Archives

100 Suns by Michael Light | 03.09.04
The mushroom cloud is more than mere icon in the relentless beauty of these nuclear test photos. Reviewed by Seamus Sweeney

Accidental Playboy by Leif Ueland | 12.16.02
Hats off to the Accidental Playboy! (And thongs and tight T-shirts as well.) Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

After Dark by Haruki Murakami | 08.07.07
Haruki Murakami tries something slightly different with an immersing, nocturnal city-scape. Reviewed by J. Daniel Janzen

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami | 09.11.02
It may take only a day to read, but Haruki Murukami's new collection of short stories will leave readers thinking for a long time afterward. Reviewed by Clay Risen

A Great Wall by Patrick Tyler | 09.06.00
The ins and outs of Sino-US relations — and (surprise) a blistering look at Kissinger. Reviewed by James Norton

Alexander II by Edvard Radzinsky | 11.16.05
Edvard Radzinsky gives Alexander II a whole new legacy — that of The Last Great Tsar ... In Bed. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Amanda.Bright@home by Danielle Crittenden | 05.29.01
The Wall Street Journal's new serialized novel is a paint-by-numbers pageant for the Internet age. Reviewed by Julia Lipman

Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People by Amarillo Slim Preston | 9.3.03
It only takes a hundred words to hook readers into this tale of the underworld. Reviewed by J. Daniel Janzen

The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist by Michael Chabon | 04.27.04
"The Escapist" is a newborn, but his soul is firmly rooted in the pulpy soil of mid-century comic strip. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon | 10.16.00
"Kavalier & Clay" is a broad, sweeping book that works magic with its prose. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

America Unbound by Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay | 02.24.04
It is popular to argue that Bush is controlled by a cadre of neoconservative officials. But Ivo Daalder and James Lindsay see a very different president &151; one in charge and beholden to no one. Reviewed by Yonatan Lupu

Annals of London by John Richardson | 12.20.00
A skim-at-your-leisure history of London, done right. Reviewed by James Norton

Anthropology by Dan Rhodes | 09.13.00
It's a bit overpriced, but Dan Rhodes's collection of 101 101-word short stories is a charming read. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

The Assassin's Gate by Matt Hanson | 05.26.06
George Packer's quietly powerful account of the Iraq war should be distributed in Washington hotel rooms like the Gideon Bible. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald | 10.23.01
Sebald's latest is an allegory for 21st century Europe, an increasingly homogenized culture eager to move beyond its dark past into a bright, commercialized future. Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Autograph Man by Zadie Smith | 10.31.02
A curiously uneven novel that simultaneously succeeds and fails. Reviewed by Cory O'Malley

Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal by David Konow | 12.10.02
Hair metal may be a thing of the past, but heavy metal lives. Reviewed by Bob Cook

Baseball is Just Baseball by David Shields | 09.05.01
Dynamic. Enigmatic. Athletic. Ichiro! Reviewed by James Norton

The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky | 09.13.01
There is more to Basqueland than ETA. Reviewed by Sara J. Brenneis

Before and After: Stories from New York edited by Thomas Beller | 01.16.02
"Before and After" is a two-sided chronicle of a city turned upside down. Reviewed by James Norton

Being America by Jedediah Purdy | 04.11.03
Jedediah Purdy confronts our age's version of the old chicken-or-the-egg stumper. Reviewed by P.J. Tigue

Beowulf trans. Seamus Heaney | 05.30.00
Poet Seamus Heaney has finally rendered Beowulf in a form that is both strikingly muscular and a pleasure to read. Reviewed by James Norton

The Biographer's Tale by A. S. Byatt | 03.02.01
A novel that's as intellectually exhausting as it is engrossing. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Bizarro Comics by Duffy and De Stefano | 08.14.01
Indie comic book writers and artists take their shot at the DC Comics cadre of characters. Reviewed by Andy Ross

Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill | 05.24.00
The Boston mob and agents from the FBI made a devil's deal, and this book serves as its chronicle. Reviewed by James Norton

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood | 11.26.00
The novel reads like a memoir focusing on the narrator's life as she recalls the circumstances of her sister Laura's death. But the plot is far from this simple. Reviewed by Laura Miller

Blood of Victory by Alan Furst | 10.01.02
Alan Furst's latest thriller succeeds by taking an action insignificant in the grand scheme and rendering it morally worthwhile. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Bobby Fischer Goes to War by David Edmonds and John Eidinow | 01.01.04
A penetrating profile of one of chess's strangest and most tragic figures... minus the chess. Reviewed by Seamus Sweeney

Bobos In Paradise by David Brooks | 06.04.00
The editor of The Weekly Standard looks at the latest demographic group to roar across the American stage. Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Body Artist by Don DeLillo | 02.07.01
One of the reigning pontiffs of pomo has put out a book as brief as it is perplexing. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster | 08.29.02
Paul Auster's latest novel uncovers new territory. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times edited by Kevin Smokler | 05.31.05
The book is dead. Long live the word. Reviewed by Robert Francis

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin | 12.12.07
Steve Martin's memoir lacks the punch one might expect from such a wild and crazy guy. Reviewed by Andrew Stout

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz | 12.18.07
An author's 11-year dry spell ends, and the result is full of chaos and humor, and well worth the wait. Reviewed by Bridget Egan

Six Comedy Books Better Than Born Standing Up by Andrew Stout | 12.12.07
Six books about comedy better than Steve Martin's.

