A grid of 12 fiction book covers released in October 2025.
A grid of 12 fiction book covers released in October 2025.

The Novels We’re Reading in October

Historical fiction set in ancient Britain and 20th-century Puerto Rico.

Books
Chloe Hadavas, Allison Meakem
A woman in a red face mask and a coat over a red hoodie stands on a sidewalk, holding a laptop and speaking on her phone. Cars drive past behind her, with a suitcase and an international airport visible in the background.
A woman in a red face mask and a coat over a red hoodie stands on a sidewalk, holding a laptop and speaking on her phone. Cars drive past behind her, with a suitcase and an international airport visible in the background.

Putin vs. the Press

You’d have to be fearless or a fanatic to persist in journalism in Russia. These women are both.

Review
Anastasia Edel
Bill Clinton looks up as he speaks in front of a WTO globe backdrop.
Bill Clinton looks up as he speaks in front of a WTO globe backdrop.

Is Globalization a Lost Cause?

How an idea that promised a brave new world seemingly delivered dystopia instead.

Review
Keith Johnson
Jason Momoa wears a large headdress and traditional Hawaiin attire.
Jason Momoa wears a large headdress and traditional Hawaiin attire.

Jason Momoa Schools Hollywood on Hawaiian History

The show-don’t-tell side of Chief of War keeps the series lingering in the mind.

Review
Jordan Hoffman
Trump, in a USA hat, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in sunglasses, look toward a man in fatigues and a red beret with his back to the camera.
Trump, in a USA hat, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in sunglasses, look toward a man in fatigues and a red beret with his back to the camera.

How Military Leaders Should Respond to Trump’s Norm-Busting

There’s no shame in getting fired when it is not for cause.

Argument
Peter D. Feaver, Heidi A. Urben
People leap and dance in a stage with dramatic lighting.
People leap and dance in a stage with dramatic lighting.

Mexico’s New Hit Musical Is the Anti-‘Hamilton’

A long-running spat over Spain’s colonial history has now taken theatrical form.

Argument
Antonio De Loera-Brust
A map of Asia shows India highlighted along with Persia and the Chinese Empire.
A map of Asia shows India highlighted along with Persia and the Chinese Empire.

India and the Rebalancing of Asia

New Delhi still faces many obstacles on its path to great-power status. This article has an audio recording

Excerpt
C. Raja Mohan
Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit speaking into multiple microphones at a press conference, with a large map of Southeast Asia and a Department of Defense seal visible in the background.
Black-and-white photo of a man in a suit speaking into multiple microphones at a press conference, with a large map of Southeast Asia and a Department of Defense seal visible in the background.

Robert McNamara Chose Loyalty to the President

A new biography should be required reading for everyone currently working in silence in Washington.

Review
Julian E. Zelizer
King Charles III and U.S. President Donald Trump ride in a royal carriage through the Windsor Castle estate in Windsor, England, on Sept. 17.
King Charles III and U.S. President Donald Trump ride in a royal carriage through the Windsor Castle estate in Windsor, England, on Sept. 17.

Is Trump Taking Treaties Back to the Middle Ages?

The White House has usurped the power to make foreign treaties and keeps their texts secret.

Analysis
Gregory H. Fox, Duncan B. Hollis
A figure in a hat is seen from behind in silhouette as they walk down a tree-lined path toward a turreted church beneath a blue sky.
A figure in a hat is seen from behind in silhouette as they walk down a tree-lined path toward a turreted church beneath a blue sky.

Russia’s Troubling Church Takeover

The Kremlin is leveraging tsarist-era assets to expand its global influence.

Analysis
Katherine Kelaidis
Three animated women wag their index fingers.
Three animated women wag their index fingers.

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Leads the Wave Back to Korea

The megahit movie opens a new chapter for soft power.

Argument
Grace Kao
An aerial view shows several workers in hard hats and vests amid a circular rebar gridded construction site.
An aerial view shows several workers in hard hats and vests amid a circular rebar gridded construction site.

China’s New Gilded Age Comes to Life in ‘Breakneck’

Dan Wang’s account of an engineering state mixes the grand and the intimate.

Review
Jeremy Wallace
Three people eat lunch by candlelight at a restaurant table.
Three people eat lunch by candlelight at a restaurant table.

‘Strong Roots’ Turns Cooking Into Resistance

A memoir of Ukrainian cuisine seeks to preserve worlds threatened by Russia.

Review
Natalia Antonova
A photo collage illustration shows vintage portraits of two African American women and a hand holding a fountain pen in front of yellow shapes, ink blots, and scrawls.
A photo collage illustration shows vintage portraits of two African American women and a hand holding a fountain pen in front of yellow shapes, ink blots, and scrawls.

The Forgotten Fight for ‘Darker Peoples’ at the Paris Peace Conference

How an alliance between Black American women and Japanese delegates paved the way for modern human rights.

Excerpt
Keisha N. Blain
A photographer takes a photo of a pop art panting of Queen Elizabeth hangin on a wall with an exhibit card displayed next to it.
A photographer takes a photo of a pop art panting of Queen Elizabeth hangin on a wall with an exhibit card displayed next to it.

All the Queen’s Gossips

Two new books explore the tangled world of royal stories and real crimes.

Review
James Palmer
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