All Book Reviews
Reagan left his mark on the Republican Party, and on the presidencyBiographer Max Boot charts the course of a politician who was famously affable and pragmatic, but who also resorted to racist dog whistles and played loose with facts.
Intervene or isolate? America’s role abroad has long been contested.America First was a rallying cry of isolationists in the 1930s. Charles Lindbergh, a spokesman for the movement, clashed with President Franklin D. Roosevelt over U.S. involvement.
Justice delayed: Why it’s so hard to free the wrongfully convictedIn “Bringing Ben Home,” Barbara Bradley Hagerty explores the long road toward exonerating Ben Spencer, a Black man imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit.
October’s 10 best books add up to a month of great readingThe 10 best books of October 2024 include a thrilling naval adventure, a novel about 19th-century New Orleans, and a history of Handel’s “Messiah.”
In ‘The Message,’ Ta-Nehisi Coates urges his students to see for themselves“The Message” is a collection of commentaries about African ancestry and identity, political power and polarity, and finally, a damning assessment of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Americans are actually less divided than they think“Remaking the Space Between Us” counters the inclination to feel overwhelmed, angry, or helpless about civic life.
After a violent upheaval, impressionists chose beautyA war and an insurrection upended Paris in the 1800s. Then came the soothing art.
His father fled China. It took years for him to talk about it.In “At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning With China,” Edward Wong traces the roots of his father’s flight from China – and the country’s evolution.
Kick off fall with the Monitor’s 10 best books of SeptemberAs summer fades into fall, our picks for September’s best books offer the perfect contemplative page-turners for chilly autumn days.
Five mysteries to savor, from Kate Atkinson to Richard OsmanDeath takes a holiday, as a quintet of cozy mysteries transports readers to far-flung locales, including Italy, France, and the Himalayas.
‘Tell Me Everything’ listens in on the stories of the heartElizabeth Strout tenderly reminds us that each person longs to be heard, and their story is worth hearing, in “Tell Me Everything.”
‘We cannot allow the terrorists to win’: Rebuilding the World Trade CenterAfter the 9/11 attacks brought down the World Trade Center towers, developer Larry Silverstein fought 20 years to restore the site. He describes the ordeal in “The Rising.”
In Matt Haig’s ‘The Life Impossible’ an island adventure in hope awaitsLike “The Midnight Library,” Matt Haig’s novel “The Life Impossible” embraces curiosity, persistence, and the possibility of change.
How bookstores became cornerstones of American cultureIn a riveting history, Evan Friss digs into how U.S. bookstores shaped everything from the American Revolution to banks being open on Saturdays.
Can plants talk and think? Some scientists say yes.“The Light Eaters” gives insights into how plants communicate, while “Alien Earths” explores the search for intelligent life on other planets.
A house in France becomes an American writer’s portal to historyJournalist T.D. Allman bought a centuries-old house in a French mountaintop village. His “In France Profound” offers an idiosyncratic take on rural life.
Jodi Picoult imagines a woman behind Shakespeare’s wordsWhat if Shakespeare paid a woman to write his plays? Jodi Picoult centers her novel on Elizabethan poet Emilia Bassano as the true author, weaving a tale of female empowerment.
Flip through the Monitor’s 10 best books of August 2024Our picks for August are more substantial than beach reads, but not as serious as the big September releases. They’re just right for the waning days of summer.
He invented a midcentury modern chair that defies space – and timeIndustrial designer and entrepreneur David Rowland spent decades refining what became an icon of midcentury modern: the 40/4 chair.
‘Frederick Douglass: A Novel’ paints a picture of the man behind the mythFrederick Douglass, the legendary abolitionist and orator, has long shaped American thought. In this novel, readers get a deeper portrait of a complex man.
