All Books
- Jami Attenberg models a long but tenacious journey toward writing
In “I Came All This Way to Meet You,” author Jami Attenberg describes the early trials and tribulations of claiming a writer’s life as her own.
- Who was Vivian Maier? Book explores mysterious ‘photographer nanny.’
“Vivian Maier Developed” delves into the life and art of the reclusive photographer, who did not process most of her images.
- Two football books celebrate unity – on and off the field
“Paradise Found” tells how people came together after the Camp fire, while “Hail Mary” explores the National Women’s Football League.
- How one American Jew learned to see Israel in new light
In “Twelve Tribes: Promise and Peril in the New Israel,” author Ethan Michaeli paints a nuanced portrait of an Israeli society.
- For Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, memoir as resistance
Ai Weiwei’s memoir “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows” pushes back against the Chinese government’s efforts to silence him and his poet father.
- Picasso painted with passion, intensity, and utter disregard
In “A Life of Picasso: The Minotaur Years, 1933-1943,” art historian John Richardson provides a bracingly deep dive into the artist’s life.
- Remembering bell hooks, a beacon of light – for Black women and beyond
By imploring feminism to be something other than thin and white, she forced America to take a look in the mirror at how it treats the most vulnerable part of its population.
- Do Great Books still matter? For Roosevelt Montás, they are essential.
Augustine and Plato changed the life of Roosevelt Montás, who emigrated from the Dominican Republic and studied – and later taught – at Columbia.
- Capping off the year with the 10 best books of December
The 10 best books of December cap off the year with deep humanity and insights from writers of many backgrounds.
- For designer William Morris, beauty was key to happiness
As a textile artisan, tastemaker, and social reformer, William Morris wove his values into his work.
- Emerson and Thoreau led a second independence movement – this time of thought
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau led the charge against Old World ideas in "The Transcendentalists and Their World," by Robert A. Gross.
- Another year in the books: Best reads of 2021
Monitor reviewers’ choices of the best books of 2021 celebrate diverse voices and the importance of human connection.
- Beyond the tiara: How the Miss America pageant launched careers
The Miss America pageant, writes Amy Argetsinger in “There She Was,” gave women a start in the fields of broadcasting, politics, and entertainment.
- ‘The Chancellor’ expands on the exceptional life of Angela Merkel
“The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel” articulates the patience, shrewdness, and humanity that informed her leadership.
- A family at the ‘Crossroads’ faces crises of faith and a test of its bonds
Jonathan Franzen’s “Crossroads” tells the story of 1970s social upheaval through the trials of one Midwestern family.
- Space to engage: Michael Eric Dyson shares his ideas for discussing race
In an interview, scholar and social commentator Michael Eric Dyson talks about his latest book, “Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America.”
- Flights of imagination take wing with picture books
Children’s books offer an opportunity to share the beauty of words and pictures, and a time to nestle close with your favorite young person.
- Ann Patchett’s essays unfold her warmth, generosity, and humor
Novelist Ann Patchett’s essay collection “These Precious Days” reveals the centrality of books, family, friendship, and compassion to her life.
- November’s shorter days make reading all the sweeter
Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s political thriller leads a cornucopia’s worth of titles in the 10 best books of November.
- America’s origin stories abound with complexities
The American Revolution was preceded by smaller conflicts. Four intriguing books look at Colonial-era history beyond the Founding Fathers.