Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Pleasant Surprises of 2010


Cover art for LETTERS TO MY TORTURER
NONFICTION
Released: June 24, 2010
by Houshang Asadi, translated by Nushin Arbabzadah

"A horrifying glimpse of the decades-long nightmare still afflicting the people of Iran."
A harrowing memoir of imprisonment and torture under the Islamic Republic of Iran. Read full book review >
Cover art for CAESARS' WIVES
NONFICTION
Released: Nov. 9, 2010

"Not nearly as soporific as most classical studies--a captivating look at imperial Rome's roots in the making of the modern stateswoman."
A groundbreaking study of some of the most powerful women in early Western civilization. Read full book review >
Cover art for ANARCHY EVOLUTION
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 5, 2010

"Humble, challenging and inspiring."
With the assistance of science journalist Olson (Mapping Human History: Discovering the Past Through Our Genes, 2002, etc.), Bad Religion leader Graffin presents a memoir of a life lived "at the intersection of evolutionary biology and punk rock." Read full book review >
Cover art for GOLD DIGGERS
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2010

"A lively, delightful reenactment of a signal era of "Klondike mythology.""
Tracing the crossed paths of six Klondikers caught up in "the last great gold rush in history." Read full book review >
Cover art for ACROSS AMERICA BY BICYCLE
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 12, 2010

"Exhilarating fun and good motivation for armchair adventurers."
Two retirees undertake a daring cross-country bicycle trek from Oregon to Maine. Read full book review >
Cover art for SOME GIRLS
NONFICTION
Released: April 27, 2010

"A gritty, melancholy memoir leavened by the author's amiable, engrossing narrative tenor."
The journey of a teenaged theater-school dropout enticed into traveling to Southeast Asia to be a "harem girl." Read full book review >