Jeff Calhoun is the director and producer of the musical Brooklyn, which opens on Broadway this week.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin, $14). This is not only one of my favorite novels, but it happens to be the most recent book on my nightstand. The writing is as beautiful and original as the story. “Having just directed the Broadway revival of Big River,” I was taken with the similarities between young Lily and Huckleberry Finn, as well as the relationship between their respective black companions, Rosaleen and Slave Jim.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice (Ballantine, $8). Of all the guilty pleasures Anne Rice has given us, this is my favorite. A warm fire, a cold vodka martini, and 18th-century castrati…how can you go wrong?
Elia Kazan: A Life by Elia Kazan (Da Capo, $30). For those of us who never had the honor of working with this controversial legend, his invaluable stories live on in this show-business “bible.” Kazan’s blunt and courageous depiction of his life is essential reading for anyone contemplating a life in the theater.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays and Lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Library of America, $35). What can I say about the man who said everything better than anyone else? Reading Emerson helps me live my life the way I want to remember having lived it.
The Giving Tree
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Nathan Harris’ 6 favorite books that turn adventures into revelationsFeature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McGuire, and more
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Lou Berney’s 6 favorite books with powerful storytellingFeature The award-winning author recommends works by Dorothy B. Hughes, James McBride, and more
-
Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite books about women overcoming difficultiesFeature The author recommends works by Tove Jansson, Lauren Groff, and more
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
