Friday, October 4, 2024

The Book Review: How John Lewis became a moral force

Plus: Sophie Kinsella's very personal new novel and Kurt Vonnegut's board game
Books

October 4, 2024

A black and white photograph of a young, suited John Lewis in profile near a glass door.
John Lewis during a sit-in in Nashville in 1964. Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos

Dear fellow readers,

I've mentioned this before, but I'm surprised to see so many excellent books coming out right now. The publishing industry often holds back a bit during the run-up to a presidential election, not wanting their biggest and best titles to compete with politics for media coverage. But this fall brims with terrific fiction and nonfiction, most recently David Greenberg's John Lewis: A Life. The story of the civil rights hero who became a long-serving U.S. representative, it's a "panoramic and richly insightful biography," as Brent Staples writes in his review. I've just moved it to the top of my to-be-read stack.

If you have time, tell us what you're reading! (We may publish your response on our Letters page, or feature it in an upcoming newsletter.)

You can email us books@nytimes.com. We read every letter sent.

Tina Jordan
Deputy Editor, The New York Times Book Review

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Reading picks from Book Review editors, guaranteed to suit any mood.

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40 MIN LISTEN

ETC.

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