Political Animal, by David Mizner. Soho Press, 293 pages, $24.
David Mizner’s Political Animal may be the only novel this year that derives significant dramatic tension from the sending of a press release. Will the young campaign staffer torpedo (or perhaps bolster) his boss’ senatorial ambitions by firing off a brave but controversial position paper? Read MoreWhat's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America , by Thomas Frank, Metropolitan Books, 306 pages, $24.
Eight years ago, on the night of his election to the U.S. Senate, Sam Brownback declared, "As Kansas goes, so goes the nation." If that's true, Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas? will Read MoreA Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks, by Andy Gill and Kevin Odegard. Da Capo, 246 pages, $25.
'Do You, Mr. Jones?' Bob Dylan with the Poets and Professors, edited by Neil Corcoran. Pimlico, 378 pages, $14.95. Bob Dylan studies are in a bad way. Thirty years Read More
