Books Briefing: Harvard murder tales

November 10, 2020

Becky Cooper, the author of “We Keep the Dead Close.”Frances F. Denny for The New York Times

Hi readers,

Here’s your weekly catch-up on everything you need to know going on in the book world.

The news:

In “We Keep the Dead Close,” Becky Cooper explores a decades-old killing she heard rumors of when she was a student at Harvard, a school where books about such crimes have become a rarefied literary genre.
Megan Rapinoe, the American soccer player so decorated with medals and trophies she’s practically gilded, has written a memoir, but it’s not just about sports. “One Life,” which comes out today, is also a political coming-of-age story.
We talk with the writer Danielle Evans about her new story collection, “The Office of Historical Corrections” (which she calls a “slightly weirder” book than her critically acclaimed debut), and the publishing industry’s reckoning with diversity.
Fiction out today: “The Arrest,” by Jonathan Lethem; “The Kingdom,” by Jo Nesbo; “Cobble Hill,” by Cecily von Ziegesar; “The Office of Historical Corrections,” by Danielle Evans; “At Night All Blood Is Black,” by David Diop; “Kraft,” by Jonas Lüscher.
Nonfiction out today: “Loved and Wanted,” by Christa Parravani; “Metropolis,” by Ben Wilson; “Strongmen,” by Ruth Ben-Ghiat; “Pappyland,” by Wright Thompson; “One Life,” by Megan Rapinoe; “Lightning Flowers,” by Katherine E. Standefer; “First Principles,” by Thomas E. Ricks; “The Fabric of Civilization,” by Virginia Postrel.

The critics:

Dwight Garner reviews Hilary Holladay’s “The Power of Adrienne Rich,” a new biography that, he writes, “allows us to meet this prickly poet fresh and entire.”
Parul Sehgal reviews “African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song,” edited by Kevin Young. “It is overwhelming to contemplate the variety and history contained in this volume,” Sehgal writes.
And Jennifer Szalai writes about “How to Make a Slave,” a book of essays and a finalist for a National Book Award, in which Jerald Walker writes that racism is “the great American disease with which we are all afflicted.”

On Nov. 23, the Book Review will announce this year’s 10 Best Books — and Times subscribers will hear it first. Join us for our third annual celebration, hosted by Pamela Paul and the Book Review team. A surprise celebrity guest (and avid bookworm) will kick things off with a special welcome. R.S.V.P. here.

That’s all for now. Please stay in touch and let me know what you think — whether it’s about this newsletter, our reviews, our podcast, our literary calendar, our Instagram or what you’re reading. We on the Books desk read all of it, and I’ll make every effort to write back. You can reach me at books@nytimes.com.

All my best,

Joumana Khatib

Books at The New York Times

Book Your Calendar Here: 2020’s Major Literary Events

Don’t forget that The New York Times Book Review has curated a calendar of must-know literary events, including new books, festivals, film adaptations and more.

Add to your calendar on Google or iOS.

Love this email? Forward to a friend.

Want this email? Sign-up here.

Have a suggestion for this email? Then send us a note at books@nytimes.com.

Continue reading the main story