The compelling biography “Pops” argues that Louis Armstrong’s cheerful manner and exultant playing were the man’s essence, not a stage act.
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The Books 100 list was written in 2009 and 2010. It is not currently being updated.
42“Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World”
By Web100 Staff
on December 15, 2011
in Books 100 > Politics and Current Events
Ranked #42 in Books 100
Ranked #42 in Books 100
With “Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World” (W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), Michael Lewis shows off his journalistic talents with a serious and searing book about the financial crises.
43“The Checklist Manifesto”
“The Checklist Manifesto” demonstrates, with solid prose and plenty of gore, how the medical field can avoid deaths without spending a dime.
44“Dangerous Laughter”
“Dangerous Laughter” (Knopf, 2008) is a stunningly original work of fiction touching on the nature of reality—and the illusion of storytelling.
45“Essays”
In “Essays,” award-winning playwright Wallace Shawn tackles difficult subjects like morality, privilege, and art with his characteristic dry humor.
46“Scary, No Scary”
“Scary, No Scary,” a delightfully bizarre poetry collection by Zachary Schomburg, draws readers into a post-apocalyptic dreamscape.
47“Dancing in the Dark”
Author Morris Dickstein gleans positive creative outcomes from the Great Depression in his book, “Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression.”
48“How It Ended”
“How It Ended” brings together three decades of short stories, representing the breadth of Jay McInerney’s career.
49“Changing My Mind”
Zadie Smith tackles topics from Kafka to Katherine Hepburn, from the Oscars to Obama, in “Changing My Mind,” her first collection of nonfiction.
50“My Father’s Tears and Other Stories”
John Updike’s final collection of short stories offers an unflinching look at isolation and the insignificance of human affairs.