All articles tagged with #book review
Geoffrey Cain’s Steve Jobs in Exile offers a detailed, textured profile of Jobs’ years at NeXT, showing how NeXTSTEP and related innovations seeded today’s macOS and iOS—and highlighting moments like NeXT hiring Adamation, the first web server on a NeXT machine, and a pivotal voicemail that brought Jobs back to Apple.
Vulture’s Emma Alpern reviews Ann Patchett’s Whistler, praising its warmth and compassionate look at a fractured family as a beloved stepfather re-enters a middle-aged woman’s life; a tense reunion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art triggers memories of a 1972 car crash that ended a marriage, and while Patchett’s maudlin tendencies can feel indulgent, the review argues she handles that tenderness with humane grace.
A Bulwark review of Isabel Vincent's RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise argues Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a uniquely self-centered figure, tracing his path from prankish youth and drug use to a lifelong quest for a distinct identity, then detailing his pivot to anti-vaccine activism and controversial leadership at HHS under Trump. Vincent leverages Kennedy’s diaries (1999–2001) to show a man hungry for more and prone to dishonesty, whose public-health stances have contributed to the measles resurgence and faced pushback from scientists and courts; the piece closes pessimistic that his fortunes will rebound, even as he launches a podcast to push greater transparency in government.
The Irish Times profile argues Tana French’s Cal Hooper mysteries, including The Keeper (the third in the series), use an American retiree-detective in rural Ireland to critique Irish society from an outsider’s perspective, emphasizing how Ireland’s coded culture shapes place and crime.
Keza MacDonald’s Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun is a praise-filled, interview-rich history of Nintendo, tracing its evolution from 1960s toy-making to Splatoon and highlighting how design, culture, and a persistent sense of play have kept the company central to gaming.
George Saunders’s Vigil is a slim, afterlife-set novel in which an angel counsels an oil-tycoon on his deathbed. Dwight Garner’s review praises Saunders’s wit and the concept but argues the book’s heavy-handed moralizing and explicit virtue-talk weigh it down, delivering more sermon than story and predicting it will be a bestseller despite its didactic tone.
Eric Lichtblau's 'American Reich' explores the culture of hate and the neo-Nazi movement behind a 2018 murder of a gay Jewish teenager in Orange County, highlighting the ongoing rise of hate crimes and extremist ideologies.
'Nobody’s Girl' is a powerful and harrowing memoir by Virginia Roberts Giuffre that exposes the extent of abuse, power, and corruption linked to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, highlighting her journey from victim to survivor and the ongoing fight for justice, while also reflecting on her tragic death shortly after its publication.
The article reviews Patricia Lockwood's autobiographical novel 'Will There Ever Be Another You,' which vividly captures the surreal and challenging experience of long Covid and pandemic-induced mental fog, highlighting its chaotic yet charming narrative style.
Jill Lepore's 'We the People' explores the history of the U.S. Constitution, emphasizing the ongoing struggles to expand its definition of 'the People' through amendments, and highlighting concerns about the Constitution's slow amendment process potentially leading to a crisis.
The article humorously reflects on how confessing to review books in 2003, especially 'The Da Vinci Code,' elicited sympathetic reactions from others, highlighting the book's cultural impact.
Dan Brown's latest novel, 'The Secret of Secrets,' features his iconic character Robert Langdon in a fast-paced conspiracy set mostly in Prague, blending historical intrigue with modern suspense, and includes Brown's characteristic factual and detailed writing style.
Peter Brannen's book argues that CO2, often vilified for its role in climate change, is actually fundamental to the development of life and human civilization, offering a comprehensive history from origins to modern issues.
The article reviews David Baron's book 'The Martians,' which explores the early 20th-century American obsession with life on Mars, fueled by figures like Percival Lowell and reflected in popular culture, contrasting with today's scientific pursuits of Mars colonization led by Elon Musk and NASA.
The book 'The Colonel and the King' by Peter Guralnick offers a detailed and nuanced look at Colonel Tom Parker's life and his complex relationship with Elvis Presley, challenging some common perceptions and providing new insights into his background and management style.