Opinion

Required reading

Pomodoro!

A History of the Tomato in Italy

by David Gentilcore (Columbia University Press)

Italy today produces 6.6 million tons of tomatoes a year, worth $2.2 billion. But in this enthusiastic and informative look at the red fruit, author Gentilcore tells us the food synonymous with Italian cooking was not always so popular there. It took 300 years from its introduction to Italy from Mexico in the mid-16th century to really catch on.

Freedom Summer

The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy

by Bruce Watson (Viking

Mississippi, 1964. Black citizens couldn’t vote — thanks to the many obstacles that kept them from even registering. More than 700 college students, many from the North, came to Mississippi to register voters, teach in “Freedom Schools” and make the state part of the rest of America. Three young volunteers, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, disappeared on their first night there, and the search (or lack of one) captivated the nation. Watson brings this remarkable chapter of American history to life.

A Fierce Radiance

by Lauren Belfer (Harper)

Meet the original miracle drug: Belfer’s novel explores the story of penicillin’s discovery during the World War II era and how it changed the world, through the eyes of a fictional, beautiful Life magazine reporter hired to cover the moldy miracle. While the drug’s potential seems unlimited, its supply isn’t. This shortage helps bring politics, pharmaceuticals, espionage and romance into the fray, embellishing this portrait of the tense wartime period in New York.

The Lost Cyclist

The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and his Mysterious Disappearance

by David V. Herlihy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

In today’s world, Pittsburgh bicyclist Frank Lenz might have his own reality TV show about his attempt to bike around the world, or at least corporate sponsorship. But in 1892, he had to settle for sending dispatches from the road back to Outing magazine. Two years after setting off, the former accountant disappeared in Turkey, and the mag sent another cyclist out to investigate. It’s a fascinating tale of adventure — and murder!

One Day

by David Nicholls (Vintage)

Take a bit of “When Harry Met Sally” and add some “Same Time, Next Year” — the result may well be the soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture “One Day.” Brits Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley first meet in 1988 on the eve of college graduation. Despite their differences, they can’t stop thinking of each other, and over the following two decades, we met them each July 15th, when they reunite. And that movie? It’s set to star Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.