KIRKUS vol. lxxx, no. 8 | 15 april 2012 REVIEWS the world’s toughest book critics for more than 75 years fiction nonfiction children’s & teen Jo Baker offers up an Mary Downing Hahn impressive family saga Michael J. Sandel returns dissects the effects of a that is poignant and rarely with an exquisitely reasoned, double murder on a whole predictable p. 780 skillfully written treatise on community in a gripping big issues of everyday life p. 831 historical thriller p. 855 in this issue: children’s & teen books in continuing series kirkus q&a featured indie Poet Helen Frost and David Perlstein lambastes nature photographer Rick American Middle East policy Lieder discuss their stunning and the hypocrisy of Gulf politics first-time collaboration, in his new satire p. 888 Step Gently Out p. 858 www.kirkusreviews.com Chairman The Invisible Dystopia HERBERT SIMON # President & Publisher MARC WINKELMAN Chief Operating Officer Last week, Vicky Smith, Children’s & Teen Editor, referenced Paolo Bacigalupi, speaking on the overwhelming MEG LABORDE KUEHN
[email protected] heteronormativity of teen dystopias. We asked Bacigalupi to expand on the subject, and he graciously agreed. Editor ELAINE SZEWCZYK 9
[email protected] Managing/Nonfiction Editor Looking at recent trend s in young people’s lit, I’ve sometimes joked that the term ERIC LIEBETRAU
[email protected] “dystopia” actually means a story where “The Man” screws with someone’s love life. But in fact, Features Editor MOLLY BROWN dystopian literature has a long tradition of screwing with people’s love lives—it’s an ideal invasion
[email protected] Children’s & Teen Editor that emphasizes the power of the state.