All Book Reviews
Friendship tested, lives transformed in sublime novel 鈥楩ellowship Point鈥�Coastal Maine provides the setting for 鈥淔ellowship Point,鈥� Alice Elliott Dark鈥檚聽resplendent novel about caring for the places we love.聽聽
The heyday of shopping malls is gone, but far from forgottenShopping malls, the once-gleaming symbols of suburban American prosperity, are ripe for reinvention and reuse, writes an architecture critic.聽
From the particular to the universal: Cross-cultural stories鈥淎 Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times鈥� by Ethiopian American writer Meron Hadero highlights immigrant stories of dislocation and identity.
The fall of Tyrannosaurus rex and the rise of mammals on EarthTyrannosaurus bones help聽piece together the story of dinosaurs鈥� demise, while mammals emerged and adapted, in two outstanding natural history books.聽
Black Native Americans were largely erased from US history鈥淲e Refuse to Forget鈥� explores the situation of Black members of the Creek Nation in the 1800s, and their descendants in the 20th century.
No one was telling the stories of rural women. So she did.Spanish veterinarian and poet Mar铆a S谩nchez honors rural women in her community, and their counterparts around the world, in 鈥淟and of Women.鈥澛�
鈥榃hen Women Were Dragons鈥� imagines a fiery response to female suppressionIn an age of conformism, 700,000 women transform into fiery beasts, in Kelly Barnhill鈥檚 fantastical novel, 鈥淲hen Women Were Dragons.鈥�
鈥楬orse鈥� unfolds a riveting tale of a champion thoroughbred and his enslaved trainer鈥淗orse,鈥� by Geraldine Brooks, melds a historic tale of an enslaved Black horse trainer with a modern-day story of interracial romance.聽
Doing what comes naturally: The elegance and danger of hawksIn 鈥淭he Hawk鈥檚 Way,鈥� Sy Montgomery comes to love birds of prey, admiring their fierce intelligence and witnessing their predatory instincts.聽
She coached soccer for refugee children. Then she started schools for them.Soccer coach and humanitarian Luma Mufleh describes her efforts on behalf of refugee children in the United States in her memoir, 鈥淟earning America.鈥�
Fa莽ades are dropped and judgments suspended on a commuter trainOn the 8:05 to London, commuters ignore each other. Until an incident brings them together in Clare Pooley鈥檚 鈥淚ona Iverson鈥檚 Rules for Commuting.鈥�
Andrew Jackson: The 鈥榦riginal anti-establishment president鈥�Andrew Jackson鈥檚 popularity as a military hero propelled him to the White House, where he espoused policies that trampled on civil and human rights.聽
Benjamin Franklin bankrolled 200 years of small business loansFranklin believed that skilled workers were key to America鈥檚 success. So he left money in his will to help tradespeople get their start.聽- Who invented motion pictures? Hint: Not Edison nor the Lumi猫res.Thomas Edison is credited with inventing moving pictures. But author Paul Fischer makes the case that a rival got there first 鈥� and then disappeared.聽
Science fiction author draws inspiration from the Sierra鈥淭he High Sierra: A Love Story鈥� captures Kim Stanley Robinson鈥檚 passion for the wilderness terrain that influenced his greatest works of science fiction.聽聽聽
We can鈥檛 know the 鈥榳hy鈥� of Stonehenge. This book reveals the likely 鈥榟ow.鈥�Archaeologist Mike Pitts takes an engineering and scientific approach to the Stonehenge鈥檚 secrets, which have long confounded visitors and admirers.
The horse that should have come in first: Spectacular Bid鈥檚 infamous finishAfter winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Spectacular Bid should have taken Belmont. 鈥淭he Fast Ride鈥� tells the story of why he failed.
The Syria-Israeli peace deal that almost was: A diplomat looks backSyrian leader Bashar Assad had almost agreed to a U.S.-brokered peace accord with Israel. Then he cracked down on his own citizens with deadly force.聽
An octopus, a widow, and a decades-long missing-person caseAn octopus befriends a widow and sets out to solve the mystery of her son鈥檚 disappearance in the feel-good novel 鈥淩emarkably Bright Creatures.鈥澛�
A novel envisions what it would be like to study with BachJohann Sebastian Bach鈥檚 legendary perfectionism shines in the novel 鈥淭he Great Passion,鈥� as he takes a (fictional) choir student under his wing.聽 聽
