Book News & Features

From engineering to economics, from painting to planetary science, the range of this year's class is vast. But the MacArthur Foundation expects them all to do big things with their newfound $625,000.

The Swedish Academy was in turmoil earlier this year with allegations of sexual harassment and assault. The academy postponed the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature and will award two prizes in 2019.

The new book Burning Down the Haus fastidiously traces the self-discovery of punks in the socialist dictatorship of East Germany, and the violence and repression they endured on the way to freedom.

John Kaag extracts ideas from Nietzsche and his followers — but also from his own experience — in this stimulating book about combating despair and complacency with searching reflection.

Just half a dozen authors remain in contention for the prestigious fiction award: Anna Burns, Esi Edugyan, Daisy Johnson, Rachel Kushner, Richard Powers and Robin Robertson.

Fifty nominated books now remain in contention for prizes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people's literature — and, in a fresh twist to the annual slate, translated literature.

Author Paige Williams brings the discussion to life by recounting the exploits of commercial fossil hunter Eric Prokopi, highlighting one find — a 24-ft.-long Tarbosaurus fossil, the book's star.

Written in light of Nabokov's famous novel, the book stands out for its captivating mix of tenacious reporting, astute literary analysis and passionate posthumous recognition of a defenseless child.

In author David Kaplan's view, the top court has taken an increasing role in policymaking, having issued critical decisions on abortion, voting rights, gun control, health care — and the president.