Category: Book Reviews

June 21, 2010

Shia Revival by Vali Nasr *** (of 4)

The first two chapters were so densely packed with Islamic history I am almost gave up on the book, but am so glad I didn’t....

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June 21, 2010

She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan *** (of 4)

James Boylan, a college classmate of mine, and chair of the English Department at Colby, at the age of forty could no longer bear the...

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June 21, 2010

The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski *** (of 4)

Very thorough review of 50 years of his dispatches from sub-Saharan Africa. He’s a Polish journalist who’s seen it all in Africa and captures the...

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June 21, 2010

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron ** (of 4)

The Dean of British travel writers takes the Silk Road from China to Turkey and the NY Times says, “Thubron goes to places most other...

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June 21, 2010

1776 by David McCullough ** (of 4)

A recounting of one year of the Revolutionary War, without explaining why the Americans are fighting the British, why fighting for independence was not the...

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June 21, 2010

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand *** (of 4)

The primary reason this story of a race horse, his owner, jockey, and especially, his trainer, became a best seller is Hillenbrand’s ability to create...

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June 21, 2010

A Darker Domain by Val McDermid ** (of 4)

A famed British mystery writer, with 23 books beneath her belt takes on the tight society of British mine workers and the psychological devastation accompanying...

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June 20, 2010

The Lost City of Z by David Grann ** (of 4)

Percy Fawcett, one of the last of the iconic British explorers, ca. 1920, khaki get-up, pith helmet, and scraggly beard spends most of a lifetime...

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June 20, 2010

The Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett *** (of 4)

Burdett’s Thai detective travels to Nepal for this fourth in the series (search my earlier reviews under “Burdett”) and then travels very deep into Tantric...

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June 18, 2010

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Aza Nafisi *** (of 4)

Nafiisi believes democracy can only succeed in conjunction with a fundamental human right to imagination. She demonstrates its value by documenting the deteriorating lives of...

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