This week, best-selling author Russell Shorto never thought to write about his own past. He grew up knowing his grandfather and namesake was a small-town mob boss but maintained an unspoken family vow of silence. Then an elderly relative prodded: “You’re a writer―what are you gonna do about the story?” The result is Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob. (more…)
In “Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner, Sadie Smith, a 34 year old American undercover agent of ruthless tactics is sent by her mysterious but...
New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean gathers a lifetime of musings, meditations, and in-depth profiles about animals in her new collection, “On Animals.” Orlean...
Edwidge Danticat has enriched and enlarged American literature with her novels and short stories about Haiti. Her latest, “We’re Alone,” is an essay collection...
