American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
by Kai Bird and Martin J. SherwinVintage Books, 784 pp.
$25 (paper)
Oppenheimer is available in VOD, Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD now from Universal Pictures.
Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin split the Pulitzer for their massive biography of the father of the atomic bomb, and it’s their focus on the kangaroo court of his 1954 United States Atomic Energy Commission security hearings that became the narrative twist in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster, Oppenheimer.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
by David GrannVintage Books, 416 pp.
$18 (paper)
Killers of the Flower Moon is in cinemas now from Paramount Pictures.
In Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s excoriating true-crime drama about the horrifying conspiracy to murder Osage Nation members and steal their oil rights, Texas Ranger Tom White is a minor character who doesn’t even arrive in Fairfax, Okla., until deep into the movie. David Grann’s equally traumatizing book places White and the investigation front and center to explain how it took federal intervention to break through the willful intransigence of state and local law enforcement and the complicity of courts.
Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine
by Brock YatesRandom House, 560 pp.
$24 (paper)
Ferrari releases Dec. 25 from Neon.
Retitled since its 1991 release as Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, legendary auto sports journalist Brock Yates’ definitive biography of the man behind the jewel in Italy’s sporting crown gets a new tie-in edition. While Michael Mann’s biopic Ferrari focuses on the run-up to the fateful and tragic 1957 Mille Miglia road race, this is the complete life of the racing icon, from his own time on the track to his life as a team owner. Finally back in print, try tracking down the hard-to-find original hardcover for the autophile in your life.
The Color Purple
by Alice WalkerPenguin Books, 304 pp.
$18 (paper)
The Color Purple releases Dec. 25 from Warner Bros. Pictures.
This Christmas sees the release of the film of the musical inspired by the success of the film of the landmark novel by Alice Walker. The power of the Pulitzer-winning story of three generations of Black women in 1900s Georgia remains undimmed 40 years after publication, and it still has the ability to infuriate reactionary book banners who fear its story of bravery in the face of racist and sexist oppression.
Nimona
by ND StevensonQuill Tree Books, 272 pp.
$24.99, $18.99 (paper)
Nimona is streaming now on Netflix.
ND Stevenson’s witty graphic novel about an exiled knight who forms an unlikely team with a shape-shifting criminal was going to be Fox Animation’s last-ever movie before it was bought and shuttered by Disney. Now you can read the original Nimona and watch the equally hilarious and fantastical animated feature on Netflix.
This article appears in Gift Guide 2023.
