News
In its starred review, Publishers Weekly calls OTHER RIVERS by Peter Hessler: “… an enthralling take on China’s remarkable progress and its downside”
“…an expansive panorama of China, from poignant descriptions of the depopulation of the Fuling countryside brought about by China’s rapid industrialization to the grim worldview promulgated at his daughters’ school.”
Pamela Druckerman calls OTHER RIVERS by Peter Hessler “wryly observed, deeply empathetic”
“This is journalism at its most humane, and (especially for those of us who aren’t Sinologists) a perfect primer on what China is really like.”
Philip Gourevitch calls OTHER RIVERS by Peter Hessler “fascinating and engrossing”
“…an extraordinary work of foreign correspondence and memoir, drawn from a quarter century of direct and intimate observation.”
James Fallows praises OTHER RIVERS by Peter Hessler
“The hardest and most important challenge in writing about China is conveying the vivid individuality of the people who make it up. Peter Hessler does this wonderfully again.”
Kirkus reviews OTHER RIVERS by Peter Hessler: “…a valuable light on the reality of life in today’s China”
“Beyond the headlines of strategic rivalry and military confrontation with China are countless stories of real people trying to live in a complex country …he tells their stories with empathy and affection.”
The Daily Telegraph (UK) gives four stars to THE LAST YAKUZA by Jake Adelstein
“…one still comes away from The Last Yakuza finding its subject not just sympathetic, but even lovable.”
Publishers Weekly Calls THE LAST YAKUZA by Jake Adelstein “painstakingly reported and paced like a thriller”
“Painstakingly reported and paced like a thriller, this is a must-read for anyone interested in organized crime.”
Juliet Schor Praises OWN THIS! by R. Trebor Scholz
“…the essential, brilliant, accessible guide to this rapidly growing movement. If you are interested in work, technology, climate or the future of humanity-read this book.”
Rob Verchick Selected as Harvard Radcliffe Institute 2023-2024 Fellow
On May 5th, Rob Verchick was named a member of Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s 2023–2024 class of fellows, a cohort whose projects contend with the urgent, the beautiful, and the vast: from reckoning with the challenges of climate change to creating digital models of iconic Italian violins to detecting distant galaxies.
Financial Times Reviews THE OCTOPUS IN THE PARKING GARAGE by Rob Verchick
“His book tackles one of the most fraught climate policy questions: what should be done to adapt to a world facing growing evidence of climate stress?”
John M. Barry praises THE OCTOPUS IN THE PARKING GARAGE by Rob Verchick as a “tour and a tour-de-force on the subject”
“Rob Verchick has given us both a tour of and a tour de force on the subject. Ranging from comparative anatomy to anthropology, history, philosophy, engineering, and politics, this is a fascinating, provocative—and important—book.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse praises THE OCTOPUS IN THE PARKING GARAGE by Rob Verchick “a smart roadmap for planning for the future on a changing planet.”
“Rob Verchick has created a smart roadmap for planning for the future on a changing planet.”
Po Bronson praises THE OCTOPUS IN THE PARKING GARAGE by Rob Verchick
“…a very important addition to the canon of climate literature—thinking ahead even further out, investigating the colossal mess…”
Michael Hardt praises THE NEW POWER ELITE by Heather Gautney a “worthy successor to Mills’ classic polemic”
“This worthy successor to Mills’ classic polemic reveals the enormous obstacles that face any project for democracy and equality in the US.”
Chuck Collins praises THE NEW POWER ELITE by Heather Gautney as an Essential Read
“An essential read for our oligarchic times.
Greg Grandin praises THE NEW POWER ELITE by Heather Gautney as Required Reading
“Make it the one-city-one-book for every town and college in the nation. Hand it out to new citizens at their swearing-in ceremonies.”
Cornel West praises THE NEW POWER ELITE by Heather Gautney as “Brilliant and Courageous”
“This powerful and profound text shows what the road to American fascism looks like if we do not heed her call for radical democratic action”
Rob Salkowitz reviews DIRTY PICTURES by Brian Doherty in ICv2
“Dirty Pictures is likely to be the most complete and authoritative account we’re going to get, and is well worth a read.”
A WAITER IN PARIS by Edward Chisholm Receives Starred Review from Publishers Weekly
“Bittersweet and enchanting, this serves as a potent look at the gritty underbelly of a glittering world.”
THE BURIED by Peter Hessler Wins First Annual Peter Mackenzie Smith Book Prize
Awarded for improving understanding of the history, economy, culture, arts, music, literature, religions, beliefs and practices of Egypt.
