NYT Books

In “The Cradle of Citizenship,” the journalist James Traub finds that the biggest crisis in education is not what kids are learning, but whether they’re learning anything at all.

“The Old Fire,” an atmospheric new novel by Elisa Shua Dusapin, evokes unresolved family history with subtle heat.

In a trilogy of novellas, a writer explores lives haunted by colonialism and slavery.

In “Sheer,” the novelist Vanessa Lawrence imagines the improbable rise and inglorious fall of a self-made Gen X beauty mogul.

In a useful entry in the growing canon of “quit lit,” Charles Knowles blends science and memoir to persuade readers to cut down on alcohol.

Javier Moro’s new novel focuses on a 19th-century architect who left an indelible imprint on the city.

In his enthralling “The Spy in the Archive,” Gordon Corera tells the story of an unlikely hero embedded within the heart of the agency.

In the Goncourt winner “Watching Over Her,” Jean-Baptiste Andrea traces the personal and political entanglements of a sculptor whose swagger belies his physical stature.

In “Advance Britannia,” Alan Allport shows the fighting from the perspective of England and its colonies.

“This Is Where the Serpent Lives,” by Daniyal Mueenuddin, recalls the power of Russian classics.