All Book Reviews
'Fields of Blood' asks if religion fuels violenceScanning history from the beginnings of mankind up through 9/11, author Karen Armstrong argues that it is a 'dangerous oversimplification' to blame terrorism on faith.
'Maeve’s Times' brings Maeve Binchy's intimate, irreverent voice back to lifeThis collection of Maeve Binchy's essays may feel dated, but her fans will enjoy another chance to visit with her.
'Wilde in America' follows Oscar Wilde through his self-promotional US tourOscar Wilde didn't come to the US to learn about Americans. He wanted them to learn about him.
'Political Order and Political Decay': What does it take to create a well-functioning modern state?Francis Fukuyama furthers his consideration of governance in this sequel to his acclaimed 2011 book 'The Origins of Political Order'.
'Some Luck' kicks off Jane Smiley's chronicle of an Iowa farm familyThe author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 'A Thousand Acres' goes back to the farm.
'All the Truth Is Out' points to the Gary Hart scandal as a turning point for US political coverageThe night that Gary Hart was caught with Donna Rice, argues political columnist Matt Bai, the line between relevant and irrelevant personal scandals began to blur.
'Lila' gives us the year’s sweetest literary love storyIn 'Lila,' Pulitzer Prize-winner Marilynne Robinson takes us back to Iowa.
'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay' forwards the angry, tender story of two Neapolitan womenWith 'Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay,' Elena Ferrante gives the story of a woman’s life epic dimension in an interior landscape.
'Gray Mountain' is a satisfying, old-fashioned legal thriller'Mountain' is the newest book by John Grisham that can make a weekend disappear.
'Deep Down Dark' tells the remarkable story of 33 Chilean miners trapped for 69 daysPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hector Tobar chronicles the physical and psychological ordeal of the miners with artful suspense and arresting details.
'The American Vice Presidency' sketches all 47 men who held America's second-highest officePolitical journalist Jules Witcover offers interesting biographical detail and helpful historic context on the lives of America's vice presidents.
'The Innovators' traces the history of the computer and its creatorsSteve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson considers the interplay of genius, creativity, and collaboration that helped to produce the computer.
'The Sense of Style' argues for writing that is direct, economical, and preciseLinguist Steven Pinker offers a “Guide to Writing in the 21st Century,” with a look back at the 20th century’s lingual lessons.
'A Brief History of Seven Killings' reads like a reggae version of 'The Sound and the Fury'This haunted and haunting tale of Jamaica’s bloody political struggles turns on the attempted assassination of Bob Marley.
'How We Got to Now' credits six technologies with helping to invent modern lifeScience writer Steven Johnson takes readers on a rapid but interesting tour of world history as he traces the development of technologies from glass-making to radio broadcasting.
'Embattled Rebel' suggests that Jefferson Davis had plenty of help when it came to losing the Civil WarPulitzer-winning historian James M. McPherson determines that Confederate President Jefferson Davis devised a credible strategy for fighting the war.
'A Path Appears' considers how and why we giveCan philanthropists save the world? NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl Wudunn take a look at well-intentioned efforts to give.
'Boy on Ice' tells the sad story of the rise and fall of an NHL enforcerMeticulously reported and beautifully written, 'Boy on Ice" uses the life of NHL player Derek Boogaard to explore the systemic culture surrounding fighting in professional hockey.
'Our Lady of the Nile,' a novel set in Rwanda before the 1994 genocide, has an air of foreboding and urgencyAuthor Scholastique Mukasonga is a gifted storyteller with a sure sense of plot construction, and an aptitude for crafting piquant descriptions.
'George Frideric Handel: A Life With Friends' weaves an unusual tapestry from the music and friendships of a great composerEllen T. Harris uses Handel's music to analyze and contextualize his life and times, concentrating on the composer's interesting, albeit 'less famous' friends.
