John Leonard

Critic John Leonard says the new trio of texts exploring the controversy stirred by the Satanic Verses vary in style, form, and slant. But all of them overlook a neglected part of the story: the responses of religious leaders in the West, who seemed to have learned nothing from their faith traditions' condemnation of great thinkers like Galileo, Martin Luther, and even Jesus Christ.

John Leonard reviews "Coyote Waits" by Tony Hillerman and "Blossom" by Andrew Vachss. The book critic says Hillerman's novel succeeds with its strong focus on the American Southwest. Vachss, on the other hand, shouldn't have had his protagonist Burke leave New York.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the memoirs of Andrei Sakharav, a Russian scientist and political dissident who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. Leonard says the book is more than autobiography -- it's a guide for global citizenship.

Book critic John Leonard says Joseph Wambaugh's police thrillers vary in quality, though they're all enjoyable. The writer's newest book, The Golden Orange, about an ex-cop in Southern California, is a return to form.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Magic Lantern," journalist Timothy Garton Ash's account of the democracy movement in Eastern Europe.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams and Distortions," by historian Lucy Hughes-Hallett (It's published by Harper and Row).

Book critic John Leonard "The Loony-Bin Trip," feminist Kate Millett's memoir of her dealing with manic depression. It's published by Simon and Schuster.

Book critic John Leonard reviews "The Innocent," by British novelist Ian McEwan.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Barbara Ehrenreich's new collection of essays, "The Worst Years of Our Life."

Book critic John Leonard reviews the new novel "Markers" by Sidney Zion. Zion wrote a puffball biography of Roy Cohn a couple of years ago, Leonard says this novel, about the New York underworld, also draws from Cohn's life. It's published by Donald I. Fine.