Book Review

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review

'To End All Wars'

By ADAM HOCHSCHILD
Reviewed by CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

Adam Hochschild's stirring account of World War I concentrates on the appalling losses in the ranks and on the extraordinary courage of the dissenters.

Also in the Book Review

'On China'

By HENRY KISSINGER
Reviewed by MAX FRANKEL

China and America have become mutually dependent economic giants, Henry Kissinger argues, but they need an overarching strategic design of partnership.

'A Singular Woman'

By JANNY SCOTT
Reviewed by ELIZA GRISWOLD

This biography of Barack Obama's mother presents a more complex picture than the president offered in his own books.

•  Sunday Magazine: Obama's Young Mother Abroad

'Among the Truthers'

By JONATHAN KAY
Reviewed by JACOB HEILBRUNN

A journalist travels the world of conspiracy theories, about everything from President Obama's birthplace to 9/11 to vaccines.

'The Paper Garden'

By MOLLY PEACOCK
Reviewed by ANDREA WULF

A biography of an 18th century a widow who, in her 70s, invented a new way to depict flowers.

'Caleb's Crossing'

By GERALDINE BROOKS
Reviewed by JANE SMILEY

In Geraldine Brooks's historical novel, a missionary's daughter forms a bond with a scholarly Indian.

'The Sly Company of People Who Care'

By RAHUL BHATTACHARYA
Reviewed by DINAW MENGESTU

The narrator of this novel journeys into Guyana's interior to seek answers about the country's past.

'What's Gotten Into Us?: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World'

By MCKAY JENKINS
Reviewed by ELIZABETH ROYTE

An effort to come to terms with the unknown consequences that synthetic chemicals may hold for consumers.

'Saints and Sinners: Stories'

By EDNA O'BRIEN
Reviewed by LIESL SCHILLINGER

Some of the restless, searching people in Edna O'Brien's stories confront political violence, others reflect on disappointing loves.

'The Wizard of Lies'

By DIANA B. HENRIQUES
Reviewed by LIAQUAT AHAMED

A Times journalist explains how Bernard Madoff pulled off history's greatest Ponzi scheme, and how he got away with it for so long.

'I Have Seen the Future'

By PETER HARTSHORN
Reviewed by KEVIN BAKER

This biography of Lincoln Steffens traces the convictions and delusions of one of the original "muckrakers."

'Rubber Balls and Liquor'

By GILBERT GOTTFRIED
Reviewed by PETER KEEPNEWS

The sometimes controversial comedian Gilbert Gottfried looks back on the performances that brought him attention.