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FREEDOM'S CAPImpressive research underlies a well-told story that’s simultaneously depressing (what a nasty species we are) and inspiring... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
GOD'S HOTELThe author’s compelling argument for Laguna Honda’s philosophy of “slow medicine” will make readers contemplate if perhaps... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
BEAUTIFUL THINGGritty, gripping and often heartbreaking—an impressive piece of narrative nonfiction. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERSThe best book yet written on India in the throes of a brutal transition. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
HAITIA profound demonstration of what needs to be recognized, reconciled and forgiven if current crises are to be overcome. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE FOREST UNSEENExceptional observations of the biological world worthy of any naturalist’s library. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE AGE OF INSIGHTA transformative work that joins the hands of Art and Science and makes them acknowledge their close kinship. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
CITYby P.D. Smith
As exciting, sprawling and multifarious as a shining city on a hill. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
ARE YOU MY MOTHER?by Alison Bechdel illustrated by Alison Bechdel
Subtitled “A Comic Drama,” the narrative provides even fewer laughs than its predecessor but deeper introspection. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
DRIFTWith humor and verve, Maddow lays a solid basis for that hoped-for interview with Cheney (fingers crossed). Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
AFTERMATHby Rachel Cusk
Bold, gripping, original and occasionally darkly funny. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
FULL BODY BURDENSuperbly crafted tale of Cold War America’s dark underside. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
ERNIE K-DOEby Ben Sandmel
A vital, essential addition to the shelf of great books about New Orleans. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
DARKEST AMERICAby Yuval Taylor & Jake Austen
An innovative, marvelous book about comedy, stereotypes and the struggle to steer through the sometimes-fierce internal... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
DESERT AMERICALess self-absorbed than Luis Alberto Urrea, less cynical than Charles Bowden, less otherly obsessed than William... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
DAYS OF DESTRUCTION, DAYS OF REVOLTby Chris Hedges & illustrated by Joe Sacco
A call for a new American revolution, passionately proclaimed. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
HELLO GOODBYE HELLOby Craig Brown
Brown is as smart as he is puckish, and there are plenty of laughs on this terrific trip through modern fame. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
FIRE IN THE ASHESCleareyed, compassionate and hopeful. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
DEARIEby Bob Spitz
An engrossing biography of a woman worthy of iconic status. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
CITY OF PROMISESby 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... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
A FREE MANby Aman Sethi
Alternately sad, defiant, carefree and understated, this journey into a world hidden in plain sight is well worth taking. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
CRONKITEStill, the best portrait of Cronkite—that legendary journalist, certainly worthy of a big biography—that we have. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
CONSIDER THE FORKby Bee Wilson
Rarely has a book with so much information been such an entertaining read. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
BAILOUTA courageous, insightful book that offers no cause for optimism. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
EVERY LOVE STORY IS A GHOST STORYby D.T. Max
A stellar biography of a complicated subject: Max's portrait skillfully unites Wallace’s external and internal lives. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
FAR FROM THE TREEAn informative and moving book that raises profound issues regarding the nature of love, the value of human life and the... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE BIG SCREENA profound and richly satisfying reckoning with the movies and what they mean. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
38 NOOSESA captivating tale of an oft-overlooked, morally ambiguous moment in American history. Full review >
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MASTERS OF THE PLANETKeeping a critical eye on the evidence and a skeptical one on theories, Tattersall confirms his status among world... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
HOUSE OF STONEA complicated, elegiac, beautiful attempt to reconcile the physical bayt (home) and the spiritual. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
MAGIC HOURSby Tom Bissell
Stellar cultural writing—Bissell has the knowledge and wit to earn his provocations. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
ON CELESTIAL MUSICby Rick Moody
Thoughtful, heartfelt and frequently moving, like the best music. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
THE HUNT FOR KSMby Terry McDermott & Josh Meyer
A surprising, sobering look at one of the deadliest terror networks in history and the American spy agencies charged with... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
