Author: stevenowad

This cinematic portrayal of the first family of Auschwitz is serious and well-intended, but it drowns in its own devotions. The story is direct and largely factual: Commandant Rudolf Hoss works long hours running the camp, while wife Hedwig prunes azaleas and overseas their brood …

First published in 1978, this biographical compilation of the author’s x-rated experiences with women has survived decades of accusations of misogyny and egocentrism. It strains our notions of coequality, but it’s also disarmingly honest, laugh-out-loud funny, and at times poetic. The book is a 300-page …

Three women travel to a remote corner of England for a long weekend. When they arrive, a note awaits them stating that one of their husbands will be killed by the time they get home. As they’re cut off from the world (no cell coverage, …

Hannah’s husband suddenly goes missing—but not without sending her a cryptic note (“Protect her”) and a bag of cash. Was the husband a criminal? A victim of someone else’s scheme? Is Hannah’s stepdaughter in danger? A fast start and crisp hook make this bestselling suspense …

Eleven years after leaving Iraq, former soldier Jim Cooper isn’t adapting well to civilian life. When his old lieutenant gets abducted by ISIS, he and his former squad members don’t hesitate: they’ll return to Mosul to nudge the Iraqi army to try to free him. …

This historical fiction tells the story of two men—one German and one British—who in 1938 try to stop Hitler from invading Czechoslovakia and starting World War II. The book’s historical elements come across as well-researched and authentic, the tension is palpable, and the characters are …

This is a very American true story. In the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a successful painting business in New Orleans. When the storm approaches, Kathy and the kids flee to higher ground while Abdulrahman stays in order to …

Old Turkish proverb: “When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a sultan; the palace becomes a circus.” Sounds about right, but this book, by a now-exiled Russian journalist, proves the saying wrong. When a clown enters the palace, the entire government becomes …

Dubus’ first novel tells the story of Leo, a teen coming of age in smalltown Massachusetts during the Vietnam war. For the first time in his life, Leo is having sex, falling in love, and feeling like an adult thanks to a real job building …

A decade before he wrote AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Tracy Letts came up with this hyperbolic story about angst in a trailer park in the South. Chris, the play’s main character, gives us the flavor of the tale when he describes his home state of Texas …