Lilti’s project illustrates commonalities in human fixations, even across gaps of centuries. The concept of celebrity is not a recent phenomenon, as Antoine Lilti shows in "The Invention of Celebrity", a merry dance through the annals... Read More

It’s not the ones who fight the hardest who survive, but the ones who learn to steer clear of fighting at all. In Tariq Goddard’s comedy of manners, "Nature and Necessity", Petula Montague rules her adult children as only a... Read More

Dawson and Todd’s burgeoning Civil War romance ignites curiosity. "Practical Strangers" is a remarkable compilation of letters from 1861 and 1862 that present a nearly complete record of Elodie Todd—the sister-in-law of Abraham... Read More

Gentle allusions to the power of belief and of God form the story’s foundation. Liz Johnson combines a tender inspirational romance with the gritty impact of childhood abuse for a powerful story about the struggle to find, accept, and... Read More

Kubic’s conflict stories are eye-opening gems, full of intrigue and insight. Ferreting out the truth is both an obligation and a risky endeavor for journalists in unstable countries, and not everyone is cut out for the work. In his... Read More

Looser’s work lovingly explores how Austen became a permanent fixture in classic English literature. Devoney Looser’s fascinating "The Making of Jane Austen" excavates the trends, politics, and tastes that shaped Austen’s legacy.... Read More

This duo is an unusual, important, and skillfully written contribution to Holocaust literature. Deep research, adept reporting, and personal experience make for a gripping read in Maurice Rajsfus’s two-book publication, Operation... Read More

"Her Own Hero" is a highly readable study whose historical accounts of sexism and xenophobia bear repeated discussion. Wendy L. Rouse’s "Her Own Hero" examines the social conditions that led to the women’s self defense movement of... Read More