Across the Agua to Managua, Nicaragua
A reissued monograph, a book of historical nonfiction, and an Alex Cox DVD from Criterion bring the lovely, oft-benighted country of Nicaragua out of history’s shadows.
Robert Birnbaum
The Making of the Presidents
As an almost lifelong observer of presidential politics--which I have come to view as the American quadrennial carnival of democracy--I sadly assert that the once energizing and redemptive spectacle of Americans choosing their president has become a pallid, limpid specter of democracy. This observation began with the Adlai
Handmade Nation
A D.I.Y. compendium of original creations supports the release of the documentary “Handmade Nation,” coming next year. The book includes interviews and photos of the craftiest people (and their work) from across the country.
The Given Day
“Mystic River” writer Dennis Lehane’s new doorstop of a novel, “The Given Day,” is an expansive and well-researched narrative touching on police strikes, molasses floods, and the rules of baseball in Boston, ca. 1919.
Amy Bloom
Straight from Boston, a conversation with author Amy Bloom on her latest book, Away, the benefits of the writing life, and the tedium of extra-long novels.
Lost on Planet China
Where Peter Hessler and Jonathan Spence have gone before him, J. Maarten Troost adopts a “trademark gonzo” journalistic approach in an attempt to explicate China to the outside world.
Obscene in the Extreme
To coincide with Banned Books Week, we recommend a historical account of the dramatic desecration of one such honored book, Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.”
The Watchdogs
On the disconsolate state of American election coverage, excepting Christopher Hitchens, Paul Collins, Frank Rich, and Gail Collins.
George Grosz: Berlin-New York
A collection of over 500 pieces by George Grosz, Berlin Dadaist and New Objectivist, are assembled in a comprehensive monograph by his estate’s director.
Burning Down the House
An essay of Charles Baxter’s resurfaces appropriately close to election time to remind voters of the passively political use of deniability and the making of mistakes.