Books
America’s 13 Colonies didn’t fight the Revolution by themselvesIn “Shots Heard Round the World,” John Ferling argues that substantial – and secret – aid from France helped the colonists triumph over Britain.
Skulduggery among the heirloom tomatoes in ‘The Fact Checker’A madcap mystery novel riffs on two New York institutions: the fact-checking department of a New Yorker-like magazine and the city’s farmers markets.
Mario Vargas Llosa ‘put Peru on the world’s literary map’Mario Vargas Llosa, who died April 13, helped ignite intellectual fervor in Peru, while his writings stoked the imagination of the world.
Spring’s great reads have sprung! Here are April’s 10 best.April’s 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
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Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.For National Poetry Month, we talk with Richard Blanco, whose “One Today” poem was read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
First LookIn Navy library’s DEI purge, books on feminism, racism, HolocaustMaya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was among nearly 400 volumes removed from the Naval Academy’s library after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office ordered the school to get rid of those promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Whodunits with history: Those were the slays!Our roundup of mysteries includes Jay Gatsby’s (invented) sister and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as detectives. Retirees and conspiracies abound.
The quiet voice of Emily Brontë was anything but tame“Fifteen Wild Decembers” by novelist Karen Powell shows the depth of creativity shared among the talented Brontë siblings, as narrated by Emily.
The stories ‘move into hope’: Elaine Pagels reflects on Jesus’ teachingsThe Gospels spread the teachings of Jesus and stories about his life. A Bible historian unpacks the message behind them in “Miracles and Wonder.”
A fuller portrait of artist-provocateur Yoko OnoDavid Sheff reappraises Yoko Ono’s role, as an artist in her own right and as a support to John Lennon, with whom she collaborated on “Imagine.”
The 10 best books of March come in like a lionMarch’s 10 best books deliver drama, danger, and determination, from a novel set on a subantarctic island to a biography that reappraises Yoko Ono.
One night to resolve all matters of the heartBen Okri emphasizes abstract ideas over nuanced characters in the farce “Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted.”
Laila Lalami taps into privacy concerns in ‘The Dream Hotel’Novelist Laila Lalami’s trepidation about big tech and data collection led her to imagine a world in which even dreams are subject to monitoring.
Actor Merle Oberon hid her South Asian heritage to keep working in HollywoodBritish actor Merle Oberon’s greatest role might have been played off-camera. She kept her biracial heritage a secret so that her career could soar.
Monitor's Best: Top 5
Hate chased a Holocaust survivor off TikTok. His message is still: Seek hope.
Why Harvard and other colleges are fighting for ‘essential freedom’
The ExplainerThe European Union has wealth and people. Why isn’t it more competitive?
Panama accepted asylum-seekers the US didn’t want. Then its troubles began.
How Donald Trump is upending American culture
