What Fuels a Fanatical Sports Parent?
In “Pee Wees,” Rich Cohen chronicles a year in youth hockey — and gets real about its impact on his own psyche.
Was the Constitution a Pro-Slavery Document?
In “The Crooked Path to Abolition,” James Oakes shows how Abraham Lincoln relied on America’s founding texts to chart a path to abolition.
When Getting High Is a Hobby, Not a Habit
In “Drug-Use for Grown-Ups,” Carl L. Hart, a drug addiction expert, argues that we misunderstand the way most people use illegal substances.
The Joys of Approaching Life as an Amateur
In “Beginners,” the author Tom Vanderbilt tries to acquire a number of skills, from chess playing to surfing, in order to explore how the mind learns.
Kevin Barry’s Stories of Yearning Swing Between Pathos and Humor
“That Old Country Music” is a showcase of the Irish writer’s style, a nervy mix of high poetry and low comedy.
A Bereaved Daughter Delves Into Her Mother’s Secrets
Justine Cowan discovered that her mother, an exacting Bay Area grande dame, had grown up in a bleak institution for “foundlings.”
How Martin Luther King Jr.’s Imprisonment Changed American Politics Forever
Stephen and Paul Kendrick’s “Nine Days” recounts a brief episode of the civil rights movement that had a surprisingly lasting impact.
The Perils of Social Distancing
In “Social Chemistry” Marissa King examines the ways our reality is shaped by the networks we form and how we form them.
A Filipino Freedom Fighter’s Life, Relentlessly Annotated
“The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata,” by Gina Apostol, takes the form of a found memoir that has been picked apart by scholars.
‘Summerwater’ Makes an Intimate Study of Social Class Out of a Long, Rainy Day
In Sarah Moss’s new novel, shut-in vacationers in Scotland observe each other and the state of the world with suspicion.
'The Liar's Dictionary' Is A Clever Delight For Language Lovers
Eley Williams tells the story of two word-mad characters who work for the same dictionary publisher 120 years apart. This novel is perfect for anyone who loves puns, crosswords and witty writing.
Glimmers Of Hope: A 2021 Poetry Preview, Part 1
This year, critic Craig Morgan Teicher says American poetry has become too big for just one person to cover, so he's invited five colleagues to bring their own perspectives to our 2021 poetry preview.
(Image credit: Premnath Thirumalaisamy/Flickr Creative Commons)
Book Review: ‘Troubled,’ by Kenneth R. Rosen
In “Troubled,” Kenneth R. Rosen investigates the kind of tough-love programs he was placed in as a teenager and exposes their unusual methods.
Book Review: ‘Saving Justice,’ by James Comey
Comey’s “Saving Justice” is a revealing memoir that describes his feelings about Trump and his worries about the nation.
To Adapt 'After The Rain,' Artists Cross All Kinds Of Boundaries
A new graphic novel adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's story "After the Rain" sets straightforward art against scattered, skewed panels to produce a sense of primal struggle between order and chaos.
(Image credit: Abrams ComicArts - Megascope)
2 New Picture Books Depict the Elusive Hide-and-Seek of Grief
Andrew Arnold’s “What’s the Matter, Marlo?” and Matthew Cordell’s “Bear Island” separate the person from the emotions, and model empathy.
How the Author of ‘Ragtime’ Taught an Aspiring Writer to Hear the Music
S. Kirk Walsh took a writing class with the novelist E.L. Doctorow and discovered a whole new world of sound.
Gary Paulsen’s Real-Life Survival Guide
“Gone to the Woods” is a memoir so rife with childhood trauma he wrote it in the third person.
Charles Yu Talks About ‘Interior Chinatown’
Yu discusses his National Book Award-winning novel, and David S. Brown talks about “The Last American Aristocrat,” his biography of Henry Adams.
Murder, Murder Everywhere: the Woods, the Hospital, the Market Square
Marilyn Stasio surveys the latest crime novels and finds them very much to her liking.
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