Books

BY MICHAEL J. BANDLER

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

A Memoir of My Early Years

Julie Andrews

(Hyperion, 352 pages, $27)

Aspoonful of sugar—in this case Julie Andrews’ beguiling details of her rise to musical theater stardom—helps her revelations about the darker aspects of her private life “go down,” so to speak. Despite family tensions, some of which she reveals for the first time, the trajectory of her early career (and beyond) was always true and unwavering. Deemed not photogenic, she rose to be celebrated and adored. Most fans are familiar with the highlights of Andrews’ ascent through her mid-20s, including her arrival on Broadway with The Boy Friend and enlightening portrayals of Eliza Doolittle and Queen Guinevere. Beyond those, readers will relish the author’s compelling insights into how she evolved as a performer, from her pre-teen years on (she was the youngest soloist ever to sing in a Royal Command Performance before the Queen); how talented men and women shaped the shows that became theatrical legends; and how her early life was affected by the London Blitz, World War II and her household, which was headed by a mother and stepfather with, shall we say, issues, even as they supported her artistry. Dropping in, meaningfully, are the likes of Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, Maria Callas and T.H. White, but what counts more than anything is Andrews’ generosity of spirit. Ultimately, for this shining moment, the spotlight is deservedly hers.

Unaccustomed Earth

Jhumpa Lahiri

(Knopf, 352 pages, $25)

The American immigrant experience over the centuries has produced a never-ending flood tide of literature that brings to light unique stories and shared interests. And readers’ interest continues to grow. Jhumpa Lahiri’s new collection of stories—with their provocative set of circumstances treated in hushed tones—draws its title from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s hope that future generations will look to “unaccustomed earth,” rather than “the same worn-out soil” as their creative birthplaces. And so it is with Lahiri’s characters—most of them from the Indian subcontinent—who find new possibilities, challenges, and, invariably, temptations and dangers in America. They weigh tradition against what is new and do not always find the transition worthwhile. Even when they do, there are regrets that linger as they go about their first-generation lives. Within these stories, men, women and children look forward and backward—sometimes with determination, sometimes with doubt. Always, though, wherever the venue, Lahiri’s luminous depictions of figures on landscapes merit readers’ attention.

Fay Vincent

(Simon & Schuster, 336 pages, $25)

This book comes right in time, with baseball season now officially open.

Inspired by Lawrence Ritter’s landmark oral history, The Glory of Their Times, former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent is the enabler for 11 stars of the ’50s and ’60s to reminisce—sometimes eloquently, occasionally scruffily—about their glorious times and those of their contemporaries, which included, among other milestones, the integration of the sport. In this second of three planned volumes, which will cover the 1930s to the 1980s, there’s occasional repetition, especially since the time covered here includes Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard round the world” in the 1951 National League playoffs, on which a number of players sound off . The sections are somewhat uneven because the speakers themselves range widely in their ability to articulate. Still, it’s hard to beat Duke Snider’s takes on learning the strike zone and Jackie Robinson’s “game face;” Brooks Robinson’s perspective on conditioning; and Lew Burdette’s description of how he unnerved opposing hitters.