All Book Reviews
'Spain In Our Hearts' profiles the foreigners drawn into Spain's civil warThe Spanish Civil War exerted a strong influence over the writers and thinkers of its generation.
'Raoul Wallenberg' tells the story of the bureaucrat who fooled the NazisWallenberg, Swedish envoy and humanitarian, saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.
'Until We Are Free' tells of Shirin Ebadi's fight for human rights in IranIranian activist Shirin Ebadi explains what working in the human rights field means by sharing what she has gained and lost throughout her journey.
'Charlotte Brontë' is an irresistible biography of 'Jane Eyre' and its authorLiterary biographer Claire Harman’s retelling of the life of Charlotte Brontë, published to coincide with the bicentennial of Brontë’s birth, is a must-read, even for those familiar with the story.
'The Abundance' offers an exquisite collection of Annie Dillard's work over decadesAs 'The Abundance' makes clear, Annie Dillard writes better sentences than just about anyone alive.
'Putin Country' tries to explain the admiration Russians have for PutinLongtime NPR correspondent Anne Garrels examines the way many Russians have consolidated around Putin.
'The Immortal Irishman' profiles an Irish rebel who took America by stormThomas Francis Meagher crammed a lifetime of adventure into a few very significant decades.
4 first-rate mystery stories for middle-grade readersThese four female sleuths solve crimes and keep the pages turning briskly, carrying on a literary tradition that would make Nancy Drew proud.
'The Vegetarian' asks painful questions about the way we liveThis American debut by South Korean writer Han Kang has been nominated for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
'The Waters of Eternal Youth' allows Guido Brunetti to shine once moreDonna Leon's latest commissario Guido Brunetti mystery is every bit as satisfying as the 24 that came before.
'The Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe' tells of a woman's struggle for freedomHowe, famous author of 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic,' despaired the toll of marriage – of submitting now to her husband’s will.
'The High Mountains of Portugal': Booker Prize-winner Martel charms againThree novellas set in Portugal connect to create a thoughtful meditation on grieving and faith.
'Eruption,' in an evocative retelling, places Mount St. Helens in contextIn his evocative and convincing new book, author Steve Olson reveals that the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens is much more than a horror show.
'Paradise City' brings together four very different London livesElizabeth Day's story of lives in collision puts an unexpected twist on a scandal from the headlines.
'The Big Red Book of Modern Chinese Literature' is a sumptuous samplerUniversity of California English professor Yunte Huang presents work from nearly 50 Chinese writers spanning the last century.
'Evicted' follows the harrowing, heartbreaking cases of eight familiesJournalist Matthew Desmond spent a year and a half with eight Milwaukee families about to lose their homes.
'Heart of Europe' is history at its most engagingUniversity of Hull history professor Peter Wilson has given the Holy Roman Empire its longest and most readable one-volume history of the modern era.
'Exit Right' follows six high-profile political conversionsDaniel Oppenheimer takes a group portrait of six men who made a political about-face. What does it tell us about the nature of our beliefs?
'Children of Paradise' is a journalist's riveting exploration of today's IranLaura Secor looks at the generation of Iranians who inherited a country transformed by the Islamic Revolutions of 1979.
'Strange Gods': A secular scholar examines religious conversionAre converts most often motivated by faith – or do more practical considerations come into play?
