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WARREN AND BILL

GATES, BUFFETT, AND THE FRIENDSHIP THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

A lucid biography that subtly questions the role of private philanthropy.

An account of a friendship among moguls that has led to world-changing efforts—for better or worse.

“This book is about a friendship, one of the most impactful friendships of modern times,” writes filmmaker, novelist, and biographer McCarten. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates met in 1991, bonded over bridge and golf, and learned about each other’s business. In time, with Gates’ then-wife Melinda, they became the sole trustees of a foundation with more than $70 billion in assets. The author writes fluently about the origins of the Buffett and Gates fortunes: Buffett by investing in unsexy stocks with small returns that added up in the aggregate, Gates by founding Microsoft and, to some extent, monopolizing the personal computer market. Both made billions, for a time trading the world’s-richest-person title—and McCarten is helpful in explaining just what that means, likening the average American’s wealth to a grain of sand compared to their Moon-sized fortunes. As Steinbeck said, the ultra-rich spend two-thirds of their lives greedily seizing every cent they can only to spend the last third giving it away, and Gates and Buffett have poured billions of dollars into such social goods as family planning, access to abortion, women’s education, agricultural reform, and, most recently, Covid-19 research and medical delivery. (For this, strangely, Gates has become a QAnon trope of evil, while Buffett has gone largely unchallenged.) Throughout, McCarten raises critical questions about the wisdom of allowing individuals so much economic power—Gates may have given away billions, but “he was still a plutocrat holed up in his dream house, staring at yeomen tossed about on stormy seas”—suggesting that, for all the foundation’s good deeds, we need more discussion “about the role we want big money to play in our lives.”

A lucid biography that subtly questions the role of private philanthropy.

Pub Date: April 30, 2024

ISBN: 9780063037793

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024

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  • New York Times Bestseller

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TANQUERAY

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

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  • New York Times Bestseller

A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.

Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2

Page Count: 192

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022

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MELANIA

A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.

A carefully curated personal portrait.

First ladies’ roles have evolved significantly in recent decades. Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.

A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.

Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024

ISBN: 9781510782693

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024

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