All Book Reviews
Beyond Jackie Robinson: The unsung heroes of the Negro LeaguesJackie Robinson may have been the first Black player in the majors, but others soon followed 鈥� an exodus that spelled the end of the Negro Leagues.聽
鈥楲ibertie鈥� imagines the whole of a Black girl鈥檚 self-determination鈥淟ibertie,鈥� a novel about a Black girl growing up in 19th-century New York, rings with historical truth.聽聽
Shakespeare鈥檚 plays meet plagiarism-detection softwareThe Shakespeare canon undergoes scrutiny, turning up links to Thomas North. But 鈥榩lagiarism鈥� was more the rule than the exception for Elizabethans.聽
Crafts and social movements went hand-in-hand in American historyAuthor聽Glenn Adamson聽points out that the artisan鈥檚 workshop has long served as a shared space where people gathered with a common goal.
Machines that learn: The origin story of artificial intelligenceAI may have had a slow start, but companies like Google and Facebook are pursuing it like a modern-day gold rush.
鈥楩ierce Poise鈥� illuminates the career of an overlooked abstract expressionistElectrified by Jackson Pollock鈥檚 work, painter Helen Frankenthaler blazed her own path and went toe-to-toe with the male artists of the New York School.聽
鈥楻ed Island House鈥� probes uncomfortable collisions of class, raceColonialism fuels the conflict within a Black American woman, whose wealthy Italian husband sets up a resort on an impoverished African island.
鈥業n the Gospels, no one is essential but Jesus鈥�: new translation adds fresh scholarshipSome of Sarah Ruden鈥檚 choices聽offer a refreshing break from the familiar versions of the past. Others don鈥檛 quite work.
Cosmic grandeur pervades Alan Lightman鈥檚 鈥楶robable Impossibilities鈥�Galactic wonder radiates through these essays by the renowned theoretical physicist, whose writing proves companionable and illuminating.
A win for labor laid the groundwork for workers鈥� rightsA strike at General Motors, led by the rising UAW, brought concessions that improved the lives of workers across the United States.
The road to reclaiming Jewish property rarely runs smoothlyProperty records and personal history become entwined as a descendant of a Holocaust survivor searches Poland for clues about his grandfather鈥檚 life.
An early Black mutual aid society surfaces in New OrleansA set of ledgers, nearly thrown out, leads Fatima聽Shaik to discover a fellowship of free Black men that predates the Civil War in 鈥淓conomy Hall.鈥�
Japan tsunami aftermath provides the setting for this quiet, wise novel鈥淭he Phone Booth at the Edge of the World鈥� deals with the aftermath of Japan鈥檚 devastating 2011 tsunami, and provides a message of hope and endurance.
Tom Stoppard鈥檚 friends have nothing but good things to say about himWith full access, Hermione Lee has written the most authorized of authorized biographies of the British-Czech playwright and member of the literati.聽
Where American women鈥檚 ambitions took wing at midcenturyPan Am, along with the Barbizon in New York City, offered women of the 1940s-1960s a rare place to follow their career aspirations.
鈥楾he Graduate鈥� director Mike Nichols felt he had something to proveMark Harris鈥� biography traces Mike Nichols鈥� work from comedy improv duo with Elaine May to Broadway plays and big Hollywood films 鈥� as well as flops.聽
鈥楰lara and the Sun鈥�: Do androids dream of human emotions?A likable android studies human behavior in Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro鈥檚 鈥淜lara and the Sun,鈥� which explores the effects of AI.
The Enlightenment stressed not only reason, but also empathySome historians have emphasized the intellectual part of the Enlightenment, while downplaying the other attributes that made it such a fruitful era.
MLK, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin were shaped by their mothers鈥淭he Three Mothers鈥� asserts the pivotal role these women played in the formation of their sons鈥� religious, political, and literary achievements.聽聽
A mother searches for the child she gave up as a teen in 鈥楾he Kindest Lie鈥�Nancy Johnson鈥檚 debut novel 鈥淭he Kindest Lie鈥� is a well-crafted exploration of class, race, and culture; of motherhood; and of family ties.聽
