All Book Reviews
‘Mayday 1971’ is a close-up look at largest US mass arrestLawrence Roberts protested at the May 1971 anti-Vietnam War rally in Washington. Now, his comprehensive history sheds light on the influential event.
Will there be a third era of American trust-busting?Two new books take stock of the American market, and what they find isn’t good: Monopolies control industries like meat, technology, and more.
No detail spared: ‘Warhol’ expands on the life of the Pop Art iconBiographer Blake Gopnik mines the archives of the famously self-involved, and cannily entrepreneurial, painter of soup cans and Hollywood stars.
Jane Austen rescued her: A memoir about reading and solaceRachel Cohen never imagined that she would experience a stretch of time in which she only wanted to read Austen. Until it happened.
‘The Index of Self-Destructive Acts’ looks at the ways people mess upChristopher Beha’s latest novel wrestles with the complexities of self-destructive urges against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis.
The creator of ‘Duchess Goldblatt’ finds herself – and Twitter fansIn the memoir, “Becoming Duchess Goldblatt,” the anonymous author shares her struggles – and the online community that saved her.
Do animals have culture? According to Carl Safina, absolutely.In his latest engrossing book, ecologist Carl Safina destroys the myth that humans are the only Earth creatures with cultural traditions.
‘Magdalena’ meanders enjoyably down Colombia’s largest riverWade Davis narrates his fascinating, beautiful, and dangerous journey down the Río Magdalena – the heart of Colombia.
Senator Joe McCarthy: The original polarizing political figureBiographer Larry Tye draws on copious resources for “Demagogue,” but McCarthy’s career remains a cautionary tale of power and unfounded accusations.
His name was chosen to bring good fortune. So far, it isn’t working.Lysley Tenorio’s novel “The Son of Good Fortune” explores the sorely tested bonds of a Filipino mother and her son living in the shadows in America.
On a peace mission to the Congo, his plane dropped out of the skyDag Hammarskjöld was an idealistic diplomat who sought to do the right thing. Author Ravi Somaiya argues that people in high places wanted him gone.
Fifty years of legal skirmishes have deepened the divide over Roe v. WadeLaw professor Mary Ziegler chronicles the tactics used by abortion foes and abortion rights activists in the years since the 1973 decision.
‘How is your novel going?’ A young woman writer’s struggle.Lily King’s novel plumbs the depths of the creative life, and of being true to one’s calling.
Polishing America’s image in the eyes of its peopleIn “Union,” author Colin Woodard examines how expansionist and exceptionalist rhetoric shaped the ways Americans see their country.
‘Shakespeare in a Divided America’ considers the tug-of-war over the BardJames Shapiro’s latest book examines key moments in American history in light of the themes and rhetoric of Shakespeare’s plays.
Lively memoir ‘The Watergate Girl’ tells a prosecutor’s storyJill Wine-Banks tells of her role as a young lawyer working with Archibald Cox during the trials of those involved in the Watergate cover-up.
‘The Hour of Fate’ untangles complex trust-busting historyPresident Roosevelt was determined to break up monopolies. J.P. Morgan was equally set on keeping them. The two men fought a pitched battle.
Humans are a (mostly) kind species. A Dutch historian offers proof.Rutger Bregman’s “Humankind: A Hopeful History” challenges the Hobbesian notion that humans, left to their own devices, devolve into selfishness.
‘I’m Your Huckleberry’: Val Kilmer’s candid take on Hollywood and healingIn his memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry,” the actor talks about winning fame, dropping out of Hollywood, and his ongoing spiritual seeking.
‘The Vanishing Half’ is a compelling novel on race and homeBrit Bennett’s newest book navigates difficult truths with clarity and grace, and her vivid characters are hard to forget.
