Emily Feng’s dazzling Let Only Red Flowers Bloom documents how Xi Jinping’s efforts to narrow Chinese identity endanger the extremely diverse country’s people.

Education, Memoir, Nonfiction

Spellbound

Phil Hanley’s frank, vulnerable, funny memoir recounts his journey from struggling student to successful comedian who wears his dyslexia “like a badge of honor.”

Medicine, Nonfiction, Science

Nonfiction Science Medicine

Everything Is Tuberculosis

Preventable and curable, tuberculosis is still the world’s deadliest disease. John Green illuminates why in Everything Is Tuberculosis.

All Nonfiction Coverage

Filter by genre

Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery leads a quiet life in rural New Hampshire with her husband until the day they adopt Christopher the pig. Small enough to fit in a shoebox when the Montgomerys bring him home, Christopher is undernourished, the runt of a large litter. Remarkably smart, irresistibly charming, he fits right in on their eight-acre farm, befriending the neighbors, who bring him treats and help the Montgomerys nurse him back to health. The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood documents the friendship that develops between the author and this endearing animal. Explaining the appeal of her unusual pet, Montgomery writes, Everything about a pig makes people want to laugh out loud with joy: the way their lardy bulk can mince along gracefully on tiptoe hooves, the way their tails curl . . . their great, greedy delight in eating. Montgomery writes with skill and sensitivity about the challenges of caring for this formerly fragile animal, who now weighs a robust 750 pounds. Christopher has been profiled in USA Today and on National Public Radio, and Montgomery now shares his story in full in this unique and beautifully written memoir, already one of the most talked-about books of the summer.

Julie Hale tends to her dog Howdy in Waynesville, North Carolina.

Fire on the mountain

by Anne Bartlett

Family & Relationships, Parenting

Parenting Family & Relationships

Helping dads to know best

Review by bookpagedev

by James Webb

Whether you’re a wise old hand or a terrified newbie, Pocket Dad: Everyday Wisdom, Practical Tips, &andamp; Fatherly Advice, has tons of practical advice on things dads are just expected to know. Dina Fayer and her dad, Bob Fayer, share basic tips on picking out good tools and good cars, cutting wood and cutting the lawn, fishing, dating, barbecuing and building sand castles. There’s even a section on telling those awful Dad Jokes. What a great book!

Whether you're a wise old hand or a terrified newbie, Pocket Dad: Everyday Wisdom, Practical Tips, &andamp; Fatherly Advice, has tons of practical advice on things dads are just expected to know. Dina Fayer and her dad, Bob Fayer, share basic tips on picking…

The Van Goghs: brothers in art

by bookpagedev

Memoir

Memoir

The hidden lives of twins

Review by Pete Croatto

by Pete Croatto

In the introduction to One and the Same, journalist Abigail Pogrebin admits that writing a book about identical twins was something she was loath to do, equating it to “volunteering to do a public striptease. Because being a twin goes to the core of who I am and I was wary of examining that.”

Thankfully, Pogrebin avoids a literary bump’n’grind, instead merging interviews, research and memoir into a fascinating look at the lifelong dynamics of twins. Along the way, she freely admits that she and her twin sister Robin, a reporter for the New York Times, have drifted apart. That revelation gives the book an interesting slant: while interviewing other twins, doctors and her friends and family, Pogrebin gauges her own relationship with Robin. This is more than just journalism; it’s a search for personal clarity.

At the same time, Pogrebin is a good reporter on two fronts. First, she is able to get her twin sources to share personal, sometimes heartbreaking, information about a special relationship: “There’s a closeness that we have—even if it isn’t spoken—that my husband can’t duplicate,” one tells Pogrebin. Second, she examines myriad issues, both medical and social, without confusing the reader or deflating the personal tone. Pogrebin’s first-person narrative, coupled with her thirst for knowledge, makes for an immensely satisfying, enlightening read on what too many people dismiss as a genetic gimmick.

Pete Croatto is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.

A biography fit for a king

by bookpagedev

Religion & Spirituality

Religion & Spirituality

Of sons and godsons

Review by bookpagedev

by Howard Shirley

In a more philosophical vein is Reynolds Price’s Letter to a Godchild: Concerning Faith. Price is a professor of English at Duke University and the godfather of Harper Peck Voll, Gregory Peck’s grandson. Letter to a Godchild began in 2000 as a christening gift to the infant Harper and his parents, and is Price’s attempt to share his philosophy and faith with the young man his godchild will one day become. In the book, Price explores his own life of faith and the choices, good and bad, that have led him to the place he is today. Letter to a Godchild is well crafted and deeply personal, a reflection of Price’s faith, thought and self-examination. The reader may not agree with every interpretation Price offers, but this short journey is well worth taking.

In a more philosophical vein is Reynolds Price's Letter to a Godchild: Concerning Faith. Price is a professor of English at Duke University and the godfather of Harper Peck Voll, Gregory Peck's grandson. Letter to a Godchild began in 2000 as a christening gift…

An ode to books

by Roger Bishop

Memoir

Memoir

Of sons and godsons

Review by bookpagedev

by Howard Shirley

A Twist of Lemmon: A Tribute to My Father is a collection of memories and stories from the shared lives of Jack Lemmon and his eldest son, writer and actor Chris Lemmon. Not so much a biography as an act of memory, the book is built around Chris’ experiences and emotions as he came to terms with his father’s death from cancer in 2001. The stories Chris tells some Jack’s, some his, most theirs together are poignant and often laugh-out-loud funny. There are encounters with everyone from Mark McGuire to Milton Berle, an interesting mix of old celebrity and new, with Jack as the bridge between the generations. And despite the celebrity nature of the names, these stories link with many a young man’s life in America: dad at work, dad fishing, dad driving (badly) and dad and son playing golf. A Twist of Lemmon is a delightful and thoughtful read that will satisfy both fans of Jack Lemmon and those who simply enjoy a good book.

Family & Relationships, Parenting

Parenting Family & Relationships

Dads across America

Review by bookpagedev

by Howard Shirley

The stories in Tim Russert’s Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons come from people you’ve never heard of, about dads you’ve never known unless they look remarkably like your own. After the publication of his memoir about his father, Big Russ &andamp; Me, NBC commentator Russert began receiving letters from thousands of readers, all sharing memories of their own fathers. He selected and edited these letters into a series of deeply moving stories about fathers and fatherhood, as told by their children. None of these fathers or children is famous, except perhaps in their own towns, but the book may be all the richer for that. Reading it you see how everyday lives touch and teach others in ways both familiar and profound. In this book you will find laughter and tears, folly and wisdom, and rediscover how we learn from each. Woven throughout are Russert’s own experiences with his father and son, serving as a connecting thread that carries the reader through the book. Wisdom of Our Fathers is powerful and touching, tapping right into the heart. This book should not be missed by anyone who is a father or ever had one.

The stories in Tim Russert's Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons come from people you've never heard of, about dads you've never known unless they look remarkably like your own. After the publication of his memoir about his father, Big…

Life of the real Jo March

by Trisha Ping

Trending Nonfiction

Nonfiction Politics Memoir

How to Stand Up to a Dictator

Maria Ressa

By Sarojini Seupersad

Maria Ressa’s book is a political history of the Philippines and an intimate memoir, but it’s also a warning to democracies everywhere: Authoritarianism is a threat to us all.