Thomas More: A Life (Joanne Paul)

Joanne Paul’s Thomas More: A Life is a biography of one of 16th Century England’s most enigmatic figures. Drawing on over a decade of archival work, Paul constructs a portrait of More as a complex, intellectually rigorous, and deeply conflicted statesman rooted firmly in his faith and family.

Paul effectively immerses the reader in the shifting currents of late-medieval Catholic England, guided largely by the whims of a lovelorn Henry VIII in search of a wife who could give birth to a male heir. More emerges not merely as a conservative zealot, as popular portrayals might suggest, but as a deeply thoughtful man that is worn and weighed by the pressures of his faith, his country, and also his family. The narrative unfolds with a pace that is both compelling and scholarly. More’s writing, especially his poignant spiritual letters written during his final trials, is a valuable contribution to the author’s development and portrayal of More.

Paul shows More as neither monster nor martyr, but as a Renaissance man wrestling with the demands of conscience in an age of fracturing authority and in an age where faith and reason are increasingly colliding. 

Thomas More: A Life stands out as a clear narrative that brings More’s values into vivid focus. Students of the Reformation era, Henry VIII, and the Catholic-Anglican split will certainly benefit from this biography.

MY RATING: 4.5

Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty (Adam Kucharski)

In Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty, author Adam Kucharski examines the foundations of how we know what we know - whether in mathematics, science, law, or everyday life. Best known for his work on epidemics and data modeling, Kucharski turns his attention to the tools that are used in an attempt to build certainty in a world full of ambiguity. Proof is a thoughtful, timely, and accessible exploration of logic, probability, and the shifting nature of truth.

Kucharski begins with the roots of deductive reasoning and formal proof, tracing their development from Euclid to modern mathematics. From those initial foundations, Kucharski then explores how different domains such as medicine, justice, technology apply (or misapply) various forms of reasoning in pursuit of certainty. Case studies, such as flawed forensic methods or overconfident algorithms, reveal just how fragile “proof” can be when misused.

While at times Proof can get a bit technical and wonky for those who are not math or science-inclined, the book is refreshingly honest about the limits of certainty. Kucharski is candid about how rigorous methods can produce false confidence when context is ignored. Proof is not just about logic or math. It’s about trust, evidence, and the human desire to be sure. In an age of misinformation, Kucharski offers a toolkit we badly need.

MY RATING: 4

Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World (Tim Bouverie)

In Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World,  author Tim Bouverie explores one of the most consequential partnerships of the 20th century: the fraught alliance between Winston Churchill (Great Britain), Franklin D. Roosevelt (United States), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) during World War II. Bouverie focuses on the inner tensions and political maneuverings that shaped the Allied war effort and ultimately the postwar world.

Much of Allies at War is devoted to the personalities and backstories of Churchill, FDR, and Stalin, plus the ministers that worked for them. Bouverie delves deep into the ego clashes, mistrust, and miscommunication that characterized the “Big Three,” revealing how mutual suspicion, especially between the Western leaders and Stalin, often complicated military and diplomatic strategy. Naivety in understanding the Soviet Union’s political and military motives also played a role in how their partnership developed and ultimately fizzled. Churchill emerges as the emotional, often stubborn statesman; Roosevelt as the charming but at times naive optimist; and Stalin as the cold, calculating tactician with his own brutal vision for Europe.

Bouverie’s book weaves together military history with political drama. Drawing on a wide array of primary sources, he manages to balance narrative momentum with analytical insight, offering a nuanced portrait of how this uneasy alliance held together just long enough to defeat Hitler, before breaking apart into the Cold War divide. Allies at War offers a very good study of the limits and necessities of diplomacy in an era of global crisis. It is well-suited for students of WWII and international relations.

MY RATING: 4.5