USA TODAY International Edition
Pioneering ‘ Doctors,’ ‘ Bad Medicine’ and the pull of ‘ Land’
In search of something good to read? USA TODAY’s Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases.
1. “The African Lookbook”
by Catherine E. McKinley ( Bloomsbury, nonfiction, on sale Tuesday) What it’s about: The curator draws on her collection of historical and contemporary photographs of African girls and women for a striking visual history spanning decades.
The buzz: “Packed with arresting images and incisive analysis, this well- conceived survey tells a powerful story of African liberation,” says Publishers Weekly.
2. “The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women – and Women to Medicine”
by Janice P. Nimura ( Norton, nonfiction, on sale Tuesday)
What it’s about: A fascinating dual biography of two sisters who rejected the “ordinary” womanhood of the 1800s to become doctors and establish the first hospital run for and by women.
The buzz: “The sisters were complicated, and theirs is not a warm and fuzzy story. But it is inspiring. Their bravery and independence were nothing short of astonishing,” says a eeeE review for USA TODAY.
3. “Bad Medicine: Catching New York’s Deadliest Pill Pusher”
by Charlotte Bismuth
( Atria/ One Signal, nonfiction, on sale Tuesday)
What it’s about: A former prosecutor recounts the stunning criminal case and landmark trial of an infamous pillpushing New York doctor who traded dangerous prescriptions for cash.
The buzz: “A gripping read tailor- made for the silver screen,” says Kirkus Reviews.
4. “Remote Control”
by Nnedi Okorafor
( Tor/ Forge, fiction, on sale Tuesday)
What it’s about: An alien artifact turns a young girl into death’s adopted daughter, granting her the power to take away life in this sci- fi tale of community and female empowerment.
The buzz: “Readers will be blown away,” says a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
5. “Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World”
by Simon Winchester ( Harper, nonfiction, on sale Tuesday)
What it’s about: An examination of humanity’s relationship with land ownership through history, and how and why we acquire and care for it.
The buzz: Publishers Weekly calls it “an entertaining and erudite roundup of humanity’s ever- evolving relationship with terra firma.”