Books Update: The Big Bang

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April 6, 2012 Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review The Big Bang Reviewed by JONATHAN FREEDLAND New books by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Robert Kagan address the subject of America's decline from opposite sides of the political aisle but find much room for agreement. 'Time to Start Thinking' By EDWARD LUCE Reviewed by JONATHAN RAUCH Edward Luce argues that America's economy and political system are in worse shape than they have been in a long time. ADVERTISEMENT Also in the Book Review 'Winter King' By THOMAS PENN Reviewed by MIRANDA SEYMOUR Thomas Penn offers a portrait of the peaceful if acquisitive reign of Henry VII. 'Revelations' By ELAINE PAGELS Reviewed by DALE B. MARTIN Elaine Pagels examines the history of the Book of Revelation. 'The Idea Factory' By JON GERTNER Reviewed by WALTER ISAACSON Jon Gertner tells the story of Bell Labs and its far-reaching advances in technology. 'Language: The Cultural Tool' By DANIEL L. EVERETT Reviewed by JOHN McWHORTER Language isn't innate, Daniel L. Everett argues. It's a tool that can be reinvented, or lost. Up Front: John McWhorter 'The Mirage' By MATT RUFF Reviewed by JOSHUA HAMMER In Matt Ruff's novel, terrorists attack not on 9/11, but 11/9. 'No Time Like the Present' By NADINE GORDIMER Reviewed by FRANCINE PROSE In Nadine Gordimer's novel, veterans of the anti-apartheid movement make their way in a new South Africa. 'Pocket Kings' By TED HELLER Reviewed by KATY LEDERER A failed writer turns to online poker in Ted Heller's novel. Crime Blood in the Sea By MARILYN STASIO A former British spy reluctantly gets back into the game in Mark Mills's "House of the Hunted." 'Guilt' FERDINAND VON SCHIRACH. Translated by CAROL BROWN JANEWAY. Reviewed by ADAM LIPTAK This collection of stories by Ferdinand von Schirach questions the morality of criminal defense. 'Arcadia' By LAUREN GROFF Reviewed by JOHN WILWOL In this novel, leaving a commune is traumatic. Children's Books The Imaginative Arts By NELL CASEY Four new picture books offer lessons in harnessing creativity and aiming it with purpose. Sink or Swim By ELISSA SCHAPPELL Two novels explore very different sources of alienation for teenage girls. 'Wonder' By R. J. PALACIO Reviewed by MARIA RUSSO A boy with severe deformities, supported by a loving family, must deal with a new school in R. J. Palacio's novel. Bookshelf: Play Ball By PAMELA PAUL Children's books that celebrate the national pastime. Slide Show: Bookshelf: Play Ball 'Remarkable' By LIZZIE K. FOLEY Reviewed by ANN HULBERT When things go haywire in Lizzie K. Foley's whimsical mystery, a town turns to its most overlooked citizen. 'Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book 1' ROBIN LaFEVERS Reviewed by JESSICA BRUDER This novel's 17-year-old heroine is pledged to a convent that serves Death himself. 'Losers in Space' By JOHN BARNES Reviewed by JONATHAN LIU In celebrity-mad 2129, a teenage crew stranded on a trip to Mars begins to understand the limits of fame. ADVERTISEMENT

Best Sellers Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Mass-Market Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All the Lists Back Page Fan Mail By JONATHAN LETHEM A sense of kinship spurred a correspondence with the novelist Thomas Berger. Inside the List By GREGORY COWLES Cheryl Strayed, whose memoir "Wild" enters the list at No. 7, recently revealed she was the previously anonymous voice behind the popular online advice column "Dear Sugar." ArtsBeat: Cheryl Strayed Talks About 'Wild,' a Memoir of Hiking and Grief Editors' Choice Recently reviewed books of particular interest. Paperback Row Paperback books of particular interest. Book Review Podcast This week, Elaine Pagels discusses the Book of Revelation; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Zbigniew Brzezinski on America and the crisis of global power; Anne Sebba talks about the life of Wallis Simpson; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host. And Now a Word From Charles Dickens's Sponsor... New York Public Library to Digitize Washington, Thoreau and Twain Cheryl Strayed Talks About 'Wild,' a Memoir of Hiking and Grief Reviews by The Times's Critics 'The Beginner's Goodbye' by Anne Tyler 'When General Grant Expelled the Jews' by Jonathan D. Sarna 'Dreaming in French' by Alice Kaplan 'Imagine: How Creativity Works' by Jonah Lehrer 'The Cove' by Ron Rash Archive Crime Columns Children's Books The New York Times Book Review: Back Issues Editor's Note Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail. Feel free to send feedback; I enjoy hearing your opinions and will do my best to respond. John Williams Books Producer The New York Times on the Web ADVERTISEMENT

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