Brush With The Law by Robert Byrnes and Jaime Marquart | 01.30.02
If you ever wondered how Bloom County's Steve Dallas made it through law school, this is the book. Reviewed by John Gorenfeld

The Bubble of American Supremacy by George Soros | 02.17.04
The Howard Dean of philanthropy rails against a neoconservative cabal. Reviewed by Noam Lupu

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty | 07.26.07
Buffy rises from her coffin... in comic book form. Reviewed by Anthony Letizia

The Bugatti Queen by Miranda Seymour | 09.29.04
Miranda Seymour resurrects the life of Europe's fastest woman. Reviewed by Seamus Sweeney

The Bush Survival Guide by Gene Stone | 12.21.04
A constellation of bullet points on how to survive four more years of GWB. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

The Bust Guide by Debbie Stoller and Marcelle Karp | 02.12.00
A grrls guide to the modern female world. Reviewed by Sara Brenneis

Cad: Confessions of a Toxic Bachelor by Rick Marin | 02.14.03
You're lucky you're not dating this man. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft | 07.09.01
H. P. Lovecraft is not a good writer, but he is a very important one. Reviewed by Stuart B. Kelly

Candy by Mian Mian | 04.24.03
How alluring is candy without the shiny wrapping? Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Candy Girl by Diablo Cody | 04.24.03
A memoir that perfectly illustrates the difference between good blog posts and good books. Reviewed by Taylor Carik

The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer | 09.03.07
Norman Mailer's portrait of Adolf Hitler is certainly imaginative, but perhaps a little heavy on the faecal Freudianism. Reviewed by Taylor Carik

Cave-In by Brian Ralph | 12.19.00
Brian Ralph's elegant art brings a nuanced depth to this charming little picture book. Reviewed by James Norton

Censored 2000 by Project Censored | 07.04.00
The 25 most-censored news stories of the year 2000, as described by Project Censored. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk | 06.27.01
The author of "Fight Club" proves that too much shocking material can be... yawn... boring. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Climbing Out by Brian Ralph | 03.27.03
Boasting an elegant visual style and sublime storytelling, Brian Ralph's new comic is a throwback to fairy tales — in the best possible way. Reviewed by James Norton

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell | 10.20.04
Two-time Booker nominee David Mitchell once again constructs a book with a narrative that defies convention. Reviewed by Scott Esposito

The Cockroach Papers by Richard Schweid | 01.03.00
Do you think cockroaches are gross? You ain't seen — or read — nothin' yet. Reviewed by James Norton

Coffee With Sinistar by Stephen Notley | 03.11.00
The art's great. The stories are hilarious. The writing's brilliant. Welcome the animated world of Bob the Angry Flower. Reviewed by James Norton

The Colorful Apocalypse by Greg Bottoms | 10.09.07
A subjective portrait of two 'outsider artists' reveals an unsurprising tension between hipsterdom and radical Christianity. Reviewed by Michael Rymer

Comedy by the Numbers by Eric Hoffman and Gary Rudoren | 07.12.07
Learn while you laugh, with McSweeney's parodic comedy manual. Reviewed by James Norton

Commander of the Exodus by Yoram Kanuik | 05.08.00
A look at a bit of oft-forgotten — and heartbreaking — Jewish history. Reviewed by James Norton

Communazis by Alexander Stephan | 02.10.01
A lingering glance at the tragic lives of German emigre writers. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind by Chuck Barris | 01.06.03
The book that prompts the question: What would the CIA want with a self-loathing neurotic game show host? Reviewed by Alison Burke

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace | 01.25.05
Why not start the year off with a master of fiction and the essay? Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Cormac McCarthy on Oprah 06.18.07
When the Queen of Talk crosses pathes with one of the high priests of American literature, the results are more fruitful than one might expect. Reviewed by J. Daniel Janzen

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen | 09.27.01
One family, one Christmas, much angst. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart | 06.04.02
Forget all about recycling, regulation and the Rio Earth Summit. Reviewed by J. Daniel Janzen

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon | 06.10.04
Looking inside the meticulously ordered, strangely beautiful world of an autistic boy's mind. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kmetz

Daily Afflictions by Andrew Boyd | 04.11.02
Daily meditations on mortality, failure and loss comprise an ironic self-help book with a core of sincerity. Reviewed James Norton

Dancing With Cuba by Alma Guillermoprieto | 04.08.04
Guillermoprieto reminds us that there was a time when many people — even many Americans — saw hope in Fidel Castro. Reviewed Noam Lupu

Dante by R.W.B. Lewis | 07.11.01
A tasty snack-sized portion of Dante's life that fills you up. Reviewed James Norton

The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller | 11.08.02
Between the hype and the hate, "DK2" is a revolutionary take on what troubles the comic books industry. Reviewed by Jason Sanford

Daydream Believers: How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power by Fred Kaplan | 02.05.08
Believing that international politics actually changed after 9/11 has sapped our strength. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

Overbooked: Dead Babies by Louis Goddard | 09.20.07
In a vivid mix of sex, drugs, money and flatulence, the characteristic voice of Martin Amis takes shape. Reviewed by Louis Goddard

Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov | 11.06.01
A hauntingly funny story of an obituary writer and his penguin unravels the mystery of modern Ukraine. Reviewed by James Norton

The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri | 03.26.01
In the limited geography of a Bombay apartment building, Manil Suri expertly illuminates the contradictions of life in modern India. Reviewed by Ben Welch

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio | 08.11.99
This classic of Italian literature has something special going for it: It's smutty as all hell. Reviewed by James Norton

Defying Hitler by Sebastian Haffner | 09.16.02
Saying this memoir is about anti-Nazi defiance is roughly analogous to saying "Anna Karenina" is about a woman who throws herself under a train. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Delmore Schwartz | 03.20.08
A thumbnail portrait of the self-scrutinizing, self-consuming poet who influenced those who influenced those who wrote and recorded your favorite album. Profiled by Matt Hanson

The Devil's Cat by William Johnstone | 09.20.99
This oft-overlooked classic is as good as it gets: it's got cats and Satan. A great value. Reviewed by James Norton

The Diviners by Rick Moody | 12.05.05
By crafting such a bleak, aimless vision, Rick Moody sells himself short. Reviewed by Nate Wood

Dream of Venus by Miles Beller | 02.04.00
This retro-take on the future aspirations of the 1939 World Fair makes its points with quantum bursts of language. Reviewed by Paul Ross

Dreamtoons by Jesse Reklaw | 08.31.00
What do we dream? This trippy, brief and straight-forward book of cartoons records it for us. Reviewed by James Norton

Quick Reference to the DSM-IV-TR by the American Psychiatric Association | 08.21.01
Would you like to know in distressing detail all the things that can go wrong with the human mind? Read this book. Reviewed by James Norton

The Dying Animal by Philip Roth | 05.31.01
Philip Roth's latest just goes to prove you don't necessarily get better with age. Reviewed by Clay Risen

e by Matt Beaumont | 10.03.00
This hip, British e-novel is much like e-commerce — it's initially attractive, and then it sucks. A lot. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Overbooked: Edward Thomas by Han Yongming | 01.21.08
Reading this neglected poet should convince you that burning desire isn't enough to write well; you need craft too.

