Nonfiction

The Feud That Birthed the Electric Guitar

Les Paul and Leo Fender were fierce competitors. Their rivalry led them both in the same direction—toward the creation of the solid-bodied instrument that changed the course of rock music.

• James Parker
• Jan 23, 2019

How to Tell an Open Secret

Three recent novels demonstrate how fiction can deftly capture the long-term effects of sexual assault and harassment.

• Rosa Inocencio Smith
• Jan 16, 2019

To Understand Art, Think Biology

Just as cells are the building blocks of the human body, a painting’s points, lines, colors, and tensions are the building blocks of its life.

• Lance Esplund
• Jan 16, 2019

The President’s McFeast

The fast-food dinner Trump hosted was also an argument: about government, about political messaging, about himself.

• Megan Garber
• Jan 15, 2019

Debussy’s Radical Search for Simplicity

A biography published 100 years after the composer’s death reveals the worldly trials of an artist known for his airy fantasies.

• Jack Segelstein
• Jan 10, 2019

How James Baldwin’s Writings About Love Evolved

The author is best known for arguing that emotional connection could help heal America’s racial divides. But his 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk focused instead on the bonds that held black people together.

• Dagmawi Woubshet
• Jan 9, 2019

Uncovering the Roots of Caribbean Cooking

A lush book of recipes pays homage to the inventive culinary contributions of enslaved African women.

• Syreeta McFadden
• Jan 2, 2019

A Year of Miseducation

From Lauryn Hill to Cameron Post to Tara Westover, 2018 repeatedly asked the question, What does it mean to teach a person to surrender?

• Matt Thompson
• Dec 31, 2018

Edward Gorey and the Power of the Ineffable

The writer-illustrator, whose darkly comic works remain enormously influential today, disdained explanation in favor of the playfully irrational.

• Gabrielle Bellot
• Dec 28, 2018

The 7 Best Cookbooks of 2018

Pan-seared steak with za’atar chimichurri, curried lamb ribs, and a host of other inventive dishes from this year’s top food bibles

• Corby Kummer
• Dec 17, 2018

The Language the Poet Knows

A new collection of essays attempts to lend some objective shape to a timeless-seeming challenge: the ongoing balance of voice and form.

• Nicholas Cannariato
• Dec 11, 2018

A Book That Honors an Underrated Sport

The Circuit, Rowan Ricardo Phillips’s latest book, deftly chronicles tennis’s 2017 season with a joyful reverence.

• Andrew Lawrence
• Dec 10, 2018

John Leguizamo’s Required Reading for America

Inspired by his one-man show, Latin History for Morons, the comedian recommends three books that challenge one-sided narratives of the past.

• J. Clara Chan
• Dec 8, 2018

The Untold Labor That Helped Make Charlie Chaplin’s Film Scores

A new book shows that many of the director’s musical achievements were the result of unrecognized collaboration.

• Tina Hassannia
• Dec 3, 2018

The Tragedy of Electronic Music

Future Sounds, a new book on the history of machine-made pop and classical songs, suggests that the radical power of the synthetic has largely been forgotten.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• Nov 26, 2018

The Misremembering of Robert Graves

Good-bye to All That is arguably the war veteran and literary stalwart’s best work, but a new biography ignores its impact.

• James Parker
• Nov 21, 2018

Karina Longworth Makes Old Hollywood New

The writer and critic has found a cult following with her podcast, You Must Remember This, unpacking the myths to show age-old stories and stars in a new light.

• Sophie Gilbert
• Nov 14, 2018

A Brilliant Travelogue That Presents Africa Through a New Lens

A recent book by Emmanuel Iduma expands what writing about the continent can be by paying extraordinary attention to the ebbs and flows of human connection.

• Hannah Giorgis
• Nov 11, 2018