NIGHTCAP AT DAWNby J.B. Walker
A bracing cooperative effort taking readers as close to war as humanly possible. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
LIVING, THINKING, LOOKINGAt once stimulating and warmhearted, with sentences of drop-dead beauty and acuity on nearly every page. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
HOW TO BE A WOMANRapturously irreverent, this book should kick-start plenty of useful discussions. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
THE MANSION OF HAPPINESSby Jill Lepore
A superb examination of the never-ending effort to enhance life, as well as the commensurate refusal to ever let it go. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
ON POLITICSby Alan Ryan
Provocative, illuminating and entertaining—an exemplary work of philosophy and history whose author's deep learning is... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
LEONARDO AND THE LAST SUPPERby Ross King
Thankfully, King’s book is an impressive work of restoration—the author helps readers see this painting for the first time. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
LINCOLN'S CODETruly remarkable, composed with all the precision and insight you expect from a law professor, marked by all the elegance... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
MAOby Alexander V. Pantsov & Steven I. Levine
The Great Helmsman fully fleshed, still complicated and ever provocative. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
ON A FARTHER SHOREA poignant, galvanizing, meaningful tribute. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
MARBLESby Ellen Forney illustrated by Ellen Forney
Forney’s story should resonate with those grappling with similar issues, while her artistry should appeal to a wide... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
KURT VONNEGUTby Kurt Vonnegut & edited by Dan Wakefield
Vonnegut’s most human of hearts beats on every page. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
LIFE AFTER DEATHEssential reading for anyone interested in justice or memoir. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
HELLO, GORGEOUSEven though we know the answers to most of the questions—Will our heroine win the coveted role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl?... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE LAST VIKINGA superb biography of a fiercely driven explorer who traveled across the last inaccessible areas on earth before technical... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
MORTALITYCertainly, Hitchens died too soon. May this moving little visit to his hospital room not be the last word from him. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
HOW MUSIC WORKSby David Byrne
Highly recommended—anyone at all interested in music will learn a lot from this book. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE OLD WAYSA breathtaking study of “walking as enabling sight and thought rather than encouraging retreat and escape.” Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
MARVEL COMICSby Sean Howe
Brilliantly juxtaposes Marvel with its best characters: flawed and imperfect, but capable of achieving miraculous feats. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
NATURE WARSby Jim Sterba
An eye-opening take on how romantic sentimentalism about nature can have destructive consequences. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE LAST LIONby William Manchester and Paul Reid
Essential for Manchester collectors, WWII buffs and Churchill completists. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
I'M YOUR MANTaking on a looming subject with intelligence and wit, Simmons manages to take the full measure of her man. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
IRON CURTAINA dark but hopeful chronicle that shows how even humanity’s worst can fracture and fall. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
JOSEPH ANTONAspects of a spy novel, a writer’s autobiography and a victim’s affidavit pulsing with resentment and fear combine to reveal... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE HOLY OR THE BROKENby Alan Light
A masterful work of critical journalism. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE TENDER HOUR OF TWILIGHTby Richard Seaver edited by Jeannette Seaver
A rich record of the vicissitudes of publishing during an inimitable time and place. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
RED PLENTYA highly creative, illuminating, genre-resisting history. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE PARTNERSHIPWill the partnership prevail? Stay tuned, but hope for the best—for, they warn, “[i]f urgent steps are not taken to rein in... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
QUIETby Susan Cain
An intriguing and potentially life-altering examination of the human psyche that is sure to benefit both introverts and... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
POWER, INC.Rothkopf delivers a lively, accessible treatment of a multifaceted, complex subject. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
TURING'S CATHEDRALby George Dyson
Meticulously researched and packed with not just technological details, but sociopolitical and cultural details as well—the... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, SHIELD OF FAITHA frank, exhaustive, marvelously readable study. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
SEASON OF THE WITCHby David Talbot