The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq | 10.24.00
France brings us an all-out attack on the values of the 1960s. Reviewed by Jonathan Gibbs

The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs | 07.28.05
Is there any silver bullet for blood-draining poverty? Reviewed by Noam Lupu

The Enemy Within by Donald Thomas | 01.15.04
World War II has become a sequence of glorious tropes. The story of the spivs needs to told. Reviewed by Seamus Sweeney

England, England by Julian Barnes | 08.02.99
A work that lovingly mocks and mockingly loves the author's native country. Reviewed by Diane Grypp

Escape to Hell by Muammar Qaddafi | 08.17.00
Everybody's favorite wacky dictator brings us his philosophy in one hard-to-head, bizarre collection of disjointed thoughts. Reviewed by James Norton

Eucalyptus by Murray Bail | 11.02.98
The sweet, soulful desolation of the outback is married to a fairy tale in this strange, well-crafted book. Reviewed by James Norton

Everyday Stalinism by Sheila Fitzpatrick | 05.21.99
The horrors of Stalinism have long been looked at from the point of view of the elite. But what was it like for the average citizen? Reviewed by James Norton

Faith of My Fathers by John McCain | 12.01.99
America's favorite general-purpose troublemaker and crusader for campaign finance reform talks about the events that shaped his life. Reviewed by James Norton

Faithless: Tales of Transgression by Joyce Carol Oates | 03.16.01
Joyce Carol Oates's new collection of short stories offers alienation and horror — as well as gentleness and and an occasional surprise. Reviewed by Gwen Glazer

The Family by Jeff Sharlet | 07.22.08
How an inconspicuous network of ideological believers came to roost at the highest levels of American government and business. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Fat Land by Greg Critser | 02.10.03
A frightening look at how America got its spare tire. Reviewed by Luciano D'Orazio

Fiction vs. Film | 10.13.04
Printed matter or pretty pictures — which is more vital? James Norton, Joshua Adams, Louis Cooke and Stephen Himes discuss.

Field Guide to Stains by Virginia Friedman, Melissa Wagner, and Nancy Armstrong | 02.12.03
Fantasize about vanquishing stains left and right with the ease of Martha Stewart and the charm of a sexy rock star. Reviewed by Jessica Longo

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett | 05.05.00
This competent satirical fantasy book continues the proud Pratchett tradition. Reviewed by James Norton

52 Projects by Jeffrey Yamaguchi | 04.10.06
If, by the end of "52 Projects," you still think you're too cool for school, you can always fold the pages into origami. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Footnote* and You Wanna Be A Rock and Roll Star by Boff Whalley and Jacob Slichter | 02.11.05
Two very different books by two very different one-hit wonders. Reviewed by Joey Rubin

Founders v. Bush by Steve Coffman | 10.25.07
The Founding Fathers hated imperial power in their own era; they would have hated it in ours as well. Reviewed by David Essex

Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander | 12.04.07
The autobiography of a writer who, for all his irreverence, can't seem to escape from God. Reviewed by Michael Rymer

From Here to Eternity by James Jones | 07.20.00
It's an old book about war, but "From Here to Eternity" has the power to submerge and bowl over its readers. Reviewed by James Norton

For Matrimonial Purposes by Kavita Daswani | 08.26.03
As long as the East remains shrouded in exoticism and mystery, books like this will only further obscure it. Reviewed by Madhu Krishnan

Fortune Favors the Bold by Lester Thurow | 02.11.04
Lester Thurow has taken one of his premises for supporting globalization from the New York State Lottery: "You gotta be in it to win it." Reviewed by Steven Burzio

Fugitive Days by Bill Ayers | 10.15.01
This bomb-loving author's timing couldn't be worse. Reviewed by Bob Cook

The Garden of Secrets by Juan Goytisolo | 01.04.01
A Spanish exile tells the tale of the Civil War through a series of strange, searing stories. Reviewed by James Norton

Geeks by Jon Katz | 03.29.00
A gifted look at the subculture that built the high-tech sector. Reviewed by Sara Brenneis

Get Your War On by David Rees | 01.02.03
Oh yeah! Clip art and political satire are in the house! Reviewed by Stephanie Kuenn

Gig edited by Bowe, Bowe and Streeter | 09.27.00
This chronicle of working people leaves no bizarre job unexplored. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Glue by Irvine Welsh | 06.21.01
The Ten Commandments of working-class Scotland, in four eras, as described by the author of "Trainspotting." Reviewed by Benjamin Arnoldy

Goat by Brad Land | 06.04.04
Readers are now awash in tragic, funny and brilliant memoirs that just don't measure up on the last page — much like this one. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

god Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens | 05.30.07
If Christopher Hitchens didn't exist, would he have to be invented? Reviewed by Jeremy Foster

The Golem's Mighty Swing by James Sturm | 11.02.01
Writer/illustrator James Sturm brings forth a dreamlike tale of American history, told through the eyes of an all-Jewish baseball team in the 1920s. Reviewed by James Norton

The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil | 10.19.01
Readers may well marvel at such an impeccably crafted literary joke. Reviewed by Rumaan Alam

Hard to Forget by Charles Pierce | 04.22.00
A disturbing look at one of the world's most disturbing diseases. Reviewed by Ben Welch

The Harlot by the Side of the Road by Jonathan Kirsch | 12.28.98
Did you ever wonder about the parts of the Bible they don't talk about in church? Reviewed by James Norton

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk | 05.24.05
Anti-establishment shockmaster Palahniuk is back, and more vomit-inducing than ever, classical allusions notwithstanding. Reviewed by Mark Hayes

Have Glove, Will Travel and Juiced by Bill Lee and Jose Canseco | 03.25.05
No two books more clearly highlight the passing of the torch from one generation of drugged-up baseball players to the next than those of Bill "Spaceman" Lee and Jose "The Chemist" Canseco. Reviewed by Mark Hayes

