Books Update: Point of Return

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May 18, 2012 Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review Illustration of Toni Morrison by Tina Berning ‘Home’ By TONI MORRISON Reviewed by LEAH HAGER COHEN In Toni Morrison's novel, a traumatized soldier returns from the Korean War to his segregated hometown in Georgia. ADVERTISEMENT Also in the Book Review Let's Go Reading in the Car By JUDITH SHULEVITZ Audiobooks and road trips offer a chance to reacquaint children, and their parents, with the joy of listening to stories. The Voice By JOHN SCHWARTZ A great audiobook experience depends on the reader as much as the text. 'This Will Be Difficult to Explain' By JOHANNA SKIBSRUD Reviewed by JESSICA LOUDIS Whether in Paris or the Great Plains, failures to communicate fray the relationships in these tales. 'The Lower River' By PAUL THEROUX Reviewed by PATRICK McGRATH In Paul Theroux's novel, an American seeks a fresh start in Africa after a 40-year absence. 'The Cause' By ERIC ALTERMAN and KEVIN MATTSON Reviewed by JEFF SHESOL Eric Alterman's history of liberalism from the New Deal to the present concentrates on the men and women who have defined it. 'The Tyranny of Clichés' By JONAH GOLDBERG Reviewed by JOE KLEIN Jonah Goldberg accuses liberals of lazy thinking and worse. 'Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms' By RICHARD FORTEY Reviewed by CONSTANCE CASEY The paleontologist Richard Fortey searches out species that have endured hundreds of millions of years of planetary turmoil. 'Wichita' By THAD ZIOLKOWSKI Reviewed by NATALIE BAKOPOULOS Fleeing the pressures of academia, Thad Ziolkowski's Midwestern hero is sucked into his family's schemes and strife. 'Farther Away' By JONATHAN FRANZEN Reviewed by PHILLIP LOPATE Jonathan Franzen's essays express his love of birds and of writers, especially his friend David Foster Wallace. Up Front: Phillip Lopate 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' By BEN FOUNTAIN Reviewed by GEOFF DYER A firefight with Iraqi insurgents is caught on tape and turns a band of soldiers into media heroes in Ben Fountain's satire. 'Chasing Venus' By ANDREA WULF Reviewed by JoANN C. GUTIN With a Venusian transit imminent, 18th-century astronomers risked their lives for a chance to measure the solar system. 'Oblivion: A Memoir' By HECTOR ABAD. Translated by ANNE McLEAN and ROSALIND HARVEY Reviewed by MICHAEL GREENBERG Héctor Abad creates a sociopolitical portrait of Colombia through the telling of his family's story. Silver Linings By ADAM PLUNKETT Lucia Perillo's two collections, poems and stories, draw upon her experiences in a world that often hurts her. 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 Hugh Dancy: By the Book Hugh Dancy, currently on Broadway in "Venus in Fur" and in the film "Hysteria," wishes David Mitchell would match Philip Roth's output. By the Book: Archive Back Page Books With 140 Characters By JEFF HOWE At 64,000 members and counting, the Twitter-based reading group 1book140 is a global concern. Inside the List By GREGORY COWLES Toni Morrison, whose novel "Home" enters the hardcover fiction list at No. 9 this week, remembers being confronted by a stark image of race relations as a freshman at Howard University. Editors' Choice Recently reviewed books of particular interest. Paperback Row By IHSAN TAYLOR Paperback books of particular interest. Book Review Podcast This week, Joe Klein talks about Jonah Goldberg's "The Tyranny of Clichés"; Jeff Shesol discusses Eric Alterman's history of liberalism from the New Deal to the present; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host. Mapping Sebald's Trek, and His Mind Lauren Child's Favorite Books from Childhood Amateur Hour: Jack Hitt Talks About an American Tradition Reviews by The Times's Critics 'David Hockney: A Rake's Progress' by Christopher Simon Sykes 'The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House' by Edward Klein 'I Am Forbidden' by Anouk Markovits 'Father's Day' by Buzz Bissinger 'A Disposition to Be Rich' by Geoffrey C. Ward Sea Rescue 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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