Jennifer Bort Yacovissi
![Jennifer Bort Yacovissi](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Headshot_300dpi-sRBG1.gif)
Jennifer Bort Yacovissi grew up in Bethesda, MD, just a bit farther up the hill from Washington, DC, where her debut novel, Up the Hill to Home, takes place. The novel is a fictionalized account of her mother's family in DC from the Civil War to the Great Depression. In addition to writing and reading historical and contemporary literary fiction, Jenny reviews for both the Independent and the Historical Novel Society. She owns a small project-management and engineering consulting firm, and enjoys gardening and being on the water. Jenny lives with her husband, Jim, in Crownsville, MD. Click here to learn more about the families in Up the Hill to Home and to see photos and artifacts from their lives.
166 entries by Jennifer Bort Yacovissi
The Distance Between Us: A Novel
By Maggie O’Farrell
![The Distance Between Us: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thedistancebetweenus.png)
An unnecessary romance muddies an otherwise smart, stirring tale.
Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart — Again
By Robert Kagan
![Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart — Again](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/rebellion.jpg)
A significant minority has never embraced our founding principles (and never will).
The Phoenix Crown: A Novel
By Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
![The Phoenix Crown: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thephoenixcrown.png)
Veteran authors team up to deliver a suspenseful, ripped-from-reality historical mystery.
Float Up, Sing Down: Stories
By Laird Hunt
![Float Up, Sing Down: Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/floatup.jpg)
For fans of the author’s novel Zorrie, these linked tales will feel like home.
Beautyland: A Novel
By Marie-Helene Bertino
![Beautyland: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/beautyland.jpg)
Tender, observational wit carries the reader happily along on this extraterrestrial journey.
The Wren, the Wren: A Novel
By Anne Enright
![The Wren, the Wren: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thewren.jpg)
A stirring tale of family bonds forged by absence.
The Hunt
By Kelly J. Ford
![The Hunt](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thehunt.png)
The bard of Ozark crime fiction delivers another tale of corrosive small-town secrets.
The Fifth Act
By Elliot Ackerman
![The Fifth Act](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thefifthact.jpg)
A painful, essential read from perhaps the only author who could’ve written it.
Tom Lake: A Novel
By Ann Patchett
![Tom Lake: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/tomlake.png)
This story centers on a happy family but still the pages fly by.
Crook Manifesto: A Novel
By Colson Whitehead
![Crook Manifesto: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/crookmanifesto.jpg)
Harlem Shuffle’s Ray Carney is back, and this time, he brought friends.
The World: A Family History of Humanity
By Simon Sebag Montefiore
![The World: A Family History of Humanity](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/theworld_1.jpg)
A staggering work of scholarship that also delights in the naughty bits.
The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery
By Adam Gopnik
![The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/therealwork.jpg)
A delightful, discursive discussion of what constitutes achievement.
The Sun Walks Down: A Novel
By Fiona McFarlane
![The Sun Walks Down: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thesunwalksdown.jpg)
A young boy, like the community around him, is swallowed by the outback.
If I Survive You
By Jonathan Escoffery
![If I Survive You](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ifisurviveyou.jpg)
Men are haunted by their own poor decisions in this stellar collection of linked stories.
The House of Eve: A Novel
By Sadeqa Johnson
![The House of Eve: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-house-of-eve-9781982197360_lg.jpg)
The parallel stories of two women highlight the contaminating effect of racism across generations.
These Precious Days
By Ann Patchett
![These Precious Days](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(715).png)
A wry collection suffused with elegiac considerations of what brings meaning to our lives.
The Big Fix: 7 Practical Steps to Save Our Planet
By Hal Harvey and Justin Gillis
![The Big Fix: 7 Practical Steps to Save Our Planet](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-big-fix-9781982123987_lg.jpg)
An overwhelming subject is broken into doable, daunting components.
![Platypus Matters: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Mammals](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/platypus.jpg)
An engaging natural (and enraging colonial) history from Down Under.
The Hero of This Book: A Novel
By Elizabeth McCracken
![The Hero of This Book: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(1063).png)
Readers will be delighted co-conspirators in allowing this memoir to masquerade as fiction.
Fen, Bog & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis
By Annie Proulx
![Fen, Bog & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/fen-bog-and-swamp-9781982173357_lg.jpg)
A passionate chronicle of a key ecosystem’s demise.
Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships
By Nina Totenberg
![Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/dinners-with-ruth-9781982188085_lg.jpg)
A poignant ode to RBG and the strength of female bonds.
