The Airport: Terminal Nights and Runway Days at John F. Kennedy International

Kaplan, a novelist ( Pearl's Progress ) and journalist, writes engaging vignettes depicting New York's famed (and often maddening) JFK airport. He introduces Sammy Chevalier, who oversees Kennedy's crucial bird patrol, keeping engines safe, and 80-year-old Dr. Louis Abelson, founder of the airport medical facility, who can park anywhere at Kennedy with impunity. Kaplan observes a full-scale disaster drill, listens in on airport security precautions and accompanies a Department of Agriculture inspector checking for contraband. Kaplan writes with style and wit, but his book seems even more a mosaic than JFK itself. Photos not seen by PW. Reader's Digest Condensed Books selection. (June)