The Rev. David Tracy, a leading liberal Catholic theologian who open-sourced his understanding of God, borrowing from Jews, Buddhists and great works of art and literature, and who rejected Rome as the sole authority on how to be a good Christian, died on April 29 in Chicago. He was 86. His death, in a hospital, … Read more
In some ways, Li’s memoir is a radical rebuke of the conventions surrounding grieving. Early on, she warns those who expect a narrative of healing or solace to stop reading: This is not a story about overcoming loss or moving on. “I don’t ever want to be free from the pain of missing my children,” … Read more
MALCOLM LIVES! The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers, by Ibram X. Kendi In my suburban, largely Black high school in 1980s New Jersey, we sang “Life Every Voice and Sing” at assemblies. We decorated the walls with wheat sheafs during Kwanzaa. And what seemed like every year, we read “The Autobiography of … Read more
WHO KNEW, by Barry Diller The yachterati’s worst-kept secret is now billowing in the wind. Barry Diller is gay, and yet also married — like, really married — to Diane von Furstenberg, a woman. After the carefully meted-out release of this news, is there still value in paying $30 for Diller’s memoir, “Who Knew”? I … Read more
APPLE IN CHINA: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company, by Patrick McGee A little more than a decade ago, foreign journalists living in Beijing, including myself, met for a long chat with a top Chinese diplomat. Those were different days, when high-ranking Chinese officials were still meeting with members of the Western press corps. … Read more
Our recommended books this week tilt heavily toward investigations and exposés — they include a study of the wellness industry, an account of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, a skeptical history of capitalism and a look at Russia’s private armies. But we also make room for an amiable road trip novel (Kevin Wilson’s “Run for the … Read more
No two days are the same for Benoît Gallot, whose title since 2018 has been “curator” at the storied Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, the resting place of choice for the great and good of France and those who love them. He might manage a team meeting, negotiate the sale of a family plot, supervise a … Read more
CAPITALISM AND ITS CRITICS: A History: From the Industrial Revolution to AI, by John Cassidy Given how reliably Americans tend to favor promises of plenty, it has been curious to see a president inherit a humming economy and then proceed to gut the federal work force, start a chaotic trade war and celebrate the scarcity … Read more
By most measures, Jeanine Cummins’s 2020 novel “American Dirt” was a colossal success. A propulsive story about a Mexican mother and son who flee to the United States to escape a drug cartel, the novel sold for seven figures. It was an Oprah book club pick, won endorsements from best-selling authors like Stephen King and … Read more
Susan Hagen, 48, was practically vibrating with excitement. She would soon be in the same room with three women who had helped her through some of the shakiest, most vulnerable moments in her life, even though they didn’t know it. Hagen, a New Jersey resident, had braved the pouring rain and Times Square crowds to … Read more
