NYT Books

Michael Deagler’s first novel follows a young man who is piecing his life back together and trying very hard not to drink.

The sociologist Sarah Thornton visits strip clubs, milk banks and cosmetic surgeons with the goal of shoring up appreciation for women’s breasts.

Set in a remote Welsh enclave on the cusp of World War II, Elizabeth O’Connor’s “Whale Fall” finds fresh resonance for a coming-of-age debut.

Miranda July is experimenting again — on the page and in her life.

In “A Life Impossible,” the former N.F.L. player opens up about outliving his life expectancy — the challenges, loneliness and moments of joy.

Caroline Crampton shares her own worries in “A Body Made of Glass,” a history of hypochondria that wonders whether newfangled technology drives us crazier.

A maid resists her employers; citizens resist their country.

The novel “American Abductions” captures the effects of U.S. immigration policy with the expansive reach of art.

The filmmakers do more to align star and character than the novel did. But somehow that doesn’t make the movie indebted to the musician.

Juli Min’s “Shanghailanders” runs from 2040 to 2014, showing how a cast of unsettled characters arrived at their current predicament.