Books
Spring’s great reads have sprung! Here are April’s 10 best.April’s 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.For National Poetry Month, we talk with Richard Blanco, whose “One Today” poem was read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
First LookIn Navy library’s DEI purge, books on feminism, racism, HolocaustMaya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was among nearly 400 volumes removed from the Naval Academy’s library after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office ordered the school to get rid of those promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Whodunits with history: Those were the slays!Our roundup of mysteries includes Jay Gatsby’s (invented) sister and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as detectives. Retirees and conspiracies abound.
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The quiet voice of Emily Brontë was anything but tame“Fifteen Wild Decembers” by novelist Karen Powell shows the depth of creativity shared among the talented Brontë siblings, as narrated by Emily.
The stories ‘move into hope’: Elaine Pagels reflects on Jesus’ teachingsThe Gospels spread the teachings of Jesus and stories about his life. A Bible historian unpacks the message behind them in “Miracles and Wonder.”
A fuller portrait of artist-provocateur Yoko OnoDavid Sheff reappraises Yoko Ono’s role, as an artist in her own right and as a support to John Lennon, with whom she collaborated on “Imagine.”
The 10 best books of March come in like a lionMarch’s 10 best books deliver drama, danger, and determination, from a novel set on a subantarctic island to a biography that reappraises Yoko Ono.
One night to resolve all matters of the heartBen Okri emphasizes abstract ideas over nuanced characters in the farce “Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted.”
Laila Lalami taps into privacy concerns in ‘The Dream Hotel’Novelist Laila Lalami’s trepidation about big tech and data collection led her to imagine a world in which even dreams are subject to monitoring.
Actor Merle Oberon hid her South Asian heritage to keep working in HollywoodBritish actor Merle Oberon’s greatest role might have been played off-camera. She kept her biracial heritage a secret so that her career could soar.
The unfulfilled promises of emancipation and ReconstructionTwo books about the American Civil War’s aftermath focus on the experiences of formerly enslaved people.
Earth’s green evolution gave rise to everything from dinosaurs to dandelionsPaleontologist Riley Black traces the cooperation among plants, animals, and ecosystems in “When the Earth Was Green.”
London’s brief, glorious rise in the art worldIn “Rogues & Scholars,” James Stourton tells how postwar London became the center of the global art market.
Monitor's Best: Top 5
The ExplainerThe end of free trade? What history has to say about Trump’s tariffs.
After Gaza protests, more colleges try out an old-fashioned ideal: Civility
Cover StoryCan giving cash, no strings attached, help end poverty? In Malawi, they’re finding out.
Is the anti-Trump ‘resistance’ starting to find its voice again?
With US on the outs, Europe looks to an old ally for defense: Britain
