All Book Reviews
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.
A novelist embraces solitude and nature as antidotes to lossIn 鈥淢emorial Days: A Memoir,鈥� author Geraldine Brooks carves out space to grieve 鈥� and to heal.聽
Forgotten Muslim builders gave medieval Europe its iconic architectureHistorian Diana Darke argues in 鈥淚slamesque鈥� that Europe鈥檚 monuments owe a vast debt to Muslim craftsmen and designers.
How four women physicists escaped the Nazis, but lost their life鈥檚 work鈥淪isters in Science鈥� tells of the rise of female scientists in 1930s Germany 鈥� some of whom were Jewish 鈥� whose careers were ended by Adolf Hitler.
From indigo to the blues, the history of Black people is woven in a single colorImani Perry鈥檚 essay collection 鈥淏lack in Blues鈥� threads together the cultures and lore of the Black diaspora into an insightful聽 commentary.聽 聽
A travel writer finds inspiration in staying stillPico Iyer makes time for retreats at a Benedictine hermitage in California. In 鈥淎flame: Learning From Silence,鈥� he writes about finding clarity.
Makers of the world鈥檚 rarest pasta and soy sauce inspire aweIn 鈥淐ustodians of Wonder,鈥� Eliot Stein takes readers on a tour from Japan to Peru to meet the artisans keeping ancient crafts alive.聽
