All Book Reviews
Five romance novels celebrate belonging, friendship, and foodNot just for Valentine鈥檚 Day, these books treat readers to stories about belonging, whether it鈥檚 to a couple, a set of friends, or a community.聽
Greta Garbo gave up stardom. A biographer explores why.Robert Gottlieb鈥檚 鈥淕arbo鈥� digs into the story of Swedish movie star Greta Garbo, who famously declared that she wanted to be alone.聽聽
Was King George III slandered by historians? A biographer thinks so.Andrew Roberts argues in 鈥淭he Last King of America鈥� that George III, the monarch who lost the American Colonies, was hardly a tyrant.
鈥楾hank You, Mr. Nixon鈥� and other tales of the Chinese diasporaGish Jen tackles the cultural whiplash experienced by Chinese people living both inside and outside China in 鈥淭hank You, Mr. Nixon: Stories.鈥澛犅犅�
Toni Morrison鈥檚 鈥楻ecitatif鈥� is a brilliant guessing gameToni Morrison鈥檚 only stand-alone short story, 鈥淩ecitatif,鈥� which is being reissued, leaves readers pondering their own preconceptions about race.聽
The compassionate economist: Amartya Sen reflects on an Indian childhoodIn 鈥淗ome in the World,鈥� Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen describes how growing up in India fed a desire to聽connect theories with real people.
How Kobe became Kobe: The story of a legend gone too soonIn 鈥淭he Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality,鈥澛燤ike Sielski offers readers a detailed and nuanced backstory of the late basketball star鈥檚 life.
Revisiting Black history through the eyes of Zora Neale Hurston鈥淵ou Don鈥檛 Know Us Negroes and Other Essays鈥� by Zora Neal Hurston creates a powerful and nuanced mosaic of Black culture.聽
鈥極ur goal is never revenge鈥�: Poet Amanda Gorman鈥檚 path for healingIn 鈥淐all Us What We Carry,鈥� Amanda Gorman reveals hidden layers and deeper context to both history and the present. 聽
鈥楾he Paris Bookseller鈥� honors the American woman who published 鈥楿lysses鈥�Kerri Maher鈥檚 novel 鈥淭he Paris Bookseller鈥� celebrates the life of American Sylvia Beach, a bookstore owner who saw promise in James Joyce鈥檚 鈥淯lysses.鈥�
Jami Attenberg models a long but tenacious journey toward writingIn 鈥淚 Came All This Way to Meet You,鈥� author Jami Attenberg describes the early trials and tribulations of claiming a writer鈥檚 life as her own.聽
Who was Vivian Maier? Book explores mysterious 鈥榩hotographer nanny.鈥�鈥淰ivian Maier Developed鈥� delves into the life and art of the reclusive photographer, who did not process most of her images.
Two football books celebrate unity 鈥� on and off the field鈥淧aradise Found鈥� tells how people came together after the Camp fire, while 鈥淗ail Mary鈥� explores the National Women鈥檚 Football League.聽聽
For Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, memoir as resistanceAi Weiwei鈥檚 memoir 鈥�1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows鈥� pushes back against the Chinese government鈥檚聽efforts to silence him and his poet father.聽
Picasso painted with passion, intensity, and utter disregardIn聽鈥淎 Life of Picasso: The Minotaur Years, 1933-1943,鈥澛燼rt historian John Richardson provides a bracingly deep dive into the artist鈥檚 life.
Capping off the year with the 10 best books of DecemberThe 10 best books of December cap off the year with deep humanity and insights from writers of many backgrounds.聽
For designer William Morris, beauty was key to happinessAs a textile artisan, tastemaker, and social reformer, William Morris wove his values into his work.
Emerson and Thoreau led a second independence movement 鈥� this time of thoughtRalph 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 2021Monitor reviewers鈥� 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 careersThe Miss America pageant, writes Amy聽Argetsinger in 鈥淭here She Was,鈥澛爂ave women a start in the fields of broadcasting, politics, and entertainment.聽聽
