Reviewed in Short: New titles from Kris Manjapra, Karolina Ramqvist and Emilie Pine
Black Ghost of Empire by Manjapra, Bear Woman by Ramqvist, Deep Deception by Alison, Belinda, Helen Steel, Lisa and Naomi,…
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.
The myth of the white male scientific genius – and why its time is up
Darwin and Newton acknowledged their debt to other cultures. Why don’t we?
By
Who is to blame for 30 years of climate change inertia?
Two new books trace the history of global inaction over the climate emergency, and seek to identify the culprits.
By
The joyless rise of Anna Wintour
Amy Odell’s new account of the iron-fisted Vogue editor’s ascent struggles to find the human being behind the shades.
By
The two genres of Trump book
A memoir by Kellyanne Conway is the latest in a now-established trend. What are we doing with all these revelations?
By
Reviewed in short: New books from Graham Caveney, Giles Tremlett, Charlotte Van den Broeck and Chitra Ramaswamy
On Agoraphobia by Caveney, España: A Brief History of Spain by Tremlett, Bold Ventures by Van den Broeck and Homelands:…
By
Where the internet went wrong – and how we can reboot it
The online world is run by tech companies that we depend on but deeply distrust. New books by Justin EH…
By
Rebels Against the Raj: A morality tale for Modi’s nationalist India
A new history of the Westerners who fought with Gandhi to free India from British rule has lessons for the…
By
What rocks teach us about the human condition
In Hugh Raffles' profound, genre-straddling new book, stones and minerals reveal the pain of loss and the secrets of time.
By
How Sergei Magnitsky paid with his life for exposing Vladimir Putin’s financial corruption
A new book by Bill Browder reveals the bravery of a young lawyer who uncovered a £185m state-sponsored tax fraud.
By
Reviewed in short: New books from David Bosco, Emma Smith, Charlotte Philby and John Agard
The Poseidon Project by Bosco, Portable Magic by Smith, Edith and Kim by Philby and Border Zone by Agard.
By
Does the FA Cup need saving?
The competition, founded 150 years ago, has become a reflection of English football’s conflicted soul.
By
Bill Gates on the pandemic: a misplaced faith in innovation
The tech billionaire believes business can shield us from future diseases – but the market is part of the problem.
By
It’s his life: the secluded world of Talk Talk frontman Mark Hollis
Uneasy with his fame and fiercely private, the post-rock pioneer left behind a musical legacy of extraordinary beauty.
By
The long shadows over English cricket
The latest Wisden reflects a turbulent year in which the sport has been forced to confront racism and incompetence.
By
Gilbert Murray: the Oxford don who made Greek chic
Daisy Dunn’s charismatic interwar history of Oxford illuminates the wide influence of the celebrated classicist and his circle.
By
Reviewed in short: New books by Calum Jacobs, Lara Williams, Alex Rowson and NoViolet Bulawayo
A New Formation edited by Calum Jacobs, The Odyssey by Lara Williams, The Young Alexander by Alex Rowson and Glory…
By
How music helps us to feel
Two new books about our relationship to song prove there will always be new ways to write about music.
By
Daisy Hildyard’s new novel reflects the ambivalence and violence of nature
The exhilarating narrative explores the complex boundaries between the natural and man-made world in rural life.
By
Julian Barnes’s baffling new novel attempts to imagine a world without Christianity
The ghost of a more interesting narrative hovers over Elizabeth Finch, which is a novel not of ideas but of…
By