From Lisa Nandy to An Yu: recent books reviewed in short
Also featuring a biography of Peter Beard and White Torture by Narges Mohammadi.
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 Light We Carry: Michelle Obama’s self-help slogans
In converting her life story into self-empowering bromides, the former first lady has exposed the limits of her politics.
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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…
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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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