Archaeologist Moore (Ancient Andean Homes) offers an exhaustive account of the entwined evolution of felines and humans. Initially, Moore explains, interspecies interaction was limited to that of prey and hunter—that is to say, cats hunted humans (as verified by the fang holes in fossilized hominin skulls). Moore then surveys prehistory and early history—from Paleolithic paintings of leopards to ancient Egyptian cat worship—noting that cats were one of the last animals to be domesticated. Dogs began living side by side with humans 30,000 years ago, followed by most livestock 10,000 years ago. Humans set the stage for cat domestication only about 6,000 years ago, when they started gathering in densely populated communities and storing grain, which was quickly set upon by what came to be the house mouse. This finally gave cats a job—though Moore notes that mousing is more efficiently carried out by terriers and ferrets, adding greatly to the mystery of the house cat’s ascendance, along with the fact that only one species, the African wildcat, is the ancestor of all domestic cats. As humans took to the sea, cats came along, spreading their descendants across the world. Moore’s account is somewhat dry and academic, though he does have a wry edge (“I have lived with several cats. I haven’t understood any of them”). This will enlighten cat lovers. Illus. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Throughout human history, the breakdown of societies has been caused by out-of-control oligarchy, according to this brilliant and unnerving debut from economist and geographer Kemp. Looking back to prehistory, Kemp notes that hunter-gatherer social structures had the flexibility to “break apart and come back together” as environmental needs dictated. However, the transition to agriculture, Kemp contends, led to an almost instantly degraded quality of life as most people had to begin working against their will for others (“a telltale sign” of the transition to agriculture is “deformed bones in the knees and toes of women” due to hours spent grinding grain). As soon as evidence of profound inequality emerges in the historical record, Kemp writes, so does evidence of revolt. For example, Catalhoyuk in modern-day Turkey—a densely inhabited prehistoric megacity—began to empty out very quickly after archaeological evidence indicates the presence of a new elite. Kemp traces this same process among the Mayans, the ancient Romans, and beyond, delineating a process he calls “diminishing returns on extraction”: over time, a society’s elites, while competing for “a limited number of high status positions,” create increased political instability through coups, rebellions, mismanagement of natural resources, and an inability to respond to environmental problems. Pointing to modern elites’ failure to address climate change, Kemp offers a Cassandra-like warning about the path today’s oligarchs have set. It adds up to a sweeping and dire vision of a world on the brink. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this revelatory narrative, Ondaatje Prize winner Nicolson (Life Between the Tides) shares his experience observing birds near his home in Sussex. After realizing he “had never paid much attention to birds,” Nicolson set out to educate himself on the creatures and built a shed in the countryside from which he could study them. In vivid and poetic prose, Nicolson describes the wonders he encountered (“The blackbird’s song is like the sound of someone enjoying a lovely dinner, rolling around in his mouth the deliciousness of everything life has given him”) and highlights a wide range of avian behaviors, like how songbirds—blackbirds, robins, and wrens—begin vocalizing in a particular order at the break of dawn likely because of their varying eye sizes; the bigger their eyes, the earlier they can detect the morning light and thus start to sing. Nicolson is especially good at illuminating what goes unseen (or unheard), like the fact that birds perceive time more slowly than humans. He also draws attention to the ways human activity, like intensive farming, has caused bird populations to plummet in recent decades. This is a beautiful love letter to the avian world. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this empowering resource, the doctors behind the Fertility Docs Uncensored podcast shed light on in vitro fertilization, the complex process of retrieving eggs from ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a lab. The authors address fertility testing to determine if IVF is the right path and what to expect during and after the process. Encouraging women not to get stuck on futile attempts to figure out why they can’t get pregnant, the authors focus on specific topics such as the side effects of IVF medication, supplements and lifestyle changes for improving the chances of a healthy pregnancy, and the benefits of genetically testing embryos. They succeed in demystifying the science behind egg stimulation and retrieval and embryo transfers. Furthermore, they offer compassion and sensitivity when describing the mental anguish associated with negative pregnancy tests and the limbo experienced between egg retrieval and fertilization, as well as reasons other than infertility that women choose IVF, including recurrent pregnancy loss, genetics, and the need for a sperm or egg donor. The result is an informative guide for people hoping to take charge of their fertility. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Husband-and-wife CIA operatives Andrew and Jihi Bustamante deliver a hair-raising account of their years building an unlikely spy cell for a major intelligence mission. The Bustamentes met as CIA trainees and married in their late 20s. Much of the narrative revolves around a heavily redacted operation (city, country, and target names are all obscured) in which a CIA intelligence network operating within the borders of a U.S. adversary was compromised by a mole. The Bustamentes were tasked by their handlers with assembling their own team of operatives to ferret out the traitor and gather new, clean intelligence. Between heart-pounding accounts of high-stakes backgammon games and contrived playdates between the children of their colleagues and their targets, the Bustamentes offer an alluring crash-course on spycraft from assessing suspicious actors to shaking off “minders” assigned to surveil one’s every move. Though even the Bustamantes don’t know the consequences of some of their work, the authors pack in plenty of suspense, providing the cliffhangers and paranoid atmosphere of a John le Carré novel. It’s hard not to yearn for a less censored account, but there’s enough here to satisfy fans of espionage fiction. Agent: Rick Richter, Aevitas Creative Management. