All Books
Facts never got in the way of a good Viking legendHow far did the Vikings venture into North America? A historian hunts for evidence, and sorts through myths about the Norse warriors.
A novelist envisions the last days of Ulysses S. GrantNovelist Jon Clinch was inspired by Ron Chernow鈥檚 鈥淕rant鈥� to elaborate on the last days of Ulysses S. Grant鈥檚 life, as the general fought poverty and ill health to write his memoirs.聽
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
Children were thirsting for stories. This couple built them a library.When resources are slim, it can be hard to build community. In Ecuador, one couple has found that a love of literature can help bring people together.
Melville鈥檚 鈥楳oby-Dick鈥� inspires a spinoff novel with women at the core鈥淲ild and Distant Seas鈥� is an inventive, atmospheric, female-centric story spun from a minor character in 鈥淢oby-Dick.鈥�
The river expedition that opened the American WestThe upper Mississippi was charted in the 1670s by two French explorers, Jolliet and Marquette. Their feat set the stage for America鈥檚 westward expansion 鈥� for good and ill.聽 聽
A sense of place: Brooklyn writers on why they love the boroughNovelists in Brooklyn draw inspiration from the New York borough鈥檚 cast of thousands, and particularly from its idiosyncratic neighborhoods.聽
Barbra, Ella, and Benedict Arnold entertain in December鈥檚 10 best booksOur picks for the month include a Barbra Streisand memoir, a biography of Ella Fitzgerald, and a reexamination of Revolutionary War hero-turned-traitor Benedict Arnold.聽
Her quest was to excavate not the soil, but the recordMexico鈥檚 history would not be the same without the work of anthropologist聽Zelia Nuttall (1857-1933). As a woman in a then-nascent field, her contributions were almost lost.聽聽
Barbra Streisand in her own words 鈥� and voiceIn her memoir, 鈥淢y Name Is Barbra,鈥� Streisand dissects her acting roles, dishes on past loves, and questions Hollywood鈥檚 treatment of women who take charge.聽
A bountiful year in books: The best reads of 2023This year鈥檚 best books, chosen by Monitor reviewers, pay close attention to history and its lessons for the present 鈥� and the future.
Bright colors, warm messages: Kids鈥� books to read and giveA quintet of children鈥檚 picture books celebrates curiosity, empathy, and keeping an open mind.聽
A poignant memoir unfolds the struggle of Cuban Jewish exilesIn 鈥淒well Time:聽A Memoir of Art, Exile, and Repair,鈥� Rosa Lowinger writes with compassion about the dislocation her parents experienced after leaving Cuba for the U.S.聽聽
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.
鈥榃e are creatures built for joy鈥�: Dispatches from a nature lover鈥淓very living thing ... is pursuing its own vital purpose,鈥� writes columnist Margaret Renkl in her latest collection of essays, 鈥淭he Comfort of Crows.鈥�
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.
In the 10 best books of November, humility changes livesA desire to right past wrongs animates many of our November reads. From a Civil War general to a young Londoner, self-reflection offers insight.聽
As divisions deepen in India, a 15th-century poet inspires hopeAmid heightened religious division, some Indians find common ground in the teachings of a poet who brought Hindus and Muslims together 600 years ago.
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
