Winnie wins
Paul Addison resists the charge of revisionist iconoclasts with his authoritative biograpy of the 'Greatest Briton', Winston Churchill, says Sunder Katwala.
The fright of our lives
Terrorism, nuclear bombs, paedophiles ... in Fear, Joanna Bourke argues we should assess risks, not quiver before them.
Napoleon’s nemesis
Maria Fairweather's incident-filled life of the influential Madame de Staël could do with a little more drive, says Geraldine Bedell.
A suitable case for comic treatment
David B combines woodcut Epressionism and metaphorical detail in his graphical memoir, Epileptic.
Wandering star
In Ramblin' Man, Ed Cray tells how Woody Guthrie was a mystery to everyone, including himself, says Mike Marqusee.
Morbid love
What drove John Ruskin, leading art critic of the Victorian era, to madness? Philip Hoare has found the answer in a collection of long-lost letters.
My face would be yours
Menacing graphics and unsparing honesty make Epileptic, David B's memoir of a childhood in the shadow of epilepsy, a harrowing experience, says Ian Sansom.
Marie, Marie, quite contrary
Barbara Goldsmith tells how Marie Curie was thwarted at every turn by the establishment in Obsessive Genius. No wonder she was a depressive obsessive, says Robin McKie.
Poetic idealist or roistering hack? Take your pick
Anthony Holden and Nicholas Roe bring contrasting aspects of Leigh Hunt to life in two biographies of the man who befriended Byron, Shelley and Keats.
My other half: Diana Evans on losing her twin, Paula
As twins, Paula and Diana shared everything: their clothes,their friends, their lives. But then, Paula committed suicide ... here, Diana Evans explains the unique pleasure of being a double act - and the singular pain of losing your twin.
Faith no more
Sam Harris blames religious moderates for allowing extremism to flourish in The End of Faith. It is time secularists took a stronger stand against religion, says Steohanie Merritt.
Roots and branches
Melissa Benn examines the lives of two of Ireland's favourite daughters in Nell by Nell McCafferty and The Road from Ardoyne by Ray Mac Manais.
Falling in love again
Depression cut the naturalist Richard Mabey off from the natural world. He charts his slow process of recovery in Nature Cure.
Against all odds
Natasha Walter is moved by Lyndall Gordon's account of the exceptional Mary Wollstonecraft.
Cry, the beloved country
Justin Hill on Michela Wrong's moving and ultimately uplifting account of Eritrea's emancipation, I Didn't Do It For You.