Biography & Autobiography

"I don't think anyone should write their autobiography until after they're dead." — Samuel Goldwyn

Someone Always Takes Me Home: On Howard Fishman’s “To Anyone Who Ever Asks”
Chris Molnar reviews Howard Fishman’s “To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse.”
Chris MolnarJun 21, 2023
- Biography & Autobiography
- Music
How Much Faith Is Left?: On Warren Zanes’s “Deliver Me from Nowhere”
Tim Riley reviews Warren Zanes’s “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska.’”
Tim RileyJun 9, 2023
Relevés and Revolutions: On Jennifer Homans’s “Mr. B”
Martha Anne Toll reviews Jennifer Homans’s “Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century.”
Martha Anne TollJun 4, 2023
I Was Determined to Remember: Harriet Jacobs and the Corporeality of Slavery’s Legacies
Koritha Mitchell discusses her research for a scholarly edition of Harriet Jacobs’s “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”
Koritha MitchellMay 30, 2023
The Escape Artist: On John le Carré’s “A Private Spy” and Suleika Dawson’s “The Secret Heart”
John Phipps reviews two highly revealing new books about the late John Le Carré.
John PhippsApr 8, 2023
- Biography & Autobiography
Transcendent Truths: On Reza Aslan’s “An American Martyr in Persia”
Matthew Mullins reviews Reza Aslan’s “An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville.”
Matthew MullinsMar 26, 2023
- Biography & Autobiography
In a Life I Never Had I Was a Brave Cosmonaut: On Nona Fernández’s “Voyager”
Claire Calderón reviews Nona Fernández’s “Voyager: Constellations of Memory,” translated by Natasha Wimmer.
Claire CalderónMar 8, 2023
- Biography & Autobiography
A Giant Peak Called “The Doors”: A Conversation with John Densmore
James Penner interviews John Densmore, drummer for the Doors.
James PennerJan 7, 2023
The Afterlife of Slavery: On Carole Emberton’s “To Walk About in Freedom”
Jim Downs reviews Carole Emberton’s “To Walk About in Freedom: The Long Emancipation of Priscilla Joyner.”
Jim DownsJan 2, 2023
Transpacific Connections and Competitions: On Ying Zhu’s “Hollywood in China” and Daryl Joji Maeda’s “Like Water”
Aynne Kokas reviews two recent books about the intersection of China and Hollywood: Ying Zhu’s “Hollywood in China: Behind the Scenes of the World’s Largest Movie Market” and Daryl Joji Maeda’s “Like Water: A Cultural History of Bruce Lee.”
Aynne KokasDec 27, 2022
Hurray for Inventing New Genres or Whatever: On Dr. Moiya McTier’s “The Milky Way”
Joani Etskovitz explores the genres at play — from astronomy and mythology to self-help and romance — in Dr. Moiya McTier’s “The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy.”
Joani EtskovitzDec 24, 2022
Mankind Is a Piece of Shit: On Keiron Pim’s “Endless Flight”
Luke Warde reviews Keiron Pim’s new biography “Endless Flight: The Life of Joseph Roth.”
Luke WardeDec 24, 2022
- Biography & Autobiography
- Fiction