Books

Allen Barra on the Myth of Ronald Reagan

BLANK Feb 13, 2009 At last, a revisionist takedown of our 40th president, portrayed as an empty suit too often lauded by the common people he betrayed. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

David Rieff on ‘Africa’s World War’

BLANK Feb 6, 2009 Why does the Darfur violence arouse outrage but the slaughter of millions more in Congo does not? An indispensable new book by Gerard Prunier attempts an answer by combining cool analysis and scholarly dispassion without losing sight of the horror of its subject. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Mark Fischer on Copyright in the Digital Age

BLANK Jan 30, 2009 A new book by Lawrence Lessig asks what constitutes copyright infringement in the era of "sampling" and point-and-click downloading. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Brenda Wineapple on Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass

BLANK Jan 23, 2009 Two recent books show how a man of reason and conservative temperament and a man of passion and radical disposition joined together, even before either knew it, to end slavery. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Christian Appy on ‘Mekong Diaries’

BLANK Jan 16, 2009 Sherry Buchanan, previously the author of "Vietnam Zippos," gathers together drawings, poems, letters and oral histories by 10 Viet Cong artists and offers a radically different view of the fighters whom Americans branded as Reds, gooks and fanatical killers. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Jay Feldman on ‘Concentration Camps on the Home Front’

BLANK Jan 9, 2009 A revelatory account of a hidden chapter of the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II deepens our understanding of American prejudice and the abuse of power. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Andrew Nagorski on the Bolsheviks’ Crimes

BLANK Jan 2, 2009 There was a time when Russia was an economic power on the rise. Sean McMeekin's new book, “History’s Greatest Heist: The Looting of Russia by the Bolsheviks,” explains what nipped that growth in the bud. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Chesa Boudin on Colombia’s Civil War

BLANK Dec 26, 2008 A new book casts an illuminating spotlight on Colombia’s guerrilla war, fueled by cocaine profits and U.S. military aid. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

James Blight on McGeorge Bundy

BLANK Dec 19, 2008 One of JFK's "best and brightest" died wondering how the Vietnam War could have gone so wrong. Now, in an important new book, we have some answers. Dig deeper ( 19 Min. Read )

Warren I. Cohen on China’s ‘Factory Girls’

BLANK Dec 5, 2008 There’s a revolution underway in Chinese culture as young women flock from villages to factory employment in the cities, leaving traditional values behind. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Richard Ellis on ‘Diagnosis: Mercury’

BLANK Nov 28, 2008 Thinking of whipping up another tuna casserole? You may change your mind after reading this convincing expose by Jane M. Hightower, a San Francisco doctor. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Regina Marler on Ted Hughes’ Letters

Regina Marler / Truthdig Nov 22, 2008 A new volume of the late poet's correspondence sheds fresh light on the anguish and art of Sylvia Plath. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )