All Book Reviews
- America鈥檚 13 Colonies didn鈥檛 fight the Revolution by themselvesIn 鈥淪hots Heard Round the World,鈥 John Ferling argues that substantial 鈥 and secret 鈥 aid from France helped the colonists triumph over Britain.
- Skulduggery among the heirloom tomatoes in 鈥楾he Fact Checker鈥A madcap mystery novel riffs on two New York institutions: the fact-checking department of a New Yorker-like magazine and the city鈥檚 farmers markets.
- Spring鈥檚 great reads have sprung! Here are April鈥檚 10 best.April鈥檚 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
- Whodunits with history: Those were the slays!Our roundup of mysteries includes Jay Gatsby鈥檚 (invented) sister and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as detectives.聽Retirees and conspiracies abound.
- The quiet voice of Emily Bront毛 was anything but tame鈥淔ifteen Wild Decembers鈥 by novelist Karen Powell shows the depth of creativity shared among the talented Bront毛 siblings, as narrated by Emily.
- A fuller portrait of artist-provocateur Yoko OnoDavid Sheff reappraises Yoko Ono鈥檚 role, as an artist in her own right and as a support to John Lennon, with whom she collaborated on 鈥淚magine.鈥
- The 10 best books of March come in like a lionMarch鈥檚 10 best books deliver drama, danger, and determination, from a novel set on a subantarctic island to a biography that reappraises Yoko Ono.
- One night to resolve all matters of the heartBen Okri emphasizes abstract ideas over nuanced characters in the farce 鈥淢adame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted.鈥
- Actor Merle Oberon hid her South Asian heritage to keep working in HollywoodBritish actor Merle Oberon鈥檚 greatest role might have been played off-camera. She kept her biracial heritage a secret so that her career could soar.
- The unfulfilled promises of emancipation and ReconstructionTwo books about the American Civil War鈥檚 aftermath focus on the experiences of formerly enslaved people.聽
- Earth鈥檚 green evolution gave rise to everything from dinosaurs to dandelionsPaleontologist Riley Black traces the cooperation among plants, animals, and ecosystems in 鈥淲hen the Earth Was Green.鈥
- London鈥檚 brief, glorious rise in the art worldIn 鈥淩ogues & Scholars,鈥 James Stourton tells how postwar London became the center of the global art market.
- A sweet-natured hare wins the heart of a writerIn 鈥淩aising Hare,鈥 Chloe Dalton writes movingly of rescuing a newborn hare and finding herself more open to the wonders of nature.
- Twin sisters compete against one another in Soviet-era ballet worldElyse Dunham鈥檚 atmospheric novel 鈥淢aya & Natasha鈥 portrays Russian dancers caught up in envy and ambition during the Cold War.
- Detroit鈥檚 attempt to improve its schools was hamstrung by redliningMichelle Adams鈥 鈥淭he Containment鈥 argues that unfair housing practices kept Black Detroit residents confined to certain neighborhoods and undercut efforts to integrate schools.
- Find your winter escape with the 10 best books of FebruaryThe 10 best books of February range from humorous novels by Anne Tyler and Tom Lamont to historical novels set in 1950s Leningrad and 1920s Harlem.
- 鈥楧aughter of Daring鈥 tells a rip-roaring story of Hollywood鈥檚 first stuntwomanHelen Gibson wowed audiences with her jumps, falls, and derring-do. She also offered moviegoers the unique image of a woman in control.聽
- Curiosity, love, loss: A biographer puts herself in the frameMegan Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, looks inward at how her life has been shaped by asking questions and digging deeply.聽
- Anne Tyler鈥檚 trademark wit and empathy shine in 鈥楾hree Days in June鈥In 鈥淭hree Days in June,鈥 Anne Tyler makes the case for forgiving people鈥檚 shortcomings and cutting each other slack.
- A father-daughter bond forged by meals and memoriesBonny Reichert鈥檚 鈥滺ow To Share an Egg鈥 celebrates the survival of her Jewish family, measured in joyous family dinners.