PositiveAssociated PressDoes a good job hammering home the portrayal of the SpaceX founder and now owner of X — formerly Twitter — as a visionary but mercurial figure who’s given to mood swings and self-destructive behavior. It’s a familiar descriptor for Musk’s fans and detractors, but Isaacson’s biography still offers plenty of revealing details about the tech mogul ... Isaacson deftly handles complicated matters like the development of electric vehicles, rockets and artificial intelligence while also deeply exploring Musk’s background and family ... The most fascinating parts are early on, as Isaacson delves into Musk’s upbringing, particularly his father.
Saul Austerlitz
RaveAssociated PressAusterlitz makes a compelling — and hilarious — case that the movie deserves much deeper consideration ... A fascinating account.
Giorgio Parisi
PositiveAP NewsMost importantly, the deceptively slim volume serves as a forceful argument for the value of scientific literacy at a time when it’s increasingly being challenged by misinformation ... A step toward making physics feel more accessible and less like magic.
C. W. Goodyear
RaveAssociated PressThe 20th president who served the second shortest amount of time in the White House is popularly known more for his assassination than what he did in office. But in President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier, C.W. Goodyear admirably remedies that with a book that demonstrates the long shadow Garfield’s life and legacy has left our country ... Authoritative ... With his engaging writing and comprehensive research, Goodyear’s biography offers a reassessment of Garfield that’s a welcome introduction to the statesman.
Jeffrey Toobin
RaveAssociated PressAuthoritative and compelling ... Benefits from fresh interviews from figures such as former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who oversaw the prosecution of McVeigh and Nichols ... His account of the bombing serves as a warning sign as much as it does a history of that legacy.
Ben Wilson
RaveAssociated PressBrief but illuminating ... Wilson leaves readers with hope about the future of efforts to preserve the ecosystems that surround us, as well as a new perspective that looks beyond the concrete and asphalt when walking along a city’s streets.
Kate Zernike
RaveAssociated PressZernike’s book is a inspiring but often infuriating account of the ways that MIT had discriminated against some of the brightest scientists in their fields. It’s also a cautionary tale of how easily workplace discrimination can take root, even among academics who consider themselves well-intentioned ... Zernike’s book deftly describes the way women in science had been marginalized and discriminated against over the years. Zernike makes Hopkins’ work and accomplishments clearly accessible to most readers, which helps underscore the impact of the discrimination against such a skilled scientist ... The book is an important read for anyone who wants to better understand the dynamics of discrimination in any workplace.
Philip Bump
RaveAssociated PressBump leaves no stone unturned as he takes a detailed look at the rise of the baby boom generation, its impact on the United States and the implications of its final days ... It would be easy to to get lost in the numbers as Bump takes a deep dive into as he looks at the cultural, political and demographic changes the country is going through. But there’s no shortage of charts and graphs throughout the book to help readers along the way.
Felix Gillette
RaveAssociated PressRevealing picture of a cultural and business institution from its beginnings to the challenges it now faces ... The book serves two purposes, and does both quite well ... A fascinating account of HBO’s business practices show how the cable network and eventual streaming service struggled to keep up with the world it helped create ... Gillette and Koblin offer plenty of behind-the-scenes tales that whet the appetites of TV and business news junkies alike ... Gillette and Koblin’s deep reporting and sourcing are what make It’s Not TV come together so well. The result is a read so riveting, it’s not hard to imagine watching it unfold on Sunday nights.
John A. Farrell
RaveAssociated PressSweeping ... Farrell is not afraid to examine complicated aspects of Kennedy’s life, which makes this biography worth the time of any reader interested in our nation’s political history ... Farrell’s book is a must-read for anyone interested in the politics of our era, and in understanding a complex figure whose policy achievements were as numerous as his vices.
Mark Bergen
PositiveThe Associated PressBergen offers a revealing look at how YouTube has struggled with that growth ... Bergen, who has covered Google for several years, deftly covers YouTube’s rise.
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
PositiveAssociated PressAn enjoyable complement to the series ... You don’t have to be a fan of The Office to enjoy the book, but it certainly helps. The book is filled with stories about some of the show’s most popular moments ... The most interesting theme of the book explores the creative process that went into a show that at first faced an iffy future.
Brad Ricca
RaveThe Associated PressFor fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark, there’s something just as exciting as seeing Indiana Jones swashbuckling his way through the jungles in search of treasure. That thing is hearing Dr. Henry Jones describe the history behind the Ark of the Covenant, and what makes it such a sought-after archeological find. That history is what makes Brad Ricca’s True Raiders such a fun read, even if it lacks the cinematic payoff of a Stephen Spielberg’s film ... Ricca manages to keep readers hooked with this true story that reads like a novel. It leaves readers wondering just how close the explorers get to finding this long-lost piece of history and just how far they’re willing to go to search for it.
Eli Saslow
RaveThe Associated PressVoices from the Pandemic offers numerous examples of the heartbreaking, infuriating and even inspiring ways COVID-19 has changed our world ... Reading a book like this in the midst of the delta variant’s surge may seem like a depressing pursuit, but it feels oddly cathartic. So many of the emotions and experiences are familiar. This collection is a reminder of how much we all share in common during a time of great loss ... a rich and valuable portrait of a confusing, frightening time in our history, even with that second question yet to be answered.
