海角大神

Our Man聽by George Packer

George Packer鈥檚 biography of diplomat Richard Holbrooke, best known for brokering the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars, is also an elegy for the vision of American power he represented.聽

Busted in New York and Other Essays聽by Darryl Pinckney

In his latest collection of essays, Darryl Pinckney examines American history as it pertains to the black experience. His thoughtful analysis of political movements and cultural moments ranges from the formation of the Black Panther Party to the social implications in the Barry Jenkins film 鈥淢oonlight.鈥� Pinckney鈥檚 literary voice isn鈥檛 just strong 鈥� it鈥檚 more important than ever.

A Good Provider聽Is One Who鈥娾�娾�哃eaves聽by Jason DeParle

Reporter Jason DeParle first met Tita Comodas in the slums of Manila three decades ago. His book聽is not just an affecting rendering of her family鈥檚 experiences but an intelligent, compassionate analysis of the economic, political, and cultural ramifications of global migration.

Last Boat Out of Shanghai聽by Helen Zia

Journalist-activist Helen Zia adds to the international refugee narrative with the only book in English about the late-1940s mass exodus of one-quarter of Shanghai鈥檚 6 million people escaping the Communist Revolution. Zia highlights four survivors to share intimate stories of displacement, separation, adaptation, and reinvention.

Midnight in Chernobyl聽by Adam Higginbotham

Journalist Adam Higginbotham sifts through archives and dozens of firsthand accounts to produce the most complete and compelling history yet written in English of the worst nuclear power plant meltdown in history.

The Lost Art of Scripture:聽Rescuing the Sacred Texts聽by Karen Armstrong

Religion scholar Karen Armstrong argues persuasively that sacred writings are an art form, not words cast in stone. Text on a page cannot represent the experience of transcendence. Instead, the faithful are meant to wrestle with these living documents, and find their relevance for today.

Young Castro聽by Jonathan M. Hansen

Jonathan M. Hansen crafts a portrait of Fidel Castro before the beard, before the Cuban missile crisis, and long before the fall of the Soviet Union. The book succeeds wonderfully in making young Castro 鈥� idealist and a devourer of books 鈥� come alive.

The Education of an Idealist聽by Samantha Power

Samantha Power was one of President Barack Obama鈥檚 ambassadors to the United Nations and won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for 鈥淎 Problem From Hell.鈥� In this memoir, she traces her life from her early years as an Irish immigrant all the way to the White House.

The Contender聽by William J. Mann

Marlon Brando is known not only for his roles in award-winning films such as 鈥淎 Streetcar Named Desire鈥� and 鈥淭he Godfather,鈥� but also for his social protests. William J. Mann鈥檚 biography probes Brando鈥檚 enigmatic persona in an illuminating manner. Seen as one of the pioneers of method acting, Brando rejected labels as quickly as he did compliments. Yet his social activism has become a model for many artists today.

The Queens of Animation聽by Nathalia Holt

Nathalia Holt tells in unprecedented detail the story of the women who鈥檝e worked behind the scenes at the Walt Disney Studios over the decades. They fought against sexism and discrimination to make immortal animation classics such as 鈥淔antasia.鈥�

Music: A Subversive History聽by Ted Gioia

Historian Ted Gioia asserts that music history generally shares the whitewashed stories of the assimilators. The truth, he says, can be found with the disrupters, the musicians who innovated despite cultural upheaval or, sometimes, in response to it. Through exhaustive research, Gioia reaches back to the ancient Greeks and Johann Sebastian Bach, through to Elvis Presley and Jay-Z, to illustrate his points.聽

The Ice at the End of the World聽by Jon Gertner

On Greenland鈥檚 dwindling ice sheet, explorers and scientists have battled inhospitable conditions and technological challenges in a quest to understand one of the most mysterious geological regions on earth. Jon Gertner鈥檚 gripping stories of their work give insight into the dramatic climatic changes taking place today.

Battling Bella聽by Leandra Ruth Zarnow

Leandra Ruth Zarnow鈥檚 book is every bit as vigorous and truth-telling as its subject, U.S. Congresswoman and invaluable public gadfly Bella Abzug, who argued loudly and persuasively for gender equality, environmental common sense, gay rights, and a generally more compassionate public sector. It鈥檚 a first-rate political biography.