The Marriage Portrait: A Novel
By Maggie O’Farrell
![The Marriage Portrait: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/themarriageportrait.jpg)
This engagingly dark fable reminds us how much we don’t wish to be a princess.
The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan
By Elliot Ackerman
![The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/thefifthact.jpg)
A painful, essential read from perhaps the only author who could’ve written it.
Mercury Pictures Presents: A Novel
By Anthony Marra
![Mercury Pictures Presents: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/mercury.jpg)
Its uncharacteristic antic tenor aside, the author’s prose still breaks hearts with the lightest touch.
Avalon: A Novel
By Nell Zink
![Avalon: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/avalon_1.jpg)
Ironic detachment keeps the emotional stakes low in the author’s latest comic tale.
The Living Sea of Waking Dreams
By Richard Flanagan
![The Living Sea of Waking Dreams](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/livingsea.jpg)
Australia’s most celebrated novelist demands that we stop ignoring climate change, but it’s a repetitive lecture.
French Braid: A Novel
By Anne Tyler
![French Braid: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/frenchbraid.jpg)
The literary patron saint of Baltimore serves up her signature affectionate take on family dysfunction.
Thank You, Mr. Nixon: Stories
By Gish Jen
![Thank You, Mr. Nixon: Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/mrnixon.jpg)
Spanning the 1970s to today, these linked tales sing with insightful, arch observation.
The School for Good Mothers: A Novel
By Jessamine Chan
![The School for Good Mothers: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/the-school-for-good-mothers-9781982156121_lg.jpg)
This chilling debut envisions our judgmental parenting culture run amok.
Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American
By Wajahat Ali
![Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/goback.jpg)
A funny, poignant appeal to our better angels.
I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home
By Jami Attenberg
![I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(744).png)
A now-successful author’s witty reflection on decades of struggle.
Yonder: A Novel
By Jabari Asim
![Yonder: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/yonder-9781982163167_lg.jpg)
The Thieves may control the plantation, but the Stolen control their own destiny.
These Precious Days: Essays
By Ann Patchett
![These Precious Days: Essays](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(715).png)
A wry collection suffused with elegiac considerations of what brings meaning to our lives.
Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories
By Lily King
![Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(689).png)
The satisfying tales in this collection leave the reader wanting more.
Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller
By Nadia Wassef
![Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/shelflife.jpg)
The author packs an entire library’s worth of subjects into this captivating memoir.
Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane
By Paul Auster
![Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/burningboy.jpg)
This weighty homage seeks to spark a renaissance in the 19th-century author’s readership.
The Lincoln Highway: A Novel
By Amor Towles
![The Lincoln Highway: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/lincoln_2.jpg)
The master storyteller is back with a rollicking road trip that nonetheless wrestles with thorny moral questions.
What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction
By Alice McDermott
![What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/whatabout.jpg)
A master of understated storytelling offers her insights on the craft.
The Living Sea of Waking Dreams: A Novel
By Richard Flanagan
![The Living Sea of Waking Dreams: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/livingsea.jpg)
Australia’s most celebrated novelist demands that we stop ignoring climate change, but it’s a repetitive lecture.
Notes on Grief
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
![Notes on Grief](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/noteson.jpg)
Both of-the-moment and timeless, this slim volume captures the essence of mourning.
Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told?
By Jenny Diski
![Why Didn’t You Just Do What You Were Told?](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/diski.jpg)
These selected works showcase the late author’s wit, insight, and never-boring exploration of how she fit into everything.
The Souvenir Museum: Stories
By Elizabeth McCracken
![The Souvenir Museum: Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(142).png)
Family lies at the center of these insightful, acerbic, witty tales told by a master of the form.
First Person Singular: Stories
By Haruki Murakami
![First Person Singular: Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/firstperson.jpg)
For better or worse, the author’s latest collection is stamped with his trademark surrealism, musical taste, and go-to point of view.
Unmaking the Presidency
By Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes
![Unmaking the Presidency](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/unmaking.jpg)
America’s current “I dare you” commander-in-chief underscores how completely the position hinges on the noble intent of its holder.
Ordinary Girls
By Jaquira Díaz
![Ordinary Girls](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ordinary.jpg)
A scalding, extraordinary debut by a talented young author.
On the Plain of Snakes
By Paul Theroux
![On the Plain of Snakes](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ontheplain.gif)
The legendary travel writer takes a harrowing trip deep into the mysteries and miseries of Spanish-speaking North America.
