Books

Book critic John Leonard reviews a biography of Paul Scott, who wrote the Raj Quartet, which includes the Jewel in the Crown. The book is written by Hilary Spurling. Leonard knew Scott personally, and says the book does justice to his tragic life.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the latest novel by Czechoslovakian writer Milan Kundera. He's the author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," and "The Book of Laughter & Forgetting."

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Seizing the Enigma" by David Kahn. It's about the Enigma Project--the Allies' attempt to break Nazi codes during World War II. Corrigan says it's the only moment in history where scholars helped win the war.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Gaza: a Year in the Intifada." It's journalist Gloria Emerson's account of the life of Palestinians living under Israeli rule.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Alberto Manguel's novel, "News From a Foreign Country Came," about families and terrorism in cities around the world.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "A Morning for Flamingos," David Lee Burke's fourth novel in a series about a Cajun detective in New Orleans.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Sarah Maitland's new novel, which masterfully weaves together real dragons, the end of childhood, cancer, and Christian symbolism in a narrative that somehow leads to salvation.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan review Kitty Kelley's salacious Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography. Corrigan, who is no fan of the former first lady, says it's perversely entertaining.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the new collection of essays by veteran Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski, called The Soccer Game.

Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Mary Diana Dods: A Gentleman and a Scholar" by Betty T. Bennett. Dods was a Victorian writer who advanced her literary career by posing as men named David Lyndsay and Walter Sholto Douglas.