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Today show alum Kotb (Hope Is a Rainbow) draws from her and others’ personal and professional lives for this energizing guide to self-transformation. After becoming a mother in her 50s, Kotb decided in 2024 to retire and devote herself to parenting, caring for her mom, and making room for other priorities. Tracing that decision alongside the ups and downs of her broadcasting career, she shares advice on surrendering control in order to take risks; implementing small, daily changes that build a sense of accomplishment; and making shifts when things feel right, even in the absence of an obvious trigger (“Just because something’s not broken, doesn’t mean it’s working,” she writes, adding that one should feel free to revise decisions they’ve made to please others or otherwise “for the wrong reasons”). The author’s charismatic voice will keep readers hooked, and her solid advice is bolstered by candid personal disclosures as well as brief commentary from celebrities, actors, and media figures—among them Bette Midler and Thomas Rhett—who’ve made life changes of their own. This inspires. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Biographer Maher (Miles on Miles) paints an expansive, career-spanning portrait of the country music artist in this compilation of previously published interviews. Born in 1933, Willie Nelson was raised by his grandparents in Abbott, Tex., after his parents divorced and moved away, and began playing guitar at age six. Following unglamorous stints as a cotton picker, janitor, and traveling salesman, he moved to Nashville and started writing songs, including such hits as “Crazy” and “Pretty Papers,” which were made famous by Patsy Cline and Roy Orbison, respectively. After signing with Atlantic Records in the 1970s, Nelson helped usher in a brand of “outlaw” country music that embraced rock ’n’ roll and jazz and folk influences, attracting a younger and more diverse audience. Interviews also explore in depth his beliefs in reincarnation; his use of recreational cannabis to spark creativity; and his environmental activism, including advocacy for forms of renewable energy. Despite some repetition across pieces, the broad chronological scope (spanning from 1969 through 2021) and Nelson’s open, good-natured, and often witty demeanor (“I don’t think I’m a bad singer, but I don’t think I’m that great, either”) make this an enjoyable and enlightening window into the mind of a country music great. Nelson’s fans would do well to snap this up. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Journalist Elmhirst debuts with an enthralling story of survival. In spring 1973, a British couple felt their sailboat shudder as a flailing, dying whale punched a hole in its hull. Months earlier, Maurice and Maralyn Bailey had sold their possessions, abandoned “suburban domestic stress,” and embarked in their sloop Auralyn for a new life at sea. Maurice—an odd, prickly perfectionist—wanted to sail “by the stars,” so the boat had no radio transmitter. As the Auralyn sank, the couple scrambled onto a tiny inflatable raft with what food and water they could grab. Maurice despaired; Maralyn—a pretty, confident go-getter—was sure they’d be rescued. And they were, but only after 118 days adrift, during which they bludgeoned sea turtles to death, slurped water from fish eyes, caught sharks with their bare hands, and watched multiple ships sail past without noticing them. Maralyn’s iron will kept them alive, through her implementation of routines and innovations like safety pin fishhooks. The grisly details of survival are narrated by Elmhirst with vivid immediacy, and her handling of the lead-up and the aftermath are equally fascinating—including the couple’s post-rescue celebrity (when they were frequently asked to climb into their raft for photo shoots) and the surly Maurice’s alienation of everyone but his wife ahead of their even more self-isolating trip. It’s an un-put-downable saga of a relationship pushed to the limits. (July)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Journalist English (The Gallery of Miracles and Madness) offers a riveting look at a little-known CIA operation designed to spread alternative media throughout Soviet-controlled Poland. Communist censors banned or edited materials that depicted life beyond the Iron Curtain, unsavory parts of U.S.S.R. history, or Polish national identity; they also heavily regulated news media and restricted access to printing materials. Drawing on firsthand accounts, English shows how a network of anti-Communist activists—among them Mirosław Chojecki (who gained international recognition for going on a hunger strike while imprisoned for his publishing activities), Kultura magazine publisher Jerzy Giedroyć, and Helena Łuczywo, editor of the underground publication Mazovia Weekly—worked with the CIA to evade the censors and amplify the Polish Solidarity movement. The network created illicit broadcasts, magazines, and cassettes; smuggled books, printing materials, and radio equipment into the country; and helped fund anti-establishment efforts (including violent ones). Intrigue follows as conspirators engage in evasive maneuvers, coded messages, double-crossings, and other flimflammery. Yet, despite this spycraft-centric focus, the author steers admirably clear of divisive Cold War ideological messaging, instead maintaining a captivating focus on the sacrifices made by the activists. (At one point, English chronicles a Mazovia Weekly deputy editor’s heroic, single-handed production of an entire newspaper at a crucial moment when her colleagues were all away.) The result is a thrilling account of ordinary people fighting for their intellectual freedom. (June)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink

Essayist Collinsworth follows up What the Ermine Saw with a beguiling biography of Victoria Woodhull (1838–1927), a groundbreaking and enigmatic figure in women’s history. After opening with Woodhull’s 1893 libel case against a British Museum Library archivist, Mr. Garnett, for “cataloging... material she insisted contained unflattering references to her,” Collinsworth rewinds to Woodhull’s humble beginnings, when she worked with her sister for their con artist father as “amazing child clairvoyants”—a trade they continued as adults, serving as spiritual consultants to Cornelius Vanderbilt. With Vanderbilt’s backing, the sisters opened a Wall Street brokerage firm (at a time when women weren’t allowed to trade stocks) and founded their own newspaper; Woodhull eventually ran for president (at a time when women couldn’t vote). Much of the book follows Woodhull’s ambitious trajectory through the eyes of Mr. Garnett, whom Collinsworth places in the role of researcher, studying the woman who sued him—a distracting and unnecessary conceit. Still, Collinsworth’s Woodhull is captivating enough that this misstep is worth overlooking—the author excels at conveying the chameleon-like nature of a woman who was “in the business of reinventing her past,” including through numerous self-published pamphlets (one so effusive that a critic remarked, “Such a book is a tomb from which no author again rises”). It’s a transfixing character study. (Sept.)

Reviewed on 07/18/2025 | Details & Permalink