New York Times Bestsellers: Hardcover Non-Fiction

I thought I would add in the Non-Fiction selections for some variety for those of us who have an interest in reading beyond just the novel.  Notice towards the bottom of the top ten is Bob Dylan in America has broken into the bestsellers just after its release.  Don't forget to look back in the Book Nerd Archives for the review!

This Week		Last Week	Weeks on List
1	THE GRAND DESIGN, by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow. (Bantam, $28.) Central questions of philosophy and science, from the author of “A Brief History of Time.”		1
2	CRIMES AGAINST LIBERTY, by David Limbaugh. (Regnery, $29.95.) A political indictment of the Obama presidency. (†)	1	3
3	A JOURNEY, by Tony Blair. (Knopf, $35.) A memoir by the former British prime minister.	3	2
4	_____ MY DAD SAYS, by Justin Halpern. (It Books/HarperCollins, $15.99.) A coming-of-age memoir organized around the musings, purveyed on Twitter, of the author’s father.	2	19
5	THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS, by Isabel Wilkerson. (Random House, $30.) The Great Migration of blacks who fled the South, starting in 1915.		1
6	OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunity — from the author of “Blink.” Excerpt	5	94
7	THE BIG SHORT, by Michael Lewis. (Norton, $27.95.) The people who saw the real estate crash coming and made billions from their foresight. Excerpt	9	26
8	EMPIRE OF THE SUMMER MOON, by S. C. Gwynne. (Scribner, $27.50.) The story of Quanah Parker, the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Excerpt	8	12
9	BOB DYLAN IN AMERICA, by Sean Wilentz. (Doubleday, $28.95.) Dylan’s music in the context of its time. Excerpt		1
10	THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Rebecca Skloot. (Crown, $26.) The story of a woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951. Excerpt	6	29

American History Scholar Turns to Writing about Bob Dylan

According to an article that appeared in today's LA Times Sunday Book Review section historian Sean Wilentz from Princeton University is releasing a new book on a subject more interesting to the average person than his usual academic papers.  His new book, Bob Dylan in America, will chronicle the musician's role in American history beyond the trap of the 1960's beat movement he is usually associated with.  The article showcases Wilentz's passion for the topic and for a topic and perspective in American history not usually examined.  I, for one, find this viewpoint particularly refreshing.  Usually pop culture is not considered a serious enough topic for academic study and thus it is left out of most people's historical education.  But this is a serious failure on the part of the academic establishment.  Not only is this the topic that most people will be interested in because it deals with things average people experience and make time period more real, but because our popular culture speaks worlds about the culture a majority of people lived in during a time period.  It reflects their interests, concerns and lifestyles, not matter how much it lacks true artistic value.  


Bob Dylan, however, does have considerable artistic and as Wilentz argues historical value as a subject of study.  I am intrigued to find out more about this American performer who has been an undeniable presence in American music history. 


Click the link below to read the original article:


Bob Dylan sings the songs of America