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Dale Stephens says many students would be better off ditching college and finding alternate ways to complete their educations. His new book, Hacking Your Education, explores that idea. "When you think about education as an investment, you have to think about what the return is going to be," he says.

Vaddey Ratner's In the Shadow of the Banyan draws on her childhood experiences under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. It follows Raami, a young polio survivor, from her idyllic home to the depths of totalitarian exploitation.

Alex Berenson returns with another spy thriller; biographers Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith argue that Vincent van Gogh didn't commit suicide; humorist Calvin Trillin collects his best columns; and Beth Raymer tours the world of sports betting.

Athanasius Kircher, a 17th-century Jesuit priest, was a renaissance man in name and deed. He strove to learn about almost everything. Unfortunately, many of his inventions and theories were pure nonsense. John Glassie writes about Kircher in his new book, A Man of Misconceptions.

Novelists Aatish Taseer and Naomi Benaron portray life amid sectarian violence in Pakistan and Rwanda, respectively, while Glenn Carle reflects on being a CIA interrogator, novelist Jonathan Lethem explores his influences, and David Bellos probes translation's complexity.

Louise Erdrich's latest novel examines the way violence can give rise to violence, as a young Native American man pursues justice for his mother, who has been sexually assaulted. Reviewer Alan Cheuse says the book is one of Erdrich's best — keenly crafted and containing some wonderful set pieces.

In real life, having a pet is hard work — they're messy, hard to train, and losing them can be heartbreaking. But in literature, as author Julia Stuart writes, animals are delightful. Is there a literary animal that you love? Tell us in the comments.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the devastating losses and the inept government response, dominated the news cycle for a few months. But New Orleans residents' struggle to return home never stopped. Writer Daniel Wolff's new book follows several Crescent City characters as they rebuild after the disaster.

Atlantic writer Hanna Rosin has expanded her cover story on women's new economic dominance into a full-length book. Reviewer Annalee Newitz says it's a good snapshot of a major cultural shift — but frustratingly contradictory in its approach.

Martin Amis' latest novel, Lionel Asbo, takes a bilious — but funny — look at the deterioration of England through the eyes of the titular lowlife Lionel, a habitual offender who doesn't mind repeated prison stints, and his crime-reporter nephew Desmond.