Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift June 1948-May 1949by Richard Reeves
A stirring tale of how Allied pilots rescued besieged Berliners from starvation.
One of the Cold War’s defining moments occurred when the Western allies launched a dramatic airlift to relieve a besieged Berlin. Acclaimed historian Richard Reeves recounts the events of the Berlin Airlift through the eyes of those brave men who for nearly a year shuttled millions of tons of food and provisions into West Berlin to help its starving inhabitants survive. Though Stalin had ordered a blockade of the city in an attempt to force Western powers out of the Soviet occupation zone, President Truman refused to bend to the Soviet leader’s brutal tactics. “We stay in Berlin. Period,” he reportedly said, and did just that with the help of the British. The then-11-year-old Reeves was captivated by the valiant tale, and over 50 years later, is equally amazed by the lack of knowledge on the subject. In his latest, which Publishers Weekly deemed “a mesmerizing portrait of America at its best,” Reeves deftly recreates the dramatic story of how those in the service went from attempting to kill the Berliners to saving them. Based on more than 300 interviews, memories, diaries, letters, government documents, and journalism from America, Britain, and Germany.
Gutshot Straightby Lou Berney
A reformed criminal strays when he reenters a world of sex and sin.
In a fast-paced style apropos of his title character Charles “Shake” Bouchon, Lou Berney unravels the story of a professional wheelman imprisoned for grand theft auto. Determined to stay out of prison after three years behind bars, Shake’s plan is shaken up when his former boss assigns him a final law-breaking adventure. But when the intended hostage, Gina, instead captures Shake’s heart, the plot becomes even more complicated once the Armenian mob, a portly angry Vegas strip-club owner, and a miserable criminal all come after him. With comparisons to Elmore Leonard, it’s apparent Berney is not simply riding out the success of his acclaimed short The Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories. His first full-length novel has garnered similar praise, with Publishers Weekly calling Gutshot Straight a “fast-moving caper novel, which smoothly blends humor, action and romantic frisson.”
The Listenerby Shira Nayman
Lines become blurred in this sensuous novel set in a post-World War II asylum.
Shira Nayman, the author whose collection of short stories, Awake in the Dark, first won her acclaim five years ago, captivates in this haunting debut historical novel. Set in an asylum in the aftermath of World War II, the head of the hospital, Dr. Henry Harrison, is faced with the most challenging patient he’s ever encountered, Bertram Reiner. Though Harrison is supposed to counsel the recently returned war vet, the boundaries between doctor and patient and madness and sanity begin to disappear as their lives become increasingly intertwined. The surroundings are familiar to Nayman, a clinical psychologist who’s worked in psychiatric hospitals, and her expertise shows. “Word for word, sentence for sentence, paragraph for paragraph, Nayman creates a gripping narrative with style and depth,” reviews Library Journal. “Nayman paces the narrative well, with thick, sensuous writing throughout, developing each character with a compelling reality… this novel continues to explore the ways in which individuals negotiate and construct their sense of identity.”
The Theory of Light & Matter: Storiesby Andrew Porter
Debut collection of Carver-esque stories of memory and sacrifice.
Andrew Porter's stunning meditations on loss and remembrance form his first short-story collection, The Theory of Light & Matter. Porter crafts stories of disparate lives—a brother wonders if he can forgive his sister; a woman chooses between an older professor and her intended husband; a man ruminates on the death of a childhood friend—in an evocative, straightforward prose style reminiscent of Raymond Carver. His stories explore the nature of guilt and sacrifice and the eccentricity and unpredictability of memory and forgiveness. The Theory of Light & Matter won a Flannery O'Connor Award upon publication; Time Out New York called it "exquisite," saying it "delivers... constant delight."
American Voyeur: Dispatches from the Far Reaches of American Lifeby Benoit Denizet-Lewis
A perceptive journalist’s journey into the weird corners of America.
Benoit Denizet-Lewis is no stranger to the odd and eccentric, the peripheral and marginalized. The journalist first ignited controversy with his New York Times Magazine story "Double Lives on the Down Low"—included in this collection—about African-American men who don't consider themselves gay, but have sex with other men. In American Voyeur, Denizet-Lewis explores more untold stories of American life: a summer camp for pro-life teens, a social group for "lipstick lesbians," a high school with a male student who has female genitalia. Denizet-Lewis's work is "kicky" and "cutting edge," writes Library Journal, perfect "to show younger readers who think journalism is dead."
