Books

Lawrence Joseph is lawyer and poet from Detroit whose parents are from Lebanon. Critic Stuart Klawans says Joseph's newest collection features brutal autobiography and fierce intelligence.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Alfred Kazin's new book, A Writer's America, which explores the country through the eyes of its great authors. Leonard's only complaint is that Kazin doesn't feature enough of his own distinct, literary voice.

Book Critic John Leonard reviews The Shah's Last Ride by journalist William Shawcross. The book documents the Iranian leader's rise with the help of Western intervention, and his overthrow during the Islamic Revolution.

Guest critic Maureen Corrigan revisits Bel Kaufman's autobiographical novel Up the Down Staircase, about a rookie high school teacher who must contend with limited institutional support. Corrigan herself is a college instructor, and believes many of Kaufman's insights still ring true twenty years later

Book critic John Leonard says that Greene has trained readers to fill the gaps in his novels and flesh out his sometimes underdeveloped characters. Leonard is a longtime admirer of the author, but says his newest book is more of a notebook than a polished novel.

Book critic John Leonard reviews historian Jonathan Spence's newest work, about a Chinese convert in France who is institutionalized by a Jesuit priest name Jean-Francois Foucquet. Leonard says that the historical novel feels more like a poem about history.

Book critic John Leonard says that Andrew Vachss' new Burke detective novel Blue Belle, about the disturbing world of child porn and prostitution, is not for the faint of heart. He has this review.

Critic Stuart Klawans says Patricia Eakins' new short story collection is as preoccupied with strange animals as it is different literary traditions. The tales are instructive, while not always uplifting.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Studs Terkel's new collection of oral histories. Leonard says that Terkel is an eternal optimist, who features interviews with people working for change -- like doctors, union leaders, and gay rights activists.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the novelist's new book, about historical figures who live in contemporary times. Leonard says what could have been a thoughtful meditation on the role of art in society instead turns into a narrative mess.