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Top 25 September Nonfiction

Cover art for THE LAST VIKING
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 25, 2012
Kirkus Star THE LAST VIKING: THE LIFE OF ROALD AMUNDSEN
by Stephen R. Bown
"A superb biography of a fiercely driven explorer who traveled across the last inaccessible areas on earth before technical advances made the journey much easier."
Bown (1494: How a Family Feud in Medieval Spain Divided the World in Half, 2012, etc.) delivers an intensely researched, thoroughly enjoyable life of one of history's best explorers. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE DANGEROUS ANIMALS CLUB
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 25, 2012
Kirkus Star THE DANGEROUS ANIMALS CLUB
by Stephen Tobolowsky
"A copiously examined life rendered with humor and heart."
Veteran character actor Tobolowsky, perhaps best known for his role in Groundhog Day, offers a beguiling collection of autobiographical essays detailing his experiences in and out of show business. Read full book review >
Cover art for CITY OF PROMISES
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 24, 2012
Kirkus Star CITY OF PROMISES: A HISTORY OF THE JEWS IN NEW YORK
by Deborah Dash Moore, edited by Howard B. Rock, Annie Polland, Daniel Soyer, Jeffrey S. Gurock, Diana Linden
"Such a large historical project could have easily descended into tedious and dry academia, but instead, all three volumes are briskly paced, well-researched and insightful. Aficionados of urban histories, in particular, will find much to enjoy."
This ambitious three-volume history, overseen by Moore (Judaic Studies and History/Univ. of Michigan; American Jewish Identity Politics, 2008, etc.), provides a lively, much-needed overview of the role that Jews have played in the history and success of the Big Apple, helping to transform it into "a city of promises, some fulfilled, some pending, some beckoning new generations." Read full book review >
Cover art for NOW ALL ROADS LEAD TO FRANCE
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 24, 2012
Kirkus Star NOW ALL ROADS LEAD TO FRANCE: A LIFE OF EDWARD THOMAS
by Matthew Hollis
"This diligently researched and masterfully written exposition will appeal to Anglophiles and fans of literary biography."
A perceptive biography that traces an author's trajectory from disillusioned prose scribe to acclaimed poet. Read full book review >
Cover art for JUST PLAIN DICK
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
Kirkus Star JUST PLAIN DICK: RICHARD NIXON'S CHECKERS SPEECH AND THE "ROCKING, SOCKING" ELECTION OF 1952
by Kevin Mattson
"In that sense--and given the talk of "real" American-ness that persists today--Mattson's excellent book is a timely companion to the current election season. The question is: Who's playing Nixon?"
A cocker spaniel and a plain cloth coat become emblems of the paranoid-style right-wing politics of the 1950s, courtesy of one Richard Milhous Nixon. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FINE PRINT
NONFICTION
Released: Sept. 18, 2012
Kirkus Star THE FINE PRINT: HOW BIG COMPANIES USE "PLAIN ENGLISH" TO ROB YOU BLIND
by David Cay Johnston
"Investigative journalism at its best, as Johnston seeks to comfort the afflicted while afflicting the comfortable."
Veteran investigative reporter Johnston reveals how businesses, with the consent of government agencies, rip off consumers in plain sight. Read full book review >