Heat by Bill Buford | 06.13.06
"Heat" is a 10-course meal readers will savor long after the last morsel of text has been digested. Reviewed by James Norton

Ho Chi Minh: A Life by William Duiker | 11.20.00
A penetrating look at one of history's most passionate and resourceful nationalists. Reviewed by James Norton

Hooking Up by Tom Wolfe | 11.08.00
The king of taste somehow manages to squeeze out a distasteful little book. Reviewed by Jonathan Gibbs

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski | 05.06.00
A sprawling, postmodernist maze of a book, written in a brilliant scrawl of fonts and tricky typesetting. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

How to be Good by Nick Hornby | 08.30.01
Hornby's clever gamble pays off. Reviewed by Katie Haegele

Howard Zinn on History and Howard Zinn on War by Howard Zinn | 07.02.01
Zinn's collected writings should be required reading for anyone thinking of shipping out to protest the next international trade gathering. Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Human Case by David Barringer | 12.02.02
With throbbing, palpable effort, Barringer shifts and confounds his own style with almost every turn of the page. Reviewed by James Norton

Hunts in Dreams by Tom Drury | 04.15.00
An modern existential novel, with each member of a family feeling tiny in the face of life's immensity. Reviewed by Ben Welch

Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes | 07.15.05
It takes a lot of guts to do your own autopsy. Reviewed by James Norton

Iceman by Brenda Fowler | 07.18.00
The science and politics behind the discovery and handling of the Alps' iceman are almost as interesting as the human popsicle himself. Reviewed by Katherine Nagel

I Like Food, Food Tastes Good by Kara Zuaro | 10.23.07
The relationship between indie rock and haute cuisine is growing dangerously close. Reviewed by James Norton

Ill Nature by Joy Williams | 05.22.01
Superbly written commentaries on contemporary American culture that will leave you laughing — unless you happen to be a duck hunter. Reviewed by Ben Welch

In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menendez | 05.16.01
Cuban exiles in America look homeward through a kaleidoscope of emotion. Reviewed by Gwen Glazer

In the Country of the Young by Lisa Carey | 01.16.01
The dramatic wreck of an Irish "coffin ship" isn't enough to save this book from a watery grave. Reviewed by Ben Welch

In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman | 12.07.04
Art Spiegelman's latest foray into the unlikely genre of historical tragedy cartoon falls short. Reviewed by Lindsay Nordell

In Defense of Globalization by Jagdish Bhagwati | 09.08.04
As the globalization polemics swing sharply between the antis and the pros, a prominent scholar reassuringly brings the pendulum closer to center. Reviewed by Noam Lupu

Interventions/Chomsky Intervenes by Noam Chomsky | 07.31.07
Linguist, philosopher and left-wing author Noam Chomsky answers questions on his latest book, reviewed by Jeremy Foster

In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz by Michela Wrong | 08.01.01
How the Belgians, the IMF, and a tyrant's plush life pushed the Congo toward collapse. Reviewed by James Norton

Inside the Mind of the Killer by Jean-François Abgrall with Samuel Luret, translated by Ros Schwartz | 06.25.05
More serious and subtle than most true crime fare, this memoir fails to deliver on the promise of its title. Reviewed by Seamus Sweeney

Into the Buzzsaw edited by Kristina Borjesson | 08.21.02
In almost one voice, leading journalists contend that the modern news business has become just that: a business. Reviewed by Paul McLeary

Irving Howe: A Life of Passionate Dissent by Gerald Sorin | 03.26.03
Now, being an intellectual is largely a matter of what one consumes, rather than produces. It wasn't always that way. Reviewed by Clay Risen

It's a Free Country edited by Danny Goldberg, Victor Goldberg and Robert Greenwald | 11.15.02
47 writers, politicians and civil rights activists add their voices to the cacophony of pundits weighing in on the state of post-Sept. 11 American civil liberties. Reviewed by Paul McLeary

Jarhead by Anthony Swofford | 05.15.03
Written by one of the players, rather than one of the play-by-play guys, "Jarhead" is an endangered species.

The Jew of New York by Ben Katchor | 02.01.01
A bizarre, artfully executed and ultimately disturbing illustrated exploration of Jewish identity. Reviewed by James Norton

Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware | 11.01.00
One of modern literature's finest artists sums up the grand tragedy of the everyday. Reviewed by James Norton

The Jimmy Roselli Story by David Evanier | 04.04.99
The "other Frank Sinatra" has some stories of his own to tell. Reviewed by James Norton

John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead | 07.30.01
With dazzling prose and vivid characters, "John Henry Days" is the best second novel in recent memory. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Journals by Kurt Cobain | 12.13.02
Move over Peter Drucker and tell Tom Peters the news — Kurt Cobain is this season's hottest business guru. Reviewed by Bob Cook

Judgement Day: The Trial of Slobodan Milosevic by Chris Stephen | 01.01.05
Despite the brutal and often hard-to-believe events that occurred in Yugoslavia under his watch, putting Milosevic on trial has hardly been easy. Reviewed by Yonatan Lupu

Junk Mail by Will Self | 03.26.07
Humorist Will Self weighs in on drugs, and additionally on things that are not drugs. Reviewed by Louis Goddard

Just Your Average Book Signing, Except the Author Isn't There | 01.01.06
Margaret Atwood goes on tour without going on tour. Reviewed by Iris Blasi

Killing the Buddha: A Heretic's Bible by Peter Manseau and Jeff Sharlet | 03.19.04
If there is anything more frustrating than listening to a man insist that he has nothing good to say, it is a man who insists that you shouldn't listen to him. Reviewed by Taylor Carik

Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman | 09.13.05
The Buddha is roadkill. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Kingdom of Shadows by Alan Furst | 03.19.01
The heir-apparent in the world of spy thrillers presents a nuanced look at Europe during the rise of Nazi Germany. Reviewed by Clay Risen

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild | 01.21.00
The barbarism of Belgium's exploitation of the Congro is shocking, even today. But what's more surprising is that human rights campaigners worked actively to stop it — 100 years ago. Reviewed by James Norton

