How music helps us to feel
Two new books about our relationship to song prove there will always be new ways to write about music.
ByNon-fiction
Discover the latest non-fiction books and must-reads with the New Statesman’s expert reviews. Including biographies, music books, political writing and more.
The strange allure of the strongman leader
Authoritarians and autocrats continue to flourish despite a long parade of inadequacy. Can liberal democracy strike back?
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Trouble in the House of Windsor
New works by the journalists Tina Brown and Robert Hardman question whether the monarchy can survive without radical reform.
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Are premonitions more than coincidence?
The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight is a propulsive but flawed examination of the rationality of chance.
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The best new books of 2022 so far
The New Statesman’s selection of good reads for this spring.
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The born-to-rule Oxford Tories
Simon Kuper’s book Chums tells the story of how one university taught the core of today’s Brexit government how to…
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Fate and freedom in Elena Ferrante
In a candid set of essays, the Italian novelist reveals her literary process and how she’s overcome her insecurities.
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How social media influencers are trying to combat the myths and misinformation around sex
Two new self-help books, Block, Delete, Move On and Losing It, seek to educate us about society’s sexual dysfunctions.
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The New Statesman’s best books of 2021
The year's essential reading in 20 titles.
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How Joan Didion broke free
Joan Didion has died aged 87. In this essay, Leo Robson explored how the chronicler of American counterculture was tormented…
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The story of Adam and Eve: exploring the myth of the original sinners
Stephen Greenblatt's book is a pellucid and absorbing account of the Biblical tale's great significance.
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Myths and monstrosities of the Holocaust
Two histories of the Holocaust reveal the what we didn't know about the concentration camps.
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