The instant political histories that nobody needs
Hasty biographies of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson by Westminster journalists show the perils of rushing to judge the recent…
ByBook reviews
Read all the latest book reviews from the New Statesman and discover the best novels, non-fiction, essays and biographies. If you’re looking for something more specific, explore our sections dedicated to politics books and history books.
Death by PowerPoint: the global influence of McKinsey
A new book connects the consultancy firm to a series of social and economic crises. But how culpable is a…
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What politicians get wrong about war
From Kosovo to Ukraine, Lawrence Freedman’s book Command explores the catastrophes that occur when state and military strategy collide.
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What our homes reveal about ourselves
Living Rooms explores what domestic spaces say about class and belonging, from chintz to cleanfluencers.
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How political failures led to the Grenfell Tower fire
Peter Apps’s book, Show Me the Bodies, forensically uncovers the truth about the disaster that killed 72 people in 2017.
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Mary Lou McDonald: behind the respectable face of Sinn Féin
A new biography charts the rapid political rise – and moral compromises – of Sinn Féin’s leader.
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PJ Harvey on superstition, dialect and poetry
At a live Q&A with Frank Skinner, the musician shared her knowledge of Dorset folklore and read from her new…
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The tragedy of English football
The miracle of 1966 aside, Paul Hayward’s “biography” of England’s national team is a story of sorry failure.
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Yiyun Li’s The Book of Goose: in the shadow of Elena Ferrante
This under-powered story of a morbid teenage friendship in rural France cannot avoid comparisons to the Neapolitan Quartet.
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Sara Baume: “I’m attracted to artists who find new ways to tread the same ground”
The author of the Goldsmiths Prize-shortlisted Seven Steeples on the pandemic, the death of her father and the role of…
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Jonathan Coe’s Bournville: Britannia chained
The novelist’s piercing satire charts 75 years of British history, ending with a righteously angry attack on the inhumanity of…
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The dark side of DNA editing
Genetic engineering can lead to great medical advances but, as Matthew Cobb’s new book shows, it also brings alarming ethical…
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Richard Reeves: “We have to rescript masculinity”
The author and former adviser to Nick Clegg reflects on the crisis facing boys and men today.
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Surrender: praying in the church of Bono
In his account of being “saved” by love and religion, the U2 frontman’s sincerity overpowers the scorn of his critics.
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A glimpse into Goldman Sachs’ gilded cage
Jamie Fiore Higgins’s insider account reveals the grim reality of life at the summit of capitalism.
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Bob Dylan’s problem with women
In The Philosophy of Modern Song, 62 of the 66 featured songs are performed by men. Is the 81-year-old songwriter…
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How the Treasury quietly runs Britain
A new history of the department shows that, as Liz Truss discovered to her cost, its “abacus economics” has never…
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From Louise Glück to Rachel Aviv: recent books reviewed in short
Also featuring Susan L Shirk on China under Xi Jinping and Ryan Gingeras on the Ottoman Empire.
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How Donald Trump rose to power
Maggie Haberman’s Confidence Man is the best account yet of Trump’s path to the presidency – and a crucial guide…
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The Passenger: The phantom world of Cormac McCarthy
In The Passenger, his first novel for 16 years, the great American writer offers a study of living without answers.
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