Koba the Dread by Martin Amis | 09.20.02
A mildly hysterical Martin Amis adds a slight, readable work to the literature of Stalin's victims. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Landor's Tower by Iain Sinclair | 05.10.01
Iain Sinclair wanders the valleys of South Wales in his latest novel, using his scalpel-sharp style to explore the worlds of utopian visions and grief. Reviewed by Stuart B. Kelly

The Last Campaign by Zachary Karabell | 05.13.00
Those who would bemoan the nasty ins and out of modern politics would do well to check out this stunning account of 1948's race of Dewey versus Truman versus Wallace versus Thurmond. Reviewed by James Norton

The Last Revolutionaries by Catherine Epstein | 06.12.03
It's the increasingly irrelevant history of the German communist party that best captures the travails of the Marxist left during the past 100 years. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Law and War by Peter Maguire | 08.06.01
Someday, a definitive critique of American international law policy will be written, and "Law and War" will be nothing but a footnote. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Legal Action Comics edited by Danny Hellman | 09.24.01
This anthology could stand to be cleaned up a little. Reviewed by James Norton

Lennon Remembers by Jann S. Wenner | 12.08.00
A sharp look at a complex man and trickster artist. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Letters to Wendy's by Joe Wenderoth | 04.11.01
150 offbeat paeans to America's greatest fast-food also-ran. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Letters to a Young Activist by Todd Gitlin | 05.30.03
A dash of the "Port Huron Statement," a sprinkle of "Tuesdays with Morrie," a healthy serving of earnestness and, voila: A guide for the New New Left. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens | 12.07.01
Hitchens offers advice for taking on the Establishment. Reviewed by Paul McLeary

Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg | 03.24.08
The crooked line from Hitler from Hillary. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Light Action in the Carribean by Barry Lopez | 12.27.00
A book that falls neatly into the category of "nature writing" — and then transcends it. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

Like Shaking Hands With God by Lee Stringer and Kurt Vonnegut | 12.27.00
A conversation on writing that's as deep as it is broad. Reviewed by James Norton

Live From New York by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller | 11.06.02
Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller take readers deep into the salt mines of SNL. Reviewed by James Norton

Lone Wolf & Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima | 06.01.03
"Lone Wolf & Cub" is no mere samurai comic. It is one of the most engrossing ruminations on the separation of morals and ethics that you will ever read. Reviewed by Dan Norton

The Long Ball by Tom Adelman | 09.25.03
1975: The year of the best-ever World Series game — and the year free agency bit baseball in the ass. Reviewed by Paul McCleary

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby | 07.08.05
What this novel needs is a few velociraptors. Reviewed by Mark Hayes

The Longest Ride by Emilio Scotto | 05.16.07
A 500,000 mile motorcycle journey? Save it for reality TV. Reviewed by Michael Rymer

Looking Good by Lynne Luciano | 03.09.01
"Looking Good" is no "Beauty Myth." Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Losing Nelson by Barry Unsworth | 12.17.99
A psychotic stroll through history that explores Britain while it explores the interior of its protagonist's skull. Reviewed by James Norton

Lost Cosmonaut by Daniel Kalder | 09.13.06
An anti-tourist junket through the desiccated hulk of the former Soviet Union. Reviewed by James Norton

Love and Sex With Robots by David Levy | 01.15.08
Will sexy robots replace the need for human companionship? Yes, and according to author David Levy, that's probably a good thing. Reviewed by James Trimarco

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold | 08.12.02
A novel that lingers long after the last page. Reviewed by Summer Block

Maakies by Tony Millionaire | 10.15.00
The twisted cartoons of Tony Millionaire straddle the line between art and psychosis. Reviewed by James Norton

Melatonin Up, Civilization Down: Reading Jacques Barzun This Winter by Andrew Stout | 12.29.07
Curl up in bed this winter with seven books by Jacques Barzun.

Making Conversation by Robert Francis | 11.19.04
In an age where everything is sound and image, we want to be able to tie an author's text to a face, and above all, a voice.

The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes by Jamyang Norbu | 07.15.01
Finally, a novel that satisfactorily explains Sherlock Holmes' lost years. Reviewed by Rohit Gupta

Mark Twain Speeches edited by Charles Neider | 11.11.00
The public remarks of a legendary writer reveal a surprising tenderness. Reviewed by James Norton

Master of the Senate: Part 1 by Robert A. Caro | 05.03.02
Wherein all the Senate's liberals are unable to pass a damn bit of civil rights legislation, and Lyndon Johnson is still clearly aligned with the forces of evil. Part one of 10. Reviewed by James Norton

The Maze by Donovan Wylie | 01.01.04
Like something out of a Borges story, the Maze prison near Belfast is deliberately designed to baffle and confuse. Reviewed by Seamus Sweeney

Media Unlimited by Todd Gitlin | 06.19.02
A sociologist tries to impose a quickie categorization system on the postmodern condition. Reviewed by Paul McLeary

Merchant of Death by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun | 08.06.07
Victor Bout is an unscrupulous international arms dealer, illegaly fueling "low-intensity conflicts" from Africa to Afghanistan. He is also employed by the US Department of Defense. Reviewed by James Norton

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris | 07.05.00
Satirical and sweet, these stories pack a punch. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides | 10.21.02
The latest great American novel, told in an unlikely but appropriate voice. Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Miles Davis Reader edited by Frank Alkyer | 12.05.07
300 pages of everything written about Miles in DownBeat Magazine. Reviewed by Patrick Burns

Millennials Rising by Neil Howe and William Strauss | 09.23.00
Who's stepping in to fill the shoes of Generation Y? Reviewed by Sean O'Neill

-=+ by Istvan Banyai | 04.30.01
It's a circus parade of whimsy, an intoxicating blend of surrealism and hedonism, and a mesmerizing feat of visual storytelling. Reviewed by James Norton

Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood by Naomi Wolf | 11.20.01
Naomi Wolf's latest is no "Chicken Soup for the Pregnant Woman's Soul." Reviewed by Natasha Berger

The Mission by Dana Priest | 03.21.03
How the American military evolved into a guiding force of US foreign policy. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Mohr: A Novel by Frederick Reuss | 5.30.06
In novels, personal pronouns can be misleading. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Moses: A Life by Jonathan Kirsch | 10.01.99
Meet the man behind the God-proof paper mask. Reviewed by James Norton

