Books

BY MICHAEL J. BANDLER

MEDIA MIX

Check out our picks of this month’s page-turners.

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life
Steve Martin
(Scribner, $25)

This latest from Steve Martin—a gifted literary craftsman who has authored plays, film scripts, essays and novels that are as thought-provoking as they are charmingly diverting—reads like the first half of a memoir about an unconventional life in show business. The disarming humorist lifts the curtain on a heretofore unexamined life and times, specifically his years as a stand-up comedian and TV writer, with all of their outrageousness, imagination and pain. And there were plenty of each. Martin was zany almost from the outset, as the stunts seen by millions on late-night TV were born from his quirky and curious nature. He dissects routine after hilarious routine, explaining the care he invested in figuring out what made people laugh. His personal life is examined as well, from choices made to those forced upon him. And, as is the case with many geniuses, with the acclaim came exhaustion and loneliness. This insightful reminiscence could serve as the prequel to a more comprehensive look at one of the true geniuses—comedic or otherwise—of our day.

Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way
Leonard S. Marcus •
(Golden Books, $40)

The subtitle of this lavishly illustrated book by an eminent literary historian aptly describes the contents of this survey of, arguably, the most successful juvenile publishing firm ever. It originated as an inexpensive way to reach less prosperous, less educated Americans who sought to better themselves and their children. If you’re old enough to remember first encounters with Tootle, Scuffy and the Saggy Baggy Elephant, you’ll revel in these pages. Marcus devotes considerable space to the ebbs and flows of the content and business sides of Golden Books, but he picks up the pace nicely with intriguing insights into the legendary artists (readers will know them more through their classic illustrations than by name) and into how changes in society—baby boomers, Sputnik, integration—had their impact on the line. All in all, this is a delightful trip down memory lane.

Looking back on a year’s worth of columns, covering more than three dozen books, here’s a list of the three top volumes each of nonfiction and fiction:

BOOKS

NONFICTION

Better

(Metropolitan Books)

Surgeon and literary humanist Atul Gawande reveals his out-of-the-box reflections as to what constitutes success in his line of work. The author’s bottom line: “Better is possible.”

The Real All-Americans

(Doubleday)

Sally Jenkins recounts Native American history from Wounded Knee to the football field of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and beyond—a thrilling study of sports and education, past and present.

The Zoo Keeper’s Wife

(W.W. Norton)

Poet Diane Ackerman studies an irrepressible Polish Catholic couple who shaped a magnificent zoo in pre-WWII Warsaw, then harbored the imperiled citizenry as the Holocaust enveloped them.

FICTION

Traveler

(Viking Adult)

Ron McLarty’s elegiac memory novel is centered among first-generation immigrant families in Rhode Island. It’s an excellent sequel to McLarty’s debut, The Memory of Running.

The Scandal of the Season

(Scribner)

This cheeky, elegant riff on 18th-century Englishman Alexander Pope’s life and work, by Princeton professor and author Sophie Gee, makes an auspicious debut in fiction.

Bridge of Sighs

(Knopf)

This is the latest in Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo’s lovingly sketched northeastern America landscapes, with a cast of small-town characters.