All Books
Father and son cooking duo stirs up Chinese cuisineMaking Chinese food聽at home is 鈥渨ay easier than people would think,鈥澛爏ays Kevin Pang, who with his dad, Jeffrey Pang, has written 鈥淎 Very Chinese Cookbook.鈥澛�
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.
Humans and the moon: A closer look at an evolving relationshipA science journalist offers perspective on how humans can wisely steward the new phase of lunar exploration.聽
Wild seas and alien wonder: Get carried away with January鈥檚 best booksIn our favorite books this month, authors weave tales of tenacity, especially highlighting women 鈥� both real and fictional 鈥� pushed to the sidelines.
How to catch alligator poachers? Become one.鈥淕ator Country鈥� tells of a Florida wildlife officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a smuggling ring in the Everglades.聽
First LookBoston scholar finds new Louisa May Alcott writings under pseudonymNortheastern University literary scholar Max Chapnick has discovered stories written by Louisa May Alcott for Massachusetts newspapers under a different name. The early stories paint a picture of a burgeoning writer experimenting with form and genre.
鈥楬ow Migration Really Works鈥� brings calm rigor to a heated issueBy dissecting 22 鈥渕yths鈥� about migration, Dutch sociologist Hein de Haas aims to defuse a hot-button political issue.聽聽
Space, love, and poetry: 鈥楾he Nikki Giovanni Project鈥�A new documentary offers a nonlinear, lyrical look at the activism and life of poet Nikki Giovanni. What our commentator comes away with is a sense of love and awe.
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.
