All Book Reviews
'The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot' presents a riveting slice of North Korean historyBlaine Harden pieces together the true story of the North Korean pilot who stole a MiG from his country in 1953.
'Terms of Service' is a sobering analysis of the 'I post therefore I am' life-styleJacob Silverman offers a thorough thinking-through of the conditions that social-media culture has placed on modern life.
Two books about how money, status drive college decisionsWhat is a degree from an American college worth? Two very different writers raise troubling questions about higher education in the US.
'Gods and Kings' chronicles the rise and fall of fashion icons Alexander McQueen and John GallianoMcQueen and Galliano were just cheeky boys, until they became defiant titans of fashion.
'Napoleon' argues for the humanity of the infamous French emperorWas the ruler of the first French Empire a hero, or a tyrant? The answer lies in how you read him, writes Charles Reinhardt.
'Our Kids' suggests an American dream out of reach for many‘Bowling Alone’ author Robert D. Putnam sees America's social fabric fraying for low-income families.
'The Top of His Game' showcases the remarkable career of sports writer W.C. HeinzThis collection blends the delights of Heinz’s graceful writing with insight into the world of sports as it once was.
'Dead Wake' sketches the sinking of the Lusitania in full context, color, detailDid Churchill want the ship sunk? Erik Larson revives the mysteries and what-ifs surrounding the 1915 tragedy.
'Going Into the City' tells the story of 'the Dean of American Rock Critics'Village Voice critic Robert Christgau earns high marks for his frank look at the challenges and joys of self-assessment.
'Midnight in the Century' vividly evokes a slice of Soviet historyHow a writer’s true-life tussle with Stalin’s police became a rich novel of exile and resistance.
'Roosevelt and Stalin' details the surprisingly warm relationship of an unlikely duoHow FDR and Stalin forged a bond that helped to shape history.
'A Spool of Blue Thread' gives fans one more reason to love Anne TylerThree generations of an ordinary yet idiosyncratic family, an old house in Baltimore – Tyler's latest novel is more of the same, in the best possible way.
10 best books of March: the Monitor's picks Here are the 10 new March releases Monitor book critics liked best.
'The Buried Giant' – the much anticipated seventh novel of Kazuo Ishiguro – does not disappointIshiguro turns to 11th-century England for his latest exploration of love, desire, and memory.
'Frog' is Mo Yan's neatly crafted critique of today's ChinaA Nobel Prize laureate sets his sights on the birth rate, poverty, and 'unraveling of the social fabric' in rising China.
'Washington's Revolution' is an engrossing, accurate, and occasionally original biography of America's founding fatherWas America’s first president a mystery of subtle self-presentation – or just a shrewd politician?
'Ten Million Aliens' celebrates earth's remarkable abundance of perfectly evolved animalsFlying mice, jewel-toned flatworms, giant snails, and microscopic bear-shaped invertebrates all play starring roles in nature writer Simon Barnes's engaging book.
'Discontent and its Civilizations' highlights the intertwined Pakistani, British, and American roots of Mohsin HamidIn 36 nonfiction essays, Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid offers readers a chance to 'hang out' and deepen their relationship with him.
'Funny Girl' by Nick Hornby recreates 1960s London with warmth and generosityHornby travels to the 1960s with a novel that explores the purpose of popular entertainment.
'Empire's Crossroads' offers a rich and thorough history of the CaribbeanFrom colonialism to the present day, academic Carrie Gibson traces the history of the Caribbean in a highly detailed and very readable narrative.
