All Book Reviews
Activist teens will love 鈥楾he Downstairs Girl鈥� despite flawsStacey Lee adds an unusually long list of ingredients, including historical details, subplots, and social causes, to her novel.
Aching and perceptive, 鈥楾he Water Dancer鈥� is an essential readTa-Nehisi Coates鈥� first foray into novel-writing deftly weaves fantasy and historical fact into a poignant tapestry of the antebellum South.
Alexander鈥檚 greatness rises again in newest biographyIn聽鈥淎lexander the Great,鈥� author Anthony Everitt crafts a lucid, readable, and compelling portrait of the celebrated general of ancient times.
鈥楽pin the Dawn鈥� is delightful, daring YA adventure鈥淢ulan鈥� meets 鈥淧roject Runway鈥� in Elizabeth Lim鈥檚 captivating debut. There鈥檚 no shortage of intrigue, drama, or excitement in this fantasy novel.
Voyage of the mind and body: Two books explore modern pilgrimageIn 鈥淭he Road to San Donato鈥� and 鈥淲alking to Jerusalem,鈥� distance is not an obstacle for the body, but for the mind.
鈥楥old Warriors鈥� is a thrilling dive into Cold War propagandaDuncan White explores the impact and manipulation of the literary elite of the Cold War era, touching on writers like Orwell,聽le Carr茅, and聽Pasternak.
A love letter to storytellingAlix E. Harrow鈥檚 debut novel, YA adventure聽鈥淭he Ten Thousand Doors of January,鈥� is a wonderful jaunt through space and time. It鈥檚 well worth the trip.
鈥楶laces and Names鈥� confronts conflict 鈥� both personal and militaryNow a journalist, Elliot Ackerman reflects on five tours of duty as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan with honesty and compassion.
Out of Africa: David Livingstone鈥檚 servants preserve his legacyPetina Gappah鈥檚 novel 鈥淥ut of Darkness, Shining Light鈥� imagines what the 19th-century explorer鈥檚 African servants thought of his quest.聽
Of moles and men: A memoir about the virtue of letting nature aloneMarc Hamer probes the essence of nature, solitude, and the accommodations we make between deeply held beliefs and our everyday behavior.聽聽
Susan Sontag鈥檚 razor-sharp intellect is captured in new biographyBenjamin Moser strikes a balance between the immersive details that fans expect and the storytelling that will appeal to more general readers.
A son probes his stepfather鈥檚 ties to Jimmy HoffaJack Goldsmith untangles a family relationship that involved links to the mob and the 1975 disappearance of聽Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa.
When an idealistic Obama adviser bumped against real-world politicsSamantha Power鈥檚 candid memoir, 鈥淭he Education of an Idealist,鈥� details her experiences in President Barack Obama鈥檚 White House.聽
鈥楬ow to Be an Antiracist鈥� opens a vital dialogue on raceIbram X. Kendi spares no one from critique 鈥� not even himself 鈥� in this takedown of racism and the attitudes and policies that perpetuate it.
A nuanced critique of 鈥榮oft power鈥� in 鈥楢 Door in the Earth鈥�Journalist Amy Waldman鈥檚 novel explores the idealism of a young Afghan American woman and the downside of American intervention in Afghanistan.聽聽
When the art world became the art marketMichael Shnayerson traces the shift toward big business in 鈥淏oom: Mad Money, Mega Dealers, and the Rise of Contemporary Art.鈥澛犅�
Malcolm Gladwell鈥檚 鈥楾alking to Strangers鈥� is a swing and a missThe bestselling author says that we need more trust. But the monstrous crimes in his case studies don't help his argument.
鈥楢 Good Provider Is One Who Leaves鈥� is extraordinary, movingJournalist聽Jason DeParle chronicles the lives and labor of three far-flung generations of a Filipino family as they forge a way out of poverty.
鈥楢 Better Man鈥� shows Louise Penny at her compelling bestHer Three Pines mystery series, with Inspector Gamache, is a rare one that becomes more interesting the longer it goes on.
鈥楽ee Jane Win鈥�: A riveting political deconstruction of 2018Caitlin Moscatello鈥檚 鈥淪ee Jane Win鈥� dives deep into the triumphs and pitfalls encountered by novice women politicians in the 2018 elections.
