Non-fiction What does a true memoir need?The Opposite FieldBy Jesse Katz Reviewed by Gary Presley Anyone can write a memoir. No, let’s say, Anyone has the stuff of memoir in a life lived... 
 A close shave for Jim Crow?Knights of the RazorBy Douglas Walter Bristol, Jr. Reviewed by Joe Short No book ever had a more riveting first sentence than Knights of the Razor: Black Barbers in Slavery and Freedom by Douglas Walter Bristol, Jr.
 Murder, he wrote?The Murder of Lehman BrothersBy Joseph Tibman Reviewed by Mike Marcoe As the big financial bailouts shoveled taxpayer money to bankers in 2008, one company stood out like a child left out of the fun: Lehman Brothers.
 Where does the truth reside?Kipling’s CatBy Anne Cabot Wyman Reviewed by Ruth Douillette I had to keep reminding myself that Anne Cabot Wyman was no spring chicken when she wrote Kipling’s Cat, because from beginning to end she was a little girl who wanted her daddy.
 Why did Bach snub the piano?Mr. Langshaw’s Square PianoBy Madeline Goold Reviewed by Jack Shakely The square piano was at best a bridge between the harpsichord and the modern piano.
 Who’s the baddest of them all?BadassBy Ben Thompson Reviewed by Carter Jefferson You think folktale characters like Bluebeard or movie stars like Darth Vader are the nastiest people ever imagined?
 Who defines their identity?The Unchosen MeBy Rachelle Winkle-Wagner Reviewed by Charissa Threat Do African American college women face an unfair burden of imposed identities?
 Stop the presses?Losing the NewsBy Alex S. Jones Reviewed by Bill Williams Anyone who follows the news knows that newspapers are in trouble.
 Can Jack Nicholson sing?A Hundred or More Hidden ThingsBy Mark Griffin Reviewed by Charles L. Hoyt “Tucked away” between the filmographies of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli is that of Vincente Minnelli.
 Is Burundi neutral?Strength in What RemainsBy Tracy Kidder Reviewed by Dawn Goldsmith If not for a chance meeting and a writer’s instinct for a good story, Tracy Kidder might never have known Deogratias.
 Merely great, or greatly human?The Intimate Lives of the Founding FathersBy Thomas Fleming Reviewed by Elizabeth McCullough We may not have the patience to wade through the intricacies of health care reform or the economic stimulus plan, but the American public seems to have an insatiable appetite for sex scandals involving politicians.
Fiction Who is the devil?Cairo ModernBy Naguib Mahfouz Reviewed by Denise Yagel What’s a few hundred years and a continent between scribes when the topic is the darkness of the human soul?
 Would you go there again?DismantledBy Jennifer McMahon Reviewed by Dawn Kingsbury Wakefield To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart.
 Why no Tuna of the Farm?Inherent ViceBy Thomas Pynchon Reviewed by Lewis Faulkner To me, buying a Thomas Pynchon novel requires courage.
 What more can one ask from a book?HouriBy Mehdad Balali Reviewed by Ann Hite The culture of Iran—a country that never strays far from the headlines—has always been an intriguing mystery to me.
Lasting Impressions What were Snow Flower’s secrets?Snow Flower and the Secret FanBy Lisa See Reviewed by Julie McGuire Among my most prized possessions are a handful of books I’ve received over the years from people I cherish, knowing the giver chose them especially for me as symbols of deep love or friendship.
Our Readers Write
Do we really need e-books?E-Books: Keeping up with the Joneses or Paving the Way?An essay by Jonathan Wolan If at any lull in your life you’ve found yourself listlessly watching a sci-fi movie, then you’ve seen the futuristic books and writing implements: an incredibly thin tablet and some type of shiny looking stylus.
Brief Reviews
Here are brief reviews of some current releases that the editors think you’ll find interesting. |
Public Library, Bridgewater, Massachusetts (Photo by Ruth Douillette) Advertisements  
A readable and well-told tale filled with color, sensitivity, humor and plenty of research. —Midwest Book Review 
Charlie Scheffel’s story as told in Crack! and Thump was featured in the History Channel series, WWII in HD. 
“A tour de force” —New York Times 
“Bob Sanchez is a consummate writer.” —Kaye Trout’s Book Reviews 
Business Book Summaries |