Mountain Man Dance Moves by McSweeney's | 11.07.06
The newest McSweeney's product is delightfully slender, particularly considering that it is fat-packt with laffs. Reviewed by James Norton

My Bad by Paul Slansky and Arleen Sorkin | 06.05.06
Cringe-inducing, devastatingly cunning, and abjectly pathetic public apologies, all a-jumble in one juicy little book. Reviewed by James Norton

My Misspent Youth by Meghan Daum | 06.07.01
Embarassingly personal. Shrewd and forthright. Messy, with notable high-points. Megan Daum's collected magazine articles are all over the map. Reviewed by Rumaan Alam

My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk | 11.27.01
Orhan Pamuk addresses the East-West divide in the timely "My Name Is Red." Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Namesake and Suburban Sahibs by Jhumpa Lahiri and Mitra Kalita | 1.09.04
Without a country to call one's own, how does one make a life? Reviewed by Michelle Tsai

On the Natural History of Destruction by W.G. Sebald | 02.25.03
Sebald's last work asks why German literature is silent on its country's annihilation. Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature by Neal Pollack | 02.18.01
Trying to describe why Neal Pollack's "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature" is so great is much harder than might be expected. Reviewed by Erik Olson

Never Mind Nirvana by Mark Lindquist | 06.22.00
A novel that never forgets it's the story of a belated coming of age, as well as a quest for intimacy. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

The Next Deal by Andrei Cherny | 04.20.01
A look at American history, framed as a running battle between the philosophies of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Reviewed by Richard Wike

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami | 09.12.00
An elegiac and unsentimental take on first love and first loss. Reviewed by Sean O'Neill

Nowhere Man by Aleksandar Hemon | 10.11.02
What has brought so much frothing Slavic identity into collision with our pungent American generation X? Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Of Paradise and Power by Robert Kagan | 02.20.03
Without the Iraq crisis, would Robert Kagan still have a point? Reviewed by Clay Risen

One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick | 11.22.05
Just about everyone who reads this memoir will agree: Nathaniel Fick is one tough dude. Reviewed by Nate Wood

One Day's Perfect Weather by Daniel Stern | 04.04.00
In stories culled from the themes and undertones contained in various works of art, Daniel Stern's characters confront and resolve unexpected tensions in their lives. Reviewed by Ben Welch

One Market Under God by Thomas Frank | 12.01.00
For a carefully considered critique of today's money culture, you'll have to look elsewhere. Reviewed by Sean O'Neill

One Nation, Extra Cheese by Modern Humorist | 10.25.02
A shorthand exploration of all the many reasons travelers from foreign lands might want to hate us, or at least have a laugh at our expense. Reviewed by James Norton

Our Dumb Century by the Onion editors | 01.15.99
Satirical, sarcastic, and bristling, The Onion editors have brought into being the Excalibur of bathroom books. Reviewed by James Norton

Our Posthuman Future by Francis Fukuyama | 04.26.02
The end of history? Not just yet. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Orhan Pamuk's Temporary Triumph 04.03.07
Art cannot change the world — except for when it does. By Matt Hanson

The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell | 09.26.02
Sarah Vowell's dry wit isn't enough to rescue these too brief essays filled with one-liners and underdeveloped ideas. Reviewed by Cory O'Malley

Political Fictions by Joan Didion | 09.21.01
When American politics returns to partisan bickering, Joan Didion's essays will find an appreciative audience. Reviewed by Rumaan Alam

Portable Atheist ed. by Christopher Hitchens | 01.31.08
The urgency of the subject at hand seems to have cleared away the usual affectations. Reviewed by Andrew Stout

Positively American by Sen. Chuck Schumer | 03.21.07
To win in 2008, Democrats will need more than corrupt and/or incompetent opponents. Reviewed by Jeremy Foster

Power to the People by Laura Ingraham | 12.17.07
To Ingraham, "Power to the People" means praising Jesus, America and our president seven periods a day at school, putting a bullet in the head of anyone accused of a crime and having a media like her grandparents had. Reviewed by Michael Frissore

Prague by Arthur Phillips | 09.04.02
Nostalgic expats long for an idealized past in Arthur Phillip's debut novel. Reviewed by Cory O'Malley

Precarious Life by Judith Butler | 08.20.04
Postmodern theory isn't just alive — in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, it's become even more vital. Reviewed by Noam Lupu

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver | 12.15.00
Neatly balancing three narratives in one book, Barbara Kingsolver's unselfconscious prose shines through in this simple, message-driven novel. Reviewed by Gwen Glazer

The Punch by John Feinstein | 12.19.02
The final pages of John Feinstein's book about sports' most horrifying moment make a captivating topic captivating in a whole new way. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

The Quick and the Dead by Joy Williams | 05.22.01
True humor steeped in rich horror, painted with beauty — a potent combination. Reviewed by S. B. Kleinman

Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose | 11.01.06
This writing guide will inspire you to read like a writer, but not to write like one. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Recapping the '90s: Books by Flak Staff | 01.11.01
The best of everything, from punctuation to end notes. By Flak Staff

Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz | 11.08.07
Within Chris Salewicz's expert frame, the bizarre life of Joe Strummer simply tells itself. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Red Mafiya by Robert I. Friedman | 08.20.00
This book is supposed to be about how the Russian mob invaded America, not about how the Russian mob threatens the author. Reviewed by Ben Welch

Retail Commando by James Stegall | 08.23.00
A little bit of this, a little bit of that. James Stegall's collection of essays, interviews and fiction offers a little something to everyone. Reviewed by Aileen Gallagher

The Right Moment by Matthew Dallek | 09.18.00
How lasting is Ronald Reagan's legacy? Matthew Dallek's well-documented political history of 1960s California makes you wonder. Reviewed by Julia Lipman

Rita Mae Brown: From Lesbian Lit to Crime-Fighting Kitties | 04.07.08
The groundbreaking past of a mass-market favorite. By Steve Watson

The Roaring Nineties by Joseph E. Stiglitz | 11.13.03
Where did the good times go, and how can we get them back? Reviewed by Noam Lupu

Rodinsky's Room by Iain Sinclair | 07.28.00
A book too big to condense (a full reading would be a numbing, hallucinatory event), but still a natty taster of vivid, restless prose. Reviewed by Jonathan Gibbs

