growing less intense, coupled with a strident defense of peacekeeping and the United Nations. Read full book review >
Cover art for RETIREMENT HEIST
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 15, 2011
Kirkus Star RETIREMENT HEIST: HOW COMPANIES PLUNDER AND PROFIT FROM THE NEST EGGS OF AMERICAN WORKERS
by Ellen E. Schultz
"Essential reading for anyone who works for a living."
A blistering examination of corporate greed and avarice. Read full book review >
Cover art for AN UNQUENCHABLE THIRST
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
Kirkus Star AN UNQUENCHABLE THIRST: FOLLOWING MOTHER TERESA IN SEARCH OF LOVE, SERVICE, AND AN AUTHENTIC LIFE
by Mary Johnson
"Johnson's portrayal of her time as a nun is likely to be controversial; her memoir is exceptional."
Beautifully crafted memoir of one woman's experience in Mother Teresa's order, the Missionaries of Charity. Read full book review >
Cover art for HERE COMES TROUBLE
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 13, 2011
HERE COMES TROUBLE: STORIES FROM MY LIFE
by Michael Moore
"This spirited, most welcome book is more evidence of that affection."
Filmmaker and progressive activist Moore comes roaring back with his first new book since Dude, Where's My Country? (2003). Read full book review >
Cover art for EVERYBODY LOVES OUR TOWN
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 6, 2011
Kirkus Star EVERYBODY LOVES OUR TOWN: AN ORAL HISTORY OF GRUNGE
by Mark Yarm
"Yarm's affectionate, gossipy, detailed look at the highs and lows of the contemporary Seattle music scene is one of the most essential rock books of recent years."
A harsh, harrowing, gritty examination of Seattle's finest rockers. Read full book review >
Cover art for WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO TO WAR
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 6, 2011
WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO TO WAR
by Karl Marlantes
"A valiant effort to explain and make peace with war's awesome consequences for human beings."
A manual for soldiers or anyone interested in what can happen to mind, body and spirit in the extreme circumstances of war. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE MAN WHO COULDN'T EAT
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 6, 2011
Kirkus Star THE MAN WHO COULDN'T EAT: A MEMOIR
by Jon Reiner
"An inspiring, incredible tale."
A gifted food writer details his battle with Crohn's disease. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BODY POLITIC
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
Kirkus Star THE BODY POLITIC: THE BATTLE OVER SCIENCE IN AMERICA
by Jonathan D. Moreno

An eminent bioethicist presents a nuanced survey of the fraught politics of science in 21st-century America. Read full book review >
Cover art for ARGUABLY
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 1, 2011
Kirkus Star ARGUABLY: ESSAYS
by Christopher Hitchens
"Argumentative and sometimes just barely civil—another worthy collection from this most inquiring of inquirers."
A new collection of essays from Hitchens (Hitch-22: A Memoir, 2010, etc.), his first since 2004. Read full book review >