Though he’s a little too enamored with “angel-headed hipsters” and “fairy dust,” Talbot takes the reader much deeper than... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE VIOLINIST'S THUMBby Sam Kean
In an impressive narrative, the author renders esoteric DNA concepts accessible to lay readers. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THE STORY OF EARTHA report of a fascinating new theory on the Earth's origins written in a sparkling style with many personal touches. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE PATAGONIAN HAREby Claude Lanzmann & translated by Frank Wynne
“I am neither indifferent to, nor weary of, this world; had I a hundred lives, I know I would not tire of it,” he writes.... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE PRESIDENTS CLUBby Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
In a well-researched, disinterested analysis, the authors show that collisions of ego, personality and politics can often... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
SAVAGE CONTINENTby Keith Lowe
Authoritative but never dry, stripping away soothing myths of national unity and victimhood, this is a painful but necessary... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BUSINESS
PRIVATE EMPIREby Steve Coll
Leaks, reserves, PACs, hydrofracking, bloated corporate profits and more: all pertinent concerns nicely handled by Coll in... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
SPILLOVERA wonderful, eye-opening account of humans versus disease that deserves to share the shelf with such classics as Microbe... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
SURVIVING SURVIVALSurvivors of traumatic events often do not recover without help from others, and Gonzales’ excellent book is an education... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
THE TWILIGHT WARby David Crist
Some casual readers may be turned off by the page count, but this is likely to be the authoritative history of the origins... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
TWILIGHT OF THE ELITESA provocative discussion of the deeper causes of our current discontent, written with verve and meriting wide interest. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BUSINESS
PREDATOR NATIONA deeply argued call to action from a lucid, impassioned polemicist. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
PORTRAIT OF A NOVELNot for all readers, but Gorra’s approach will appeal to scholars, fans of the James family, and lovers of important novels... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
TWELVE PATIENTSAn exquisite—and often exquisitely depressing—patchwork of joy and pain. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
SUBVERSIVESA potent reminder of the explosiveness of 1960s politics and how far elements of the government were (and perhaps still are)... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
STELLA ADLER ON AMERICA'S MASTER PLAYWRIGHTSby Stella Adler edited by Barry Paris
An exciting, inspiring and essential book for anyone interested in American theater. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
RISE TO GREATNESSA thoroughly engaging examination of the irreversible changes emerging from a year when the nation’s very survival remained... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THOMAS JEFFERSONby Jon Meacham
An outstanding biography that reveals an overlooked steeliness at Jefferson’s core that accounts for so much of his... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE PATRIARCHby David Nasaw
It did not, and nothing came easy to any of the Kennedys, that tragic clan, who continue to fascinate. Exhaustive yet... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
THIS LIVING HANDA splendid assemblage of significant work by one of our keenest observers. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
WILDA candid, inspiring narrative of the author’s brutal physical and psychological journey through a wilderness of despair to a... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
WHEN GOD TALKS BACKAn erudite discussion both profoundly sympathetic and richly analytical. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >NONFICTION
VISIT SUNNY CHERNOBYLIn each chapter, Blackwell finds he loves the polluted places for all the ways they aren’t ruined. With great verve, and... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
WINTER JOURNALby Paul Auster
A consummate professional explores the attic of his life, converting rumination to art. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BUSINESS
WAITA fascinating addition to the study of decision-making. File alongside Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely and other similar... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BUSINESS
WHAT MONEY CAN'T BUYAn exquisitely reasoned, skillfully written treatise on big issues of everyday life. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >HISTORY
WHEN AMERICA FIRST MET CHINAA rich, highly readable examination of the seeds of poppies, trade, greed, grandeur and an international partnership that... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANSIncisive, reflective and unfailingly stimulating. It wouldn’t hurt Mendelsohn to occasionally pass up an opportunity to... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
THE VOYEURSby Gabrielle Bell illustrated by Gabrielle Bell
Playfully drawn and provocatively written, the memoir reinforces Bell's standing among the first rank of the genre’s artists. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >Recent News & Features
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