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.
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.
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.
New in Paperback: ‘Weather’ and ‘The Making of a Miracle’
Six new paperbacks to check out this week.
‘Icebound’ Takes Us Back to the Arctic, in All Its Terror and Splendor
Andrea Pitzer’s new book resurrects the story of William Barents’s 16th-century expeditions to the Arctic.
Lengthy Biographies, James Joyce and Other Letters to the Editor
Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review.
9 New Books We Recommend This Week
Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.
How the Bible Divided, and United, Allan Gurganus and His Father
“My late father considered the Bible the inerrant Word of God ghostwritten by a single privileged eyewitness from creation to revelation. I explained, no, it was actually a lost and found scrapbook riddled with time gaps, savage violence and contradictory accounts. And yet...”
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