Sunday May 27, 2012SUBSCRIBE
New Jersey Monthly Magazine

Books by New Jersey Authors

Each week, our mailbox is jammed with books penned by homegrown authors. Here is a sampling of the many artistic pursuits of creative Garden State natives.

Feature Stories
Courtesy of publisher.

Politics

Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power

Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power offers a chronological account of the governor's rise to power, but little insight.

By Josh McMahon

Courtesy of public relations.

Mystery

Kings of Midnight

A former Star-Ledger editor turns to crime fiction to help him better explore the subtle realities of life.

By Jen A. Miller

Courtesy of publisher.

Technology

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation

A new book recounts the unique culture and history of Bell Labs, which ushered in an unprecedented era of technological advancement.

By Brett Savage

Fiction

The Possibility of You

A Montclair resident's new novel follows one family through three generations of mothers.

By Deborah P. Carter

Courtesy of publisher.

Self-Help

Much Ado About Loving

A new book attempts to demonstrate that some literary classics contain valuable dating advice for the modern era.

By Ashley J. Cerasaro

Courtesy of publisher.

Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot

In Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot, New Jersey-based historian Joseph Cummins shines a bright light on some obscure and forgotten rebellions from America's past.

By Ken Schlager

Courtesy of publisher.

Anthology

New Jersey Noir

A collection of short fiction and poetry edited by Joyce Carol Oates explores how much noir literature means in the Garden State.

By Brett Savage

Courtesy of publisher.

Memoir

Walk Like a Man: Coming of Age with the Music of Bruce Springsteen

Robert J. Wiersema's book Walk Like a Man: Coming of Age with the Music of Bruce Springsteen, personalizes the impact of the rock superstar's musical canon.

By Tammy La Gorce

Courtesy of publisher.

Biography

American Emperor

David Stewart's American Emperor recounts the history of the Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton duel.

By Ken Schlager

Courtesy of publisher.

Fiction

The Leftovers

New Jersey native Tom Perrotta's new novel The Leftovers imagines what happens after the Rapture.

By Joel Keller

Courtesy of Chronicle Books.

Memoir

The Boy Who Loved Batman

Michael Uslan describes his struggles to bring Batman to the silver screen in a new memoir—The Boy Who Loved Batman.

By Jen A. Miller

Courtesy of publisher.

Memoir

A Father's Love

David Goldman recounts his experiences fighting for the return from Brazil of his abducted son.

By Jen A. Miller

Courtesy of public relations.

Fiction

Silver Sparrow

Author and Rutgers-Newark University professor Tayari Jones displays her Southern roots in her latest novel—Silver Sparrow.

By Tammy La Gorce

Courtesy of public relations.

Memoir

The Reading Promise

A librarian father fulfills a promise to read to his daughter for 3,218 days.

By Jen A. Miller

Mystery

Eyes of the Innocent

A former Star-Ledger sports and feature reporter scores a big hit with his first novel.

By Robert Strauss

Courtesy of publisher.

Fiction

Nobody Ever Gets Lost

A Princeton resident's second collection of stories makes waves on the national literary scene.

By Tammy La Gorce

Courtesy of publisher.

Seasonal Literature

Season's Readings

Literary gifts with a Jersey twist. Here are some holiday book suggestions from our staff.

Courtesy of public relations.

Memoir

What a Difference a Dog Makes

Dana Jennings, an assistant editor at the New York Times, has written a new book—Bijou: What a Difference a Dog Makes: Big Lessons on Life, Love, and Healing from a Small Pooch.

By Tammy La Gorce

Courtesy of publisher.

Humor

I'm Not High

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jim Breuer releases a new autobiography—I'm Not High (But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior).

By Mallory Gelert

Courtesy of publisher.

Sports

90% of the Game Is Half Mental

Montclair-based writer Emma Span releases her memoir—90% of the Game is Half Mental—about her brief stint covering the Yankees and Mets for the Village Voice.

By Ken Schlager

Courtesy of Publisher.

Mystery

Sizzling Sixteen

The latest book by South River native Janet Evanovich is a mystery about a charming but clumsy Trenton-based female bounty hunter.

By Margeaux Baulch Klein

Courtesy of publisher.

Sports

Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession

The history of baseball card collecting isn't as innocent as the game the cards are derived from. For a fascinating read, pick up Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became An American Obsession.

By Brett Savage

Memoir

The Other Wes Moore

What's in a name? Wes Moore's memoir recounts the events of two men with the same name whose lives couldn't possibly be more different.

By Deborah P. Carter

Courtesy of public relations.

Books for Vacation

Beach Reads

Looking for that perfect volume to tote down the Shore? Here are some Jersey-related titles to consider.

By Deborah P. Carter, Jen A. Miller

Courtesy of publisher.

Memoir

A Mountain of Crumbs

Elena Gorokhova uses vivid, captivating prose to describe her childhood in the Cold War Soviet Union in a new memoir.

By Ken Schlager

Courtesy of publisher.

Fiction

A Friend of the Family

Themes of parental expectations, elitism, and suburban insularity drive Lauren Grodstein’s second novel, A Friend of the Family (Algonquin, 2009).

By Deborah P. Carter

Courtesy of publisher.

Humor

Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever

An expository writing professor at Rutgers University publishes a collection of short stories capturing characters of various ages and geographies.

By Drew Anne Scarantino

Courtesy of publisher.

Humor

Your Flying Car Awaits

Have you ever wondered whatever happened to flying cars? Author Paul Milo has some ideas about failed technological predictions from the past.

By Jen A. Miller

Thriller

Totally Killer

Madison may be among the least sinister towns in New Jersey, so it’s a credit to debut novelist Greg Olear’s imagination that the thriller Totally Killer (HarperCollins) is authentically dark and savage.

By Tammy La Gorce