Living by the Word

Alice Walker. Mariner Books, $14 (224pp) ISBN 978-0-15-652865-8

``An uneasy mix of journal entries, short essays, travel notes, speeches and dream fragments, this miscellany by the author of The Color Purple is most satisfying when Walker relates small personal victories,'' wrote PW. Pointed pieces tackle the modern dilution of black folklore, controversy surrounding the film of The Color Purple , nuclear escalation and homophobia. (Oct.)

Featured Nonfiction Reviews

Craig Unger

Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign really did make a deal with Iran to delay the release of 52 American hostages until after the election, according to this labyrinthine Continue reading »

Edmund White

With his trademark irreverence, White (The Humble Lover) celebrates more than six decades of sex in a candid memoir that doubles as an indispensable work of queer history. A Continue reading »

Jason de León

Smugglers who help Central Americans traverse Mexico and cross into the U.S. are not the “slick haired... kingpins” portrayed in popular media but are usually themselves poor Continue reading »

Dorian Lynskey

This sweeping cultural history from journalist Lynskey (The Ministry of Truth) chronicles how films, novels, and other media have imagined the apocalypse from ancient times Continue reading »