In her new memoir, Edna O’Brien is rebellious and ravenous for adventure. Anchee Min struggles in America after shocking deprivation in China. Marisa Silver imagines the hope and disenchantment experienced by the “Migrant Mother” in Dorothea Lange's famous photograph. And Khaled Hosseini's novel examines the spiritual scarring left by tyranny, war, crime, lies, and illness on his characters.

Tessa Hadley's takes us behind the private and public lives of unforgettable characters; Whitney Otto re-imagines the lives of several phenomenal women photographers; and Penny Marshall reminds us that fame and fortune haven't changed her as the girl next door (although they have tried).

In this week's New & Notable, Grace Coddington's memoir is finally here, Lisa Cohen intertwines the lives of three complicated women, and Elena Ferrante reminds us of the beauty of friendship.

This week we were startled by neurologist Oliver Sacks’s revelations about hallucinations; enticed by the Alice Munro’s newest collection of short stories; and delighted to learn about the adventurous life of French feminist Benoîte Goualt.

This week we’re struck by Paul Auster’s meditation on aging; riveted by the largely untold stories of African-American women’s voting power; inspired (again) by the Lives of America’s Suffragists; and intrigued by Clark Lawlor’s investigation on how depression has been historically represented and misrepresented.

This week we're captivated by place-based fiction—novels that speak to the impact we as individuals have on the small towns, and even large cities, where we live. And, in turn, these novels show us how these places influence our own lives. Amy Hill Hearth takes us to Naples, Florida; T.C. Boyle transports us to Southern, California; and Zadie Smith transplants us to northwest London.