Best nonfiction 2005

RACING THE ENEMY: STALIN, TRUMAN, AND THE SURRENDER OF JAPAN, by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa (Belknap Press, $29.95)

To fully understand Truman's decision to drop an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, the tangled relationship between the Soviet Union and Japan needs to be better understood, argues historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa in this controversial but illuminating examination of events surrounding Japan's surrender in 1945. (8/2/05)

THE FATE OF AFRICA, by Martin Meredith (Public Affairs, $35)

Veteran Africa observer Martin Meredith strides through half a century of the tumult of African independence. His style is broad rather than deep, but he puts together a compelling and cohesive narrative essential for those who hope to better understand both Africa's past and its prospects for the future. (7/12/05)

IN THE DOORS OF THE SEA: WHERE WAS GOD IN THE TSUNAMI?, by David Bentley Hart (Eerdmans, $14)

When the tsunami pounded southern Asia last December, David Bentley Hart tackled the title question, first in a Wall Street Journal article, and then later fleshed out in book form. It's a slim volume but a penetrating read, raising questions perhaps not frequently enough included in the public debate. (9/20/05)

PRAYER: A HISTORY, by Philip and Carol Zaleski (Houghton Mifflin, $29.95)

These two Smith College professors offer a thoughtful, probing look at prayer. They trace its presence throughout time and across cultures and seek to distinguish between different types of prayer. The book manages to shy away from advocacy even while offering a sensitive and respectful treatment of its topic. (11/22/05)

TWO LIVES, by Vikram Seth (HarperCollins, $27.95)

Indian writer Vikram Seth examines the lives of his uncle, an Indian dentist, and his wife, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. Seth chronicles their pasts and his own relationship with the couple. (10/25/05)

A YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, by Joan Didion (Knopf, $23.95)

Writing is what Joan Didion does best, so it is not surprising that when she lost her husband of almost 40 years, writer John Gregory Dunne, she turned her grief into words. The book she produced, which records her thoughts and feelings as she grieves, won a 2005 National Book Award. (10/18/05)

TWILIGHT OF LOVE: TRAVELS WITH TURGENEV, by Robert Dessaix (Shoemaker & Hoard, $24)

Against the backdrop of a trip through Europe, Australian writer Robert Dessaix shapes a meditation on the ways in which passion transforms itself into a different type of love later in life. (8/23/05)

THE ACCIDENTAL MASTERPIECE: ON THE ART OF LIFE AND VICE VERSA: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa, by Michael Kimmelman (Penguin, $24.95)

Within daily life is found the very stuff of a masterpiece. Or so insists Michael Kimmelman, chief art critic of The New York Times, in this charming meditation on the nature of art. Readable and rich, the book tells stories of artists both well-known and obscure, and makes its points with wisdom and with wit. (8/30/05)

NEW ART CITY, by Jed Perl (Knopf, $35)

New York City: It's where the great artists of the mid-twentieth century found one another, and according to art critic Jed Perl, the city itself has had a leading role in art history. This panoramic book sheds new light on the men and women and the array of forces that converged in New York at that time. (10/4/05)

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