NYT Books

Jessica Roy’s “American Girls” traces the divergent fates of two sisters through a saga of poverty, misogyny, abuse and terrorism.

An experiment in digital disengagement prompts Kyle Chayka to consider how technology has narrowed our choices and dulled the culture.

In Temim Fruchter’s debut, “City of Laughter,” a grieving daughter dives into her ancestors’ hidden pasts to find closure and meaning in her own life.

“Ilium,” by Lea Carpenter, follows a young woman torn between opposing forces in her double life.

In a series of revealing essays, the NPR contributor Nell Greenfieldboyce views the events of her life through the lens of natural phenomena.

In “Pure Wit,” Francesca Peacock makes a fresh case for the writer Margaret Cavendish’s place in the feminist canon.

In “The Furies,” the journalist Elizabeth Flock reports the stories of three women who fought back — to defend themselves, other women or their people.

The illustrator of classic children’s books like “Frederick” and “Swimmy” was also a painter, sculptor, graphic designer and more.

Emily Cockayne’s “Penning Poison,” a history of anonymous letters, reveals the ways we’ve been torturing one another, verbally, for centuries.

In “The Other Side,” the art critic Jennifer Higgie explores artists who found self-expression through different media — and mediums.