Rough Draft by Modern Humorist | 10.17.01
Modern Humorist presents a century of pop culture's failed first attempts. Reviewed by James Norton

Route 66 A.D. by Tony Perrottet | 04.16.02
Crowds are ancient, crowds are good. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

The Rural Life by Verlyn Klinkenborg | 12.11.02
Twelve months of rural living, explored and teased into luminous prose. Reviewed by James Norton

The Russian Debutante's Handbook by Gary Shteyngart | 05.30.02
A shuffling, second-guessing college grad heads east to Prague and into the ranks of the most beloved heroes of preposterous fiction. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Samuel Johnson Is Indignant by Lydia Davis | 12.13.01
Lydia Davis demonstrates the limitations of literary terminology. Reviewed by Rumaan Alam

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick | 07.20.06
Like all movie tie-ins, the book's a bit of a keepsake. Unlike most, it's a book worth keeping. Reviewed by John Hood

Schnitzler's Century by Peter Gay | 12.20.01
Has the late 19th-century middle class been unfairly written off as a bunch of tight-girdled, over-weaned neo-puritans? Reviewed by Clay Risen

Shakey by Jimmy McDonough | 07.15.02
A writer chronicles Neil Young, but spends most of his time hogging the spotlight. Reviewed by Bob Cook

Second Hand by Michael Zadoorian | 06.25.00
A comical, thoughtful, unpretentious look at American materialism and sentimentality. Reviewed by Diane Grypp

Seek by Denis Johnson | 06.12.01
Denis Johnson does his part to loosen the Pacific Northwest's grip on the pulse of offbeat American fiction. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie| 11.30.05
A warning wrapped in a blessing. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

The Shape of Things to Come by Greil Marcus | 12.19.06
ck journalist Greil Marcus aims his relational perspective on a potent and usually poorly imagined topic: American exceptionalism. By Matt Hanson

Shopgirl by Steve Martin | 10.27.00
Don't write off "Shopgirl" because of its celebrity author — the book is a charming, endearing read packed with terrific observations about low-self-esteem dating, millionaires and the Los Angeles shopping scene. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

Shutterbabe by Deborah Copaken Kogan | 01.29.00
A memoir as notable for its honest writing as the adventures it relates. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier | 04.20.00
If you've ever been to New York City and wondered about the lives of street vendors, this is the book for you. Reviewed by Ben Welch

Size Matters by Stephen S. Hall | 03.28.07
A former short kid reviews a book about the sometimes agonizing experience of being a short kid. Reviewed by James Norton

The Smart Start Journal by Kellogg's Inc. | 02.23.99
If only Kellogg's had bound the thing in leather and sold it for $49.95, it could have been a brilliant triumph of marketing over common sense. Reviewed by James Norton

Snowball's Chance by John Reed | 01.17.03
Novelist John Reed transforms "Animal Farm" into "Animal Fair." Reviewed by Paul McLeary

Something to Declare by Julian Barnes | 08.01.02
A new collection of essays by Julian Barnes is about more than Flaubert. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

Sore Winners by John Powers | 07.27.04
A keen look at the grotesquely fascinating sprawl of American culture, seen through a political lens. Reviewed by James Norton

Sound Bites by Alex Kapranos | 01.17.07
Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos tries his hand at food writing, with surprising results. Reviewed by James Norton

Speer: The Final Verdict by Joachim Fest | 01.30.03
While men like Hitler are rare, men like Speer are common. And yet it is precisely men like Speer who make the horrors that lie in the minds of dictators into reality. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami | 05.18.01
Haruki Murakami's latest novel — part detective story, part love story — is sure to win over American audiences. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton | 07.28.04
The great middlebrow intellectual of our time presents a galloping romp through the anxieties of modern Western citizens. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

Strange Beauty by George Johnson | 12.20.99
Murray Gell-Mann, forever wunderkind. Reviewed by Katherine Nagel

Suburban Nation by Duany, Plater-Zyberk and Speck | 05.15.00
Not just another anti-sprawl diatribe, but a book centered on the failure of planners and architects to maintain the link between policy, design and aesthetics. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Sulphuric Acid by Amélie Nothomb | 10.16.07
Nothomb's latest novel sports all of her characteristic flourishes, but is it a victim of it's own cleverness? Reviewed by Emma Garman

Summer Reading for Television Fans | 07.11.07
Tear yourself away from the TV for those precious few weeks of holiday... and read about it instead. By Anthony Letizia

Ten Bad Dates with DeNiro: A Book of Alternative Movie Lists edited by Richard T. Kelly | 08.20.08
Food for argument served up by a guy who likes making lists. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

Terrorism and War by Howard Zinn | 06.26.02
One of America's best known historians proposes a cartoonish solution to one of the more difficult problems of our time. Reviewed by Joshua Adams

Them: Adventures With Extremists by Jon Ronson | 01.23.02
The fate of the world rests with mutated 12-foot lizards. At least, that's what some people believe. Reviewed by Paul McLeary

The Reagan Diaries by Ronald Reagan (ed. Douglas Brinkley) | 06.21.07
Behind the lasers, tax cuts and Hollywood smile, was Ronald Reagan ever really there? Reviewed by Andrew Stout

The Third Freedom by George McGovern | 02.23.01
It's not glamorous, but George McGovern has a worthy plan for feeding the world. Reviewed by Ben Arnoldy

This House Has Fallen by Karl Maier | 07.24.00
A guided tour through an exhausted nation of bitterly divided peoples. Reviewed by James Norton

Three Worlds of Michelangelo by James Beck | 06.10.99
It may be impossible to completely understand a man as complicated as Michelangelo Buonarroti, but "Three Worlds" is an excellent place to begin. Reviewed by James Norton

Ticknor by Sheila Heti | 08.22.06
A gutsy experiment with minimalism that boasts a surprisingly warm soul. Reviewed by Matt Hanson

The Toy Collector by James Gunn | 09.30.00
"South Park" or "Catcher in the Rye"? Reviewed by Clay Risen

Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski | 07.30.07
Ryszard Kapuscinski isn't racist (at least not intentionally), but his memoirs expose his true weakness. Reviewed by Andrew Stout

