Patrimony by Philip Roth (Vintage, $13). A brave and loving and beautifully honest farewell by the author to his dying father. It is impossible to read Roth’s true account without realizing how we say goodbye to our aging parents every day—and that we say goodbye to ourselves just as often.
The Napoleon of Crime by Ben Macintyre (out of print). The astonishing true story of 19th–century master thief Adam Worth, whose genius and daring purportedly made him the model for Sherlock Holmes’ archnemesis, Professor Moriarty. Author Macintyre is a gorgeous writer—as good as they come in narrative nonfiction—and he makes Worth’s world and obsessions as real as if we’d joined the master on his grandest heist.
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The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker (Free Press, $15). The single book that truly changed my life. Becker’s idea—that man’s inescapable fear of death is at the root of human motivation, psychology, culture, and good and evil—explains so much about why people do what they do that you’ll never look at the world in the same way again.
The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence S. Ritter (HarperCollins, $15). To my mind, the greatest sports book ever written. On the surface, it’s a collection of interviews with turn–of–the–century baseball players, great and ordinary. At its heart, it is the voice of America, with an optimism and toughness and love of the simple that reminds us why we love baseball and our country so dearly.
Conversations With Kafka by Gustav Janouch (New Directions, $11). A man’s remembrances of his boyhood friendship with the great writer and philosopher Franz Kafka. Janouch’s memories open up a part of Kafka that is at once warm and profound, kind and brilliant, and always unforgettable.
Narcissus Leaves the Pool
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The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
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Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
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Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
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Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
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Nathan Harris’ 6 favorite books that turn adventures into revelationsFeature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McGuire, and more
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Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
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Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
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Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
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Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
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Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
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Keith McNally's 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
