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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
How WriteGirl helps teens find their creative voiceGirls used to be told to be seen and not heard. Keren Taylor founded WriteGirl to inspire them to see聽their voice as valuable.
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.
Uncovering Shakespeare鈥檚 rare First Folios 鈥� paw prints and allFor literary forensics expert聽Eric Rasmussen, each Shakespeare First Folio is unique and loaded with history 鈥� from cat paw prints to bullet holes.聽
Please don鈥檛 buy my booksIt wasn鈥檛 until I set out to sell my old books that I realized the precious memories they held.
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.
鈥楢bsolution鈥� asks if 鈥榙oing good鈥� can cover for lack of empathyAlice McDermott鈥檚 novel 鈥淎bsolution鈥� probes issues of duty, charity, and complicity among a group of American expat wives in 1960s Vietnam.聽 聽
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