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle | 10.01.03
One of the greatest workplace accidents to happen in New York is retrieved from near obscurity. Reviewed by Luciano D'Orazio

The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin | 04.22.05
Readers new to Boris Akunin will find in "The Turkish Gambit" the same light touch, quick tempo and graceful wit that distinguish his earlier books. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Uncles Petros & Goldbach's Conjecture by Apostolos Doxiadis | 05.25.00
A first-time novelist puts together a stunning synthesis of mathematics and make-believe. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

Underground by Haruki Murakami | 04.26.01
Haruki Murakami makes a case for himself as the social conscience of modern, urban Japan, but his latest work will do little to improve his standing among American readers. Reviewed by Clay Risen

The Underminer by Mike Albo and Virginia Heffernan | 03.23.05
In every life, there lurks an underminer. Reviewed by Christopher Hickman

Unearthing Gotham by Cantwell and diZerega | 03.21.02
There are bones and history buried under New York City. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins | 07.17.99
An author sets sets out to wow his readers with the wonder of science but winds up dragging them over excruciatingly familiar territory. Reviewed by Katherine Nagel

Up From Orchard Street by Eleanor Widmer | 10.25.05
A memoir becomes a literary feat in which every true word is fiction. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

Up in the Air by Walter Kirn | 07.24.01
Welcome to Airworld, a land of airports and a man on a quest for one million frequent flyer miles. Reviewed by Jessica Chapel

The Verificationist by Donald Antrim | 04.01.00
Never mind that this book is structurally similar to other Antrim books — it's good enough, and different enough, to keep your attention. Reviewed by Eric Wittmershaus

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill | 11.29.05
Mary Gaitskill runs roughshod over twittering tales of love. Reviewed by Stephen Bracco

Voluptuous Panic by Mel Gordon | 01.08.00
For all the decadence and depravity of Weimar Berlin, it was not the larger public's disgust with it all that brought the Nazis to power. Reviewed by Clay Risen

Vonnegut: A Life in Books | 05.02.07
The story of a sad bystander on the street, told (mostly) in his own words. By Matt Hanson

Wakefield by Andrei Codrescu | 05.26.04
When it comes to pitch-perfect cynicism in the key of deadpan, there is nothing so pleasantly chilly as the voice of Andrei Codrescu. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

The War Against Cliché by Martin Amis | 01.09.02
Martin Amis has never sought to make friends, as a whirl through his new collection of essays proves. Reviewed by Paul McLeary

War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges | 03.06.03
Just when we're on the verge of a whole lot more meaning, Chris Hedges probes war's psychological resonance and fallout. Reviewed by Elizabeth Kiem

War Torn: Stories of War from the Women Reporters Who Covered Vietnam edited by Tad Bartimus | 01.01.03
The beauty, fear, and destruction of war, seen through female eyes. Reviewed by Mary Gustafson

Waterloo by Karen Olsson | 11.23.05
In Waterloo, there is only the changing landscape. Reviewed by Conor Risch

We and GWB edited by Nikki Lee and David Nett | 07.06.05
At its best, "We and GWB" is evidence for the power of political blogging. At its worst, it suggests a job opening for a vigilant copyeditor. Reviewed by Eve Adams

We Wish to Inform You... by Philip Gourevitch | 10.18.98
"We Wish to Inform You..." does three important things, and it does them brilliantly, using clear language spoken from a powerfully moral viewpoint. Reviewed by James Norton

What Liberal Media? by Eric Alterman | 04.18.03
What the hell is so liberal about the media, anyway? Reviewed by Joshua Adams

When I Was Cool by Sam Kashner | 03.31.04
Sam Kashner didn't just read the beats — he went to school with them. Reviewed by Theo McMullen

White Teeth by Zadie Smith | 10.11.00
This is a novel set squarely in the global age, where Jamaican women marry English men, where Bengali children lose their culture on the streets of London, where gene pools mix like fruit smoothies in a blender. Reviewed by Ben Welch

Who I Was Supposed to Be by Susan Perabo | 11.14.99
Excitement and quirkiness behind the mini-blinds of suburban America. Reviewed by Diane Grypp

Why Orwell Matters by Christopher Hitchens | 12.24.02
After 20 years of tweaking noses and bruising egos, Christopher Hitchens just might have found someone he can agree with almost 100 percent. Reviewed by Luciano D'Orazio

Rediscovered: William Gerhardie | 08.24.04
Among the titans of 1920s English literature, novelist William Gerhardie was the brightest star. By Seamus Sweeney

With Love and Squalor edited by Thomas Beller and Kip Kotzen | 12.05.01
Readers looking for insights about Salinger may be better off revisiting their own high-school papers than perusing this collection of self-absorbed essays. Reviewed by Rumaan Alam

Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson by Amber Frey | 04.06.05
Intellectual giant Amber Frey strides across the landscape of philosophical and political thought like a modern-day Prometheus. Reviewed by Alissa Rowinsky

Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds & John Edinow | 03.14.02
Puzzles, problems and a clash of philosophical giants combine to create one of intellectual history's strangest footnotes. Reviewed by J. Daniel Janzen

Wolf Boy by Evan Kuhlman | 06.07.06
A death in the family gets the comic book treatment. Reviewed by James Norton

The Wreck of the William Brown/The Outlaw Sea by Tom Koch/William Langewiesche | 07.09.04
In the ocean depths, there's plenty of room for secrets. But there are ghosts below the waves, wronged and outraged, and ghosts are bound to haunt the living. Reviewed by Robert McEvily

A Writer at War by author | 02.22.06
A Jewish writer's tales of fighting alongside the Soviet Army. Reviewed by James Norton

X, Y, Z

A Year at the Movies by Kevin Murphy | 10.03.02
The man behind MST3K's Tom Servo trots the globe in search of insights into the way people watch movies. Reviewed by James Norton

You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon| 07.13.05
To be human is to have regrets. Reviewed by Kristen Elde

You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers | 10.28.02
Eggers shows off his best work. Reviewed by Will Leitch

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra | 02.07.08
Sink your teeth into this apocalyptic epic, set in a time when every male but the protagonist has died from a plague. Reviewed by Sean Weitner