Kirkus praises AN INCONVENIENT WOMAN by Keri Leigh Merritt
“Merritt portrays her as a fighter: determined and brave in the face of illness, censorship, book bans, arson, and death threats. An appreciative portrait of a defiant woman.”
In The New York Times, Dwight Garner praises VOICES FROM THE KITCHEN ed. by Marc Meyer
“This is a slim and modest book, a volume of oral histories in the vein of Studs Terkel’s “Working” (1974), but everyone who eats out regularly should know about it.”
Booklist reviews AN INCONVENIENT WOMAN by Keri Leigh Merritt
“Historian Merritt’s insightful, engaging narrative effortlessly folds in family anecdotes and excerpts…This well-documented and perceptive tribute aptly humanizes a visionary and fearless woman.”
Library Journal Stars AN INCONVENIENT WOMAN by Keri Leigh Merritt
“An excellent and inspiring biography, recommended for general collections and especially for those interested in literary figures and civil rights and LGBTQIA+ activists of the 1960s.”
Hyperallergic reviews ANNI ALBERS: A Life by Nicholas Fox Weber
“His warm, perceptive writing reflects their close bond, with stories deftly told with an insider’s intimacy and a historian’s flair for correcting the record.”
en Vogue: Grace Edquist on ANNI ALBERS: A Life by Nicholas Fox Weber
“…the first comprehensive biography of this fascinating artist, an indelible figure of not just textile art but modernism itself.”
Kirkus reviews SURVIVING PARIS: A Memoir of Healing in the City of Light by Robin Allison Davis
“[A] candid debut memoir…[Davis] has persisted, determined to survive and thrive in a place she has grown to love. A frank chronicle of pain and hard-won recovery.”
Publishers Weekly praises ANNI ALBERS: A Life by Nicholas Fox Weber
“…an impressively detailed …intimate study of an overlooked artist and the creative milieu from which she emerged.”
Publishers Weekly reviews THE ART OF TENNIS by Nicholas Fox Weber
“The essays range from entertaining trivia to rapturous description… Reflecting the author’s capacious love for the sport, this will be a smash with tennis fans.”
Publishers Weekly praises VOICES FROM THE KITCHEN ed. by Marc Meyer
“…bighearted and inviting … highlights the hopefulness, hard work, and sense of community that immigrants bring to America. It’s a loving spotlight on people who have become political targets.”
Booklist Gives a Starred review to THE ART OF TENNIS by Nicholas Fox Weber
“…certain to entertain and educate tennis fans along with readers drawn to sports and art history. A captivating and intellectual breath of fresh air in contrast to conventional sports writing.”
Booklist praises VOICES FROM THE KITCHEN ed. by Marc Meyer
“Amidst a torrent of rhetoric about who immigrants are and how their presence might shape America for better or worse, it can be easy to lose sight of our basic shared humanity. This frank, moving collection oral histories brings that humanity back into sharp and undeniable focus.”
Kirkus Reviews praises VOICES FROM THE KITCHEN ed. by Marc Meyer
“…each narrative is thoughtfully edited to convey a specific emotional trajectory and to reflect the resilience of each interviewee. …A touching collection of immigrant life stories.”
The Wall Street Journal Reviews THE CLUB: Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Époque Paris by Jennifer Dasal
“[A] lively history … Drawing on extensive research, including memoirs and letters, Ms. Dasal paints a vivid picture of daily life for the Club’s young artists.”
Anthony Lane Reviews COOLER THAN COOL: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins in The New Yorker
“The crowning surprise of “Cooler Than Cool” is that it stirs the heart.”
Wall Street Journal Reviews COOLER THAN COOL: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard by C.M. Kushins
“Consistently engrossing.”
Library Journal praises THE INTELLIGENCE EXPLOSION by James Barrat
“Writing for all readers as a warner, not a doomsayer, Barrat aims to dispel widespread ignorance about AI at a time of exponentially decreasing chances to control its impact on the shape of human society.”
Booklist Reviews THE CLUB: Where American Women Artists Found Refuge in Belle Époque Paris by Jennifer Dasal
“A welcome addition to the growing body of literature about American women artists that will also appeal to readers interested in women’s history and the history of Western European culture.”
Kirkus Reviews praises THE INTELLIGENCE EXPLOSION by James Barrat
“A gripping, unsettling critique of artificial intelligence carries a stark warning: control or be controlled.”
Dr. Max Tegmark praises THE INTELLIGENCE EXPLOSION by James Barrat
“This riveting page-turner by a seasoned tech journalist is packed with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, and masterfully elucidates the double-edged potential of humanity’s greatest gamble.”