Sarfraz Manzoor’s latest book, They: What Muslims and Non-Muslims Get Wrong About Each Other is published by Wildfire at £20.
American Pastoral by Philip Roth (1997)
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One on One by Craig Brown, (2011)
Craig Brown is a stone-cold genius and I am endlessly recommending this book. He writes of 101 unusual celebrity encounters that together form a daisy chain of 20th-century history: Kipling meets Twain, Twain meets Helen Keller, and so on. The result is ridiculously entertaining. Fourth Estate £9.99
American Dreams: Lost and Found by Studs Terkel (1980)
Terkel was an American oral historian whose books feature an extraordinary range of so-called ordinary people. Here he asks them to articulate their version of the American Dream. What emerges is a portrait of the US in all its conflicted and complex glory. Out of print
Footsteps: The New York Times (2017)
This collection of New York Times pieces sees writers taking literary pilgrimages around the world, from Philip Roth’s Newark to Elena Ferrante’s Naples. Reading this book has been my way of travelling while stuck at home. Three Rivers Press £11.99
My Song by Harry Belafonte (2011)
I was lucky enough to interview Belafonte a few years ago. He is an extraordinary individual who has led an astonishing life, from double dating with Marlon Brando to advising Martin Luther King and JFK. He has been a singer, actor and activist, but more than anything he has been an agent of hope and change. Canongate £14.99
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Alchemised: how Harry Potter fanfic went mainstreamIn The Spotlight Traditional publishers are signing up fan fiction authors to rewrite their ‘explosively popular’ romances for the mass market
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Crossword: October 6, 2025The Week's daily crossword
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Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipeThe Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
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Susie Dent picks her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The lexicographer and etymologist shares works by Jane Goodall, Noel Streatfeild and Madeleine Pelling
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The Harder They Come: ‘triumphant’ adaptation of cinema classicThe Week Recommends ‘Uniformly excellent’ cast follow an aspiring musician facing the ‘corruption’ of Kingston, Jamaica
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House of Guinness: ‘rip-roaring’ Dublin brewing dynasty period dramaThe Week Recommends The Irish series mixes the family tangles of ‘Downton’ and ‘Succession’ for a ‘dark’ and ‘quaffable’ watch
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Dead of Winter: a ‘kick-ass’ hostage thrillerThe Week Recommends Emma Thompson plays against type in suspenseful Minnesota-set hair-raiser ‘ringing with gunshots’
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A Booker shortlist for grown-ups?Talking Point Dominated by middle-aged authors, this year’s list is a return to ‘good old-fashioned literary fiction’
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Fractured France: an ‘informative and funny’ enquiryThe Week Recommends Andrew Hussey's work is a blend of ‘memoir, travelogue and personal confession’
