New nonfiction that fascinates
The origin story of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece “Les Misérables” is an epic tale, and Bellos is the perfect writer to tell it. A renowned translator of modern French literature and author of “Is That a Fish in Your Ear?,” a brilliantly cheeky book on translation, Bellos writes about “Les Misérables” in the larger context of 19th century French life. He illuminates the shifts in Jean Valjean’s perspective on the poor, how Hugo’s writing process evolved and reports on the 1862 release party, one of the biggest book bashes in history. (The menu included songbirds wrapped in bacon and locally sourced crayfish.) This book is a joy to read, and Bellos makes a convincing case for his claim that “among all the gifts France has given to Hollywood, Broadway and the common reader wherever she may be, ‘Les Misérables’ stands out as the greatest by far.” Freeville, N.Y., is a village of 520 people, and Dickinson’s family roots there trace to 1790. It is a place, she explains, that nurtures two kinds of people: “those who stay and those who leave.” Dickinson, author of the Ask Amy advice column, and panelist on the National Public Radio quiz show “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” left, and then returned — and stayed.
In her beguiling memoir, Dickinson captures the full spectrum of human experience, from her mother’s death to a love affair with a man named Bruno. For another writer, the return home could be treacly stuff, but Dickinson rescues the narrative with her characteristic irreverent charm and comedic timing. “The elevator pitch goes like this,” Dickinson writes: “Withering writer meets hunky contractor. Sparks fly!” Best of all, Dickinson establishes a bond with readers, through candor and humor. No “Brady Bunch” blended family business, here — Dickinson wryly reports that “life in Bruno’s household in the early days felt like a continuous date at a Slovenian cocktail party.” country’s growing role in the geopolitical world order. A past Asia correspondent for the New York Times and now on the faculty of Columbia University’s School of Journalism, French makes the case for a more informed American policy toward China. “A China that is treated as an equal with much to contribute to human betterment, but met with understated but resolute firmness when need be, is a China that will mellow as it advances in the decades ahead, and then most likely plateau,” French argues. “That is a China that will grow more secure in its greatness, a China we can live with.”
A Hollywood smile signals success, and the social pressure to have perfect teeth has led to a booming cosmetic dentistry industry. Yet as Otto illustrates in this fascinating book, millions of Americans lack access to basic dental care, and many end up in the emergency room with dental problems. Otto, once with the Washington Post and now involved with oral health for the Assn. of Health Care Journalists, explains how dentists came to work mostly in solo practices and how this cottage industry has resisted incorporation into managed care. The result, she argues, is “enduring tension between the need of all Americans for dental services and the lack of services available to millions of us” — a state of affairs that leaves the uncared for not only with health problems but also the social stigma of bad teeth.
In this fascinating short book, Peer argues that the world is “increasingly dominated by governments that are both democratic and authoritarian on the same afternoon.” He spent a year and a half in India and Turkey to understand the rise of strongmen leaders and expose the terrible human toll such governance exacts. Peer, born in Kashmir, notes the parallels between the countries in his title. “Strongmen are revisionists who share a love for rewriting school textbooks, retelling tales of ancient glories, and reviving old wounds,” he writes in this urgent work, which some American readers may find hits close to home. “They are united by their promises to make their countries great again.”
The National Book Review is an independent online book review.