The Tiny Slice

“[W]e must talk openly about the private pain we carry when it comes to caregiving, whether we are giving care, receiving care, or both. We are all coping with impossible demands, with grief and loss, and with the loneliness of being discarded by a culture that devalues caregiving because it devalues the people who need it.”

—From In Sickness and in Health: Love Stories from the Front Lines of America’s Caregiving Crisis by Laura Mauldin (February 10)

Complicated lives

March brings two big celebrity memoirs: In You with the Sad Eyes (March 3), Christina Applegate, 54, who found fame as Kelly Bundy on Married … With Children, tells a story of both happiness and resilience, even while grappling with self-doubt and depression in her early years, and with MS today. Liza Minnelli, 79, also dives deep—into her chronic anxiety, romantic disasters and life as an entertainment legend (and as the daughter of one, Judy Garland), in Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! (March 10).

Who do you think you are?

Michael Pollan, 71, who found fame in the early 2000s for his brilliant food writing, has shifted his focus toward a particularly elusive subject: Who am I? Or, rather: What is “me”? What is this sense of a self, with feelings, thoughts and a subjective experience of life? In A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness (February 24), Pollan lays out the latest research and theories on consciousness, which, he concludes, “is a miracle, truly, and remains the deepest of mysteries.”

Reviews

Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis Patterson and actor Davis teamed up for this fast-paced courtroom drama. It follows Mary Stone, a respected Black judge in a small Alabama town, as she presides over a contentious case that forces her to make a difficult, life-or-death decision. (March 9)

The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg, and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema by Paul Fischer In this must-read for film buffs, Fischer details how the three great directors became friends when they were struggling young filmmakers, and how their mutual support and rivalries transformed Hollywood. (February 10)

Brawler by Lauren Groff This collection of nine tales showcases the Matrix author’s uncanny skill at portraying the complexities of life with color and depth. Particularly good: “Birdie,” where four old friends reunite to support one on her deathbed and their complicated history resurfaces. (February 24) —Christina Ianzito