All Book Reviews
President Lincoln has long provided wisdom. What can he offer today?Lincoln led a country divided not just over slavery, but also over immigration. One biography delves into this corner of his career. And a second biography focuses on Lincoln鈥檚 stalwart faith in democracy.聽
Five novels by Black writers pulse with powerful storytellingBlack fiction, in these five examples, explores how past injustices prolong present-day struggles.聽
鈥楾he Waters鈥� ripples with secrets and lies in rural MichiganBonnie Jo Campbell proves her mastery of Midwestern Gothic in 鈥淭he Waters,鈥� a portrait of three generations of women living close to the land, and drawing power from it.
From parole to prison design, these reformers seek humane solutionsTwo books unfold timely ideas on how to restructure not only America鈥檚 system of parole and probation but also the architecture of prisons.聽
鈥楾he Book of (More) Delights鈥� charms with quirky insightsRoss Gay pays attention to the dozens of small moments that give life meaning. His second book of everyday聽observations is loaded with detours, digressions, and humor.
Growing mighty: How a Jamaican author created a freer lifeIn a vivid and poetic memoir, Safiya Sinclair chronicles her journey from sheltered Rastafarian girl to a self-assured, award-winning poet and author.
The US government stole Lakota land. Her Jewish family benefited.Author Rebecca Clarren鈥檚 immigrant Jewish family was helped by federal policies that stripped Native Americans of their homelands. Her book wrestles with that legacy.聽
Moscow鈥檚 Metropol Hotel served as a 鈥榞ilded cage鈥� for Western journalistsIn 鈥淭he Red Hotel,鈥� Alan Philips unfolds the difficulties faced by British and American reporters in Moscow during World War II.聽
Hack your fridge: Delicious meals with less wasteMindfulness in the kitchen 鈥� from how to store food properly, to what to make from odds and ends in the fridge 鈥� will go a long way toward reducing waste.
How the women鈥檚 movement transformed societyThree recent books explore the contours of the second-wave feminist movement, from titan Betty Friedan to the editors and readers of Ms. Magazine.
How cats teach their humans to be 鈥� well, more humane鈥淭he Goodbye Cat,鈥� Hiro Arikawa鈥檚 follow-up to 鈥淭he Travelling Cat Chronicles,鈥� celebrates the unbreakable 鈥� and sometimes unearthly 鈥� bonds between felines and their adoring owners.聽
鈥楾he Heaven & Earth Grocery Store鈥� weaves a tale of love and communityIn his triumphant novel 鈥淭he Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,鈥� James McBride explores the appeal and elusiveness of the American dream.聽
Women war correspondents marched to their own drummerTwo reporters 鈥� Jane Ferguson and Dickey Chapelle 鈥� covered separate conflicts in different eras, but both were driven by the need to 鈥済o see for themselves what was happening.鈥�
Anna May Wong blazed a trail for Asian actors in HollywoodChinese American actor Anna May Wong defied racism and bias through persistence and determination. 鈥淒aughter of the Dragon鈥� tells her story.- In two memoirs, authors of color meditate on birding and identityTwo authors, one Black and one Native American, explore the complex ways their love for birding is mediated by racial identity.
If you map it, they will come: The effort to chart the seafloorJournalist聽Laura聽Trethewey plunges into the intense race to map the oceans 鈥� and the potential for exploitation of one of the planet鈥檚 few remaining frontiers.聽
The fall of Saigon split families apart. Hers was among them.Beth Nguyen was separated from her mother when the family left Vietnam. In 鈥淥wner of a Lonely Heart,鈥� she grapples with the question: Does the pain of absence ease with time?聽
Two to tango: Mark Billingham mystery explores partnershipDropping us into a rainy town, the novel 鈥淭he Last Dance鈥� gives readers a gripping protagonist, deadpan humor, and thoughtful attention to love and loss.
Around the world in four novels: Newly translated fictionWith settings from Siberia to Seoul, these bestselling novels offer English speakers a taste of the world.
A chef鈥檚 story reflects US-Mexico border tensionsIn 鈥淭he Migrant Chef,鈥� author Laura Tillman follows the saga of Mexican restaurateur Lalo Garc铆a to paint a more humane picture of migrants who cross the border.聽
