Book Reviews

Books
Arts

'Hardly Children' Is Restless And Strange — Just Like Humanity

10:00am November 22, 2018

by Ilana Masad

The spare, slightly creepy off-white cover of Laura Adamczyk's debut collection is perfect for the uncomfortable stories within it, works that examine family, childhood, adulthood, gender and race.

Books
Arts

'Extinctions' Digs Up Buried Memories and Unacknowledged History

4:48pm November 21, 2018

by Martha Anne Toll

The title Josephine Wilson's new novel refers to its protagonist, an elderly man who feels useless, extinct — and whose journey is to find the means for growth and change within himself.

'Heirs Of The Founders' Looks At Efforts To Stave Off Civil War

11:51am November 21, 2018

by Scott Detrow

H.W. Brands brings to life a transitional era of American politics when the scope and power of the federal government was unknown, as were the boundaries of the United States.

Books
Arts

An Artist Looks Back — Way Back — In 'I Am Young'

7:00am November 21, 2018

by Etelka Lehoczky

M. Dean's psychedelic collection of graphic short stories chronicles how music affects the lives of a group of young people in the 1960s and '70s, with masterfully nostalgia-invoking illustrations.

"Little Dancer," a sculpture by French artist Edgar Degas, is seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2014.

Books
Arts

'Little Dancer' Brings Us To See The Person Behind The Famous Degas Sculpture

5:07pm November 20, 2018

by Heller McAlpin

Degas's sculpture "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen" is known the world over. But who is that young lady he depicts? Camille Laurens aims to find out — and realizes something about herself in the process.

Che: A Revolutionary Life, by Jon Lee Anderson and José Hernández.

'Che' Graphic Biography Explores The Myths And Truths Of The Legend

9:49am November 20, 2018

by Etelka Lehoczky

While José Hernández and Jon Lee Anderson struggle continually to balance nuanced truth with cartoony distillation, Che remains a remarkable accomplishment.

Books

Book Review: 'Those Who Knew'

8:02am November 18, 2018

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with author Idra Novey about her novel "Those Who Knew," which takes a look at the emotional toll of staying silent after an assault.

Books
Arts

This 'Ladder To The Sky' Is Grounded In The Dirty Depths

7:00am November 18, 2018

by Bethanne Patrick

John Boyne's new novel is about a literary schemer, striver and climber so dastardly and downright cruel that it seems impossible to enjoy reading about him — and yet, you definitely will.

Death and Other Holidays, by Marci Vogel

Books
Arts

'Death And Other Holidays' Is A Perfect Literary Break

7:00am November 17, 2018

by Lily Meyer

Marci Vogel's new novella spans a year in the life of April, a young woman blindsided by loss. It's the perfect length for a story, and the perfect balance of humor, anger, sorrow and beauty.

Author Jonathan Franzen speaks at BookExpo America at the Javits Center on May 27, 2015, in New York City.

Books
Arts

Jonathan Franzen Finds Hope In Nature In 'The End Of The End Of The Earth'

10:39am November 15, 2018

by Annalisa Quinn

A new collection the author's essays spans art, nature and autobiography — taking aim at people he meets in daily life but also exposing his own vulnerabilities.