NYT Books

As told in Tarpley Hitt’s rollicking “Barbieland,” the rise of America’s doll alter ego is much messier and more interesting than any movie.

Fifty years after her death, the German-born political thinker has been enshrined as a prophet for our times. What did she actually say?

An adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella arrives at the same time as a new biography, unlocking one of his best-loved and least-understood books.

The author of novels, histories, biographies and influential political essays, he approached them all with a droll British wit and a steadfast commitment to Western values.

Raised in a large chaotic family outside Boston, the journalist Janice Page recalls an eventful childhood and the love story that brought her to China and back again.

His tales of violence and squalor in his native Ozarks had the timeless quality of fables and inspired several movies.

“Flagrant, Self-Destructive Gestures,” a new biography of Denis Johnson, traces the life of a brilliant nonconformist.

How one era changed everything about the culture — and why we’re so nostalgic for its creations.

The staff of The New York Times Book Review choose the year’s top fiction and nonfiction.

We made a list! Now we explain why we love the books we chose.