Seven new books to check out in May
Anarchists, abolitionists, abortionists, and the hunt for El Dorado
It’s May! Spring is here! Beach-read season is near at hand! This month, we begin with an early-19th Century shipwreck and end with a 1930s culture war. Plus: dynamite, detectives, anti-slavery youth, Gen. George Patton, and more.
LEFT FOR DEAD: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World, by Eric Jay Dolin (Liveright, May 7)
From the publisher: “The true story of five castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812―a tale of treachery, shipwreck, isolation, and the desperate struggle for survival.” PW starred review: “This stunning account of shifting fortunes is riven with tension on every page, as Dolin provides detailed descriptions of bickering and backstabbing, tricky nautical maneuvers, and desperate survival techniques. It's an edge-of-your-seat adventure.”
THE INFERNAL MACHINE: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective, by Steven Johnson (Crown, May 14)
From the publisher: “A sweeping account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat—a tale of fanaticism, forensic science, and dynamite.” Erik Larson: “Dynamite, cops, anarchists—what more could you ask for? With narrative élan, Johnson tells the story of how an ‘infernal’ invention forever disrupted our political world. It’s a fast-burning fuse of a book, every page bursting with revelatory detail.”
WIDE AWAKE: The Forgotten Force that Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War, by Jon Grinspan (Bloomsbury, May 14)
From the publisher: “A propulsive account of our history's most surprising, most consequential political club: the Wide Awake anti-slavery youth movement that marched America from the 1860 election to civil war.” Kirkus Reviews: “Grinspan writes that most agreed that the system of slavery involved the silencing of opposition by violence-and in that sense, his book is timely indeed . . . A welcome study of an overlooked aspect of the Civil War and the events leading up to it.”
THE ABORTIONIST OF HOWARD STREET: Medicine and Crime in Nineteenth-Century New York, by R.E. Fulton (Cornell University Press, May 15)
From the publisher: “The Abortionist of Howard Street … revisits a rich history of women's experience in mid-nineteenth century America, revealing … a multifaceted, fascinating personification of issues as broad as reproductive health, education, domestic abuse, mental illness, and criminal justice.” Julie Miller: “A lively and readable book on several timely topics. … These all resonate today as they did in the nineteenth-century.”
PARADISE OF THE DAMNED: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado, the Legendary City of Gold, by Keith Thomson (Little Brown, May 21)
From the publisher: “Paradise of the Damned … brings this story to life in lush and captivating detail. … [A] gripping narrative of traveling to the ends of the earth only to realize, too late, that what lies at home is the greatest treasure of all.” PW: “Thomson’s breezy and puckish narration makes the historical subject matter sizzle … Readers will relish this enticing romp through the Age of Exploration.”
PATTON’S PRAYER: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II, by Alex Kershaw (Dutton, May 21)
From the publisher: “From Alex Kershaw … comes an epic story of courage, resilience, and faith during the Second World War.” Kirkus Reviews: “A detailed study of the critical role of Gen. George Patton and his Third Army in World War II. … Readers unfamiliar with Patton will find this book to be a solid, unadorned account, which is, perhaps, what Patton would have appreciated.”
THE PLAYBOOK: A Story of Theater, Democracy, and the Making of a Culture War, by James Shapiro (Penguin Press, May 28)
From the publisher: “A brilliant and daring account of a culture war over the place of theater in American democracy in the 1930s, one that anticipates our current divide, by the acclaimed Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro.” PW starred review: “Another captivating theater history in which politics and entertainment intersect. … It’s a bravura performance.”
'Wide Awake' sounds truly fascinating - that's a story I've never heard of, and I've read a fair bit on the lead-up to the Civil War.
(BTW, your book round-ups are SO good)