cover image
LATEST ISSUE OF
Kirkus Reviews
Check out our interview with Rick Yancey, author of the wildly entertaining YA thriller The 5th Wave.
Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS



On Politics

Cover art for SLOW DEMOCRACY
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 15, 2012
SLOW DEMOCRACY: REDISCOVERING COMMUNITY AND BRINGING DECISION MAKING BACK HOME
by Susan Clark, Woden Teachout
"A valuable tool for improving the way government operates at the local level."
How community deliberative processes can provide an alternative to divisive party politics and technocratic expertise. Read full book review >
Cover art for STATE OUT OF THE UNION
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 2, 2012
STATE OUT OF THE UNION: ARIZONA AND THE FINAL SHOWDOWN OVER THE AMERICAN DREAM
by Jeff Biggers
"A timely book, especially with immigration policy playing a major role in the upcoming presidential campaign."
Investigation of Arizona politicians who Biggers (Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland, 2010, etc.) believes are anti-immigration, partly because of racism and partly because they are beholden to corporate agendas. Read full book review >
Cover art for CREATURES OF POLITICS
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
CREATURES OF POLITICS: MEDIA, MESSAGE, AND THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY
by Michael Lempert, Michael Silverstein
"A quirky, sharp and depressing analysis of the current state of campaigning."
Anthropological take on the centrality of "message" to American presidential politics. Read full book review >
Cover art for FIGHTING TO SERVE
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
FIGHTING TO SERVE: BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE WAR TO REPEAL "DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL"
by Alexander Nicholson
"An intriguing look at gay activism inside the Beltway."
In his debut, gay rights activist Nicholson chronicles the successful fight for the repeal of the U.S. military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Read full book review >
Cover art for ELECTORAL DYSFUNCTION
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
ELECTORAL DYSFUNCTION: A SURVIVAL MANUAL FOR AMERICAN VOTERS
by Victoria Bassetti
"A well-organized, important tool that will remain useful beyond the present electoral cycle."
A delightfully provocative history and review of voting in America. Read full book review >
Cover art for DEFENDING THE FILIBUSTER
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 6, 2012
DEFENDING THE FILIBUSTER: THE SOUL OF THE SENATE
by Robert B. Dove, Richard A. Arenberg
"An impassioned and cogent defense of the Senate's most controversial practice."
Two Senate veterans stand up for a little-understood and much-maligned legislative tactic. Read full book review >