Books and Literature
Q. and A.: Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: Patricia Williams Goes From Crime to Comedy
In her new memoir, “Rabbit,” the standup comedian tells how she overcame a young life of poverty and drug dealing to become a performer.
Paul Oliver, Pre-eminent Authority on the Blues, Dies at 90
The author of “The Story of the Blues” and other books, he was a respected British architectural historian better known for his sideline as a student of black music.
Books of The Times: An Artist’s Childhood, Etched in Trauma and Abandonment
In her epistolary memoir, “The Book of Emma Reyes,” the Colombian painter recounts her childhood in Bogotá, made vivid by the horrors of the workhouse.
Q. & A.: Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: ‘Eat Only When You’re Hungry’
Lindsay Hunter discusses her new novel about a man’s road trip as he searches for his drug-addicted son.
Books of The Times: In ‘Home Fire,’ Lives Touched by Immigration, Jihad and Family Love
Three British siblings of Pakistani descent are at the center of Kamila Shamsie’s ingenious new novel, which builds to a stunning conclusion.
Books of The Times: ‘Emma in the Night,’ a Thriller That Keeps Readers Guessing
Wendy Walker’s latest novel revolves around the mysterious disappearance of two teenage sisters.
Children’s Authors Take On the Refugee Crisis
More than a dozen new books feature young displaced Muslims as protagonists as writers use the current tumult to personalize the conflicts for readers.
Reading, Writing and Refugees
Nine new works show that children’s authors are writing about a difficult subject in a way that is educational, yet mindful of a young audience.
Q. & A.: Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: A Season With Dickens, Darwin and Disraeli
Rosemary Ashton’s “One Hot Summer” recounts a pivotal year in Victorian history.
Katherine Dunham, Pioneering Dancer and Activist, Inspires a Book
“Katherine Dunham: Dance and the African Diaspora” is by the historian Joanna Dee Das.
Denis Mack Smith, Chronicler of Modern Italy, Dies at 97
Mr. Smith rankled many when he wrote that the Risorgimento, the movement that forged a unified Italian state, was not a glorious chapter.
Tom Perrotta Returns to Familiar Turf: Sex, Schools and Suburbia
The themes of Mr. Perrotta’s novels trace the arc of his life. In his latest, “Mrs. Fletcher,” he explores empty-nest syndrome and middle age.