Nonfiction

Karl Jacoby, The Strange Career of William Ellis: ( border crossings )

Anand Giridharas, The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas: ( Two Americans )

Mae Ngai, The Lucky Ones: One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese America: ( immigrants: we get the job done )

Simon Schama, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution: ( short review, long book )

Stephanie Land, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive: ( memoir )

 

Richard Holmes, The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science: ( history through biography )

Robert M. Sapolsky, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst: ( there's no homunculus in the brain )

Mike Mullane, Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut: ( red-blooded American )