The New York Times - USA - Book Review (2020-07-26)

4 SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020

DARE TO SPEAK: DEFENDING FREE SPEECH FOR ALL, by Su-

zanne Nossel. (Dey Street, $28.99.) The chief

executive of PEN America revisits recent de-

bates, arguing that “concerns of diversity and

inclusion can — and must — be reconciled

with robust protections for speech.”

THE DEATH OF THE ARTIST: HOW CREATORS ARE STRUGGLING

TO SURVIVE IN THE AGE OF BILLIONAIRES AND BIG TECH, by

William Deresiewicz. (Holt, $27.99.) The inter-

net has wrought profound changes in the arts,

as in the rest of society. Deresiewicz, a critic

and essayist, interviews artists across a range

of disciplines to assess the impact.

MUST I GO, by Yiyun Li. (Random House, $28.)

Late in life, prompted by the diary of a former

lover, the steely heroine of Li’s fourth novel

looks back on her marriages, her love affairs

and especially her troubled relationship with

her daughter, grappling with how our histo-

ries help shape our characters.

UNSPEAKABLE ACTS: TRUE TALES OF CRIME, MURDER, DE-

CEIT, AND OBSESSION, edited by Sarah Weinman.

(Ecco, paper, $18.99.) This anthology gathers

13 pieces of true-crime writing, including

Pamela Colloff’s stunning Texas Monthly pro-

file of a campus shooting survivor.

I HOLD A WOLF BY THE EARS: STORIES, by Laura van den

Berg. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.) The

stylish, surreal stories in van den Berg’s new

collection, laced with edgy comedy, offer por-

traits of women in despair.

In a news year dominated by the struggle to

live — against the coronavirus, against police

brutality — how about reading about the strug-

gle to die? This is Norman Mailer’s 1979 true-

crime novel THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG,in which

Gary Gilmore pleads guilty to killing two peo-

ple and fights the state of Utah for the imple-

mentation of his death sentence by firing squad (his pick).

Gilmore’s was the first execution in the United States in nearly 10

years and the first after the Supreme Court briefly banned capital

punishment in 1972. He felt he deserved to die, and his battle to

force the state to carry out his death sentence was closely watched

by the nation and reignited debates about capital punishment

across the country. “The Executioner’s Song” takes you inside

Gilmore’s head and the harrowing fight he launched against those

who tried to save him against his will. As he stood before the firing

squad in 1977, his last words were “Let’s do it.”

—MARIA ABI-HABIB, SOUTH ASIA CORRESPONDENT

New & Noteworthy

WHAT WE’RE READING

REFLECTIONS, MEMORIES,

CONFESSIONS

With more than 600 photographs

“HONEST, COMPELLING,

INTRIGUING.”

—DAN W. LUFKIN, Founder, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette

The acclaimed play, The Lehman Trilogy,

features Mayer Lehman, John Loeb’s great-grandfather.

Discover the remarkable history of the entire Lehman family in

John’s comprehensive and beautifully illustrated memoir.

View the exclusive footage of John’s extraordinary

75th birthday celebration at Blenheim Palace on the

bonus video, along with historic coverage of the event.

For more details, go to ambassadorloeb.com.

HARDCOVER ($29.99) and E-BOOK ($8.99)

available from AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, and APPLE BOOKS

JOHN L. LOEB JR.JOHN L. LOEB JR.

AMBASSADOR,

CHAIRMAN, WINSTON CHURCHILL FOUNDATION, U.S.A

AMBASSADOR,

CHAIRMAN, WINSTON CHURCHILL FOUNDATION, U.S.A

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