In ‘Superpower Showdown,’ Bob Davis and Lingling Wei describe a new Cold War as the United States and China figure out how to manage the repercussions of China’s rise, including U.S. protectionism and tensions over Taiwan, military strength and human rights.
Books
Review: Church politics can be challenging, but there are blessings in belonging.
Frank J. Butler’s new memoir details a life of devoted service in the Catholic Church in the United States over many decades.
Review: Zadie Smith, Marcus Aurelius and pandemic self-talk
“Writing means being overheard,” writes Zadie Smith in her new book.
Mary Gordon on Max Jacob, a (tormented) lover of God
Max Jacob, a poet and painter, reminds us of the complex possibilities of a life lived passionately, ardently, playfully and in torment.
Review: Seeking ways to engage in an ailing world
Marcus Mescher’s new book makes clear what the most pressing contemporary social injustices are, ranging from immigration to domestic violence, from “social sorting” to homophobia, from racism to poverty.
Review: How a family’s faith becomes their downfall
This debut novel by 29-year-old Marieke Lucas Rijneveld won the 2020 International Booker Prize.
Review: In the crosshairs of the F.B.I.
Aaron J. Leonard’s new book draws from almost 10,000 pages of F.B.I. files on an array of folk artists. It aims to illustrate the considerable impact that the U.S. government’s campaign against Communism had on folk artists in the 1940s and early ’50s.
Review: ‘The Pull of the Stars’ brings a Gatsbyesque approach to finding humor in a pandemic
Emma Donoghue’s new novel unfolds over the course of All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day—with a chatty cast of priests, nuns and philosophizing orderlies running about—adding to the sanctified air.
Review: Barack Obama’s boundless optimism for a brighter future
in Barack Obama’s new memoir, readers get to know a host of colorful characters who played a role in the campaign for the presidency and Obama’s first term in office.
Review: We are all responsible for the future of our planet
Eric Holthaus experiences climate change as a wound, a rending in the fabric of society and ecology.