What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era
By Carlos Lozada
![What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/what-were-we-thinking-9781982145620_xlg.jpg)
The author has been doing a LOT of reading.
Transcendent Kingdom: A Novel
By Yaa Gyasi
![Transcendent Kingdom: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(309).png)
In her sophomore effort, the author tells a deeply humane tale of love and faith.
Make It Scream, Make It Burn
By Leslie Jamison
![Make It Scream, Make It Burn](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/makeitscream.jpg)
Another collection of fearless, closely observed, and — yes — empathetic essays from a master of the form.
The Boy in the Field: A Novel
By Margot Livesey
![The Boy in the Field: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(249).png)
Grace and decency suffuse this quiet mystery, offering balm to the battered reader.
OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy Is Supposed to Work
By Ben Sheehan
![OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy Is Supposed to Work](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(33).png)
The thoroughly accessible civics guide America could use right about now.
It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump
By Stuart Stevens
![It Was All a Lie: How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(3)_1.png)
A GOP strategist who helped create the monster now admits the error of his ways.
Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays
By Alexandra Petri
![Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(202).png)
Follow along as the political satirist draws her zany cast of characters from the world’s worst reality show.
Humankind: A Hopeful History
By Rutger Bregman
![Humankind: A Hopeful History](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(175).png)
This book makes a compelling and much-needed argument for the innate decency of humans.
Red Dress in Black & White: A Novel
By Elliot Ackerman
![Red Dress in Black & White: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/Screenshot_(152).png)
The author’s signature intimate portraits are drawn against eerily familiar national protests.
Tree Story: The History of the World Written in Rings
By Valerie Trouet
![Tree Story: The History of the World Written in Rings](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/tree.jpg)
This fact-packed look at the study of dendrochronology is a rollicking good read.
Galileo and the Science Deniers
By Mario Livio
![Galileo and the Science Deniers](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/galileo-9781501194733_lg.jpg)
A fresh reminder of the wrongheaded outcomes that result when science is thwarted by politics.
![Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/why-fish-dont-exist-9781501160271_lg.jpg)
A wide-ranging search for meaning in the face of an uncaring universe.
Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today
By Rachel Vorona Cote
![Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/toomuch.jpg)
This part-scholarship, part-memoir debut explores the many charges leveled at unruly ladies through the ages.
Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir
By Rebecca Solnit
![Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/recollections.jpg)
An affecting reflection from the writer who made herself heard above the cacophony of men explaining things.
Little Constructions: A Novel
By Anna Burns
![Little Constructions: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/littlecon.jpg)
The author deploys savage wit but neglects to bring her warm, humane voice to this oh-so-dark comedy.
Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump’s War on the World’s Most Powerful Office
By Susan Hennessey and Benjamin Wittes
![Unmaking the Presidency: Donald Trump’s War on the World’s Most Powerful Office](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/unmaking.jpg)
America’s current “I dare you” commander-in-chief underscores how completely the position hinges on the noble intent of its holder.
Coventry: Essays
By Rachel Cusk
![Coventry: Essays](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/coventry.jpg)
Autobiographical pieces form the captivating, frustrating heart of this collection.
Ordinary Girls: A Memoir
By Jaquira Díaz
![Ordinary Girls: A Memoir](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ordinary.jpg)
A scalding, extraordinary debut by a talented young author.
On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey
By Paul Theroux
![On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/ontheplain.gif)
The legendary travel writer takes a harrowing trip deep into the mysteries and miseries of Spanish-speaking North America.
Grand Union: Stories
By Zadie Smith
![Grand Union: Stories](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/grandunion.jpg)
From post-sea-rise humanity to the mind of God stuck in a creative slump, this sharp-eyed collection offers no easy answers.
Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays
By Leslie Jamison
![Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/makeitscream.jpg)
Another collection of fearless, closely observed, and — yes — empathetic essays from a master of the form.
The Catholic School: A Novel
By Edoardo Albinati; translated by Antony Shugaar
![The Catholic School: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/catholic.jpg)
What might have been an engaging “fictionalized memoir" is buried under reams of self-indulgent, misogynistic lecturing.
Words and Worlds: From Autobiography to Zippers
By Alison Lurie
![Words and Worlds: From Autobiography to Zippers](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/wordsand.jpg)
The longtime novelist tackles a range of topics in this insightful essay collection.
Laughing Shall I Die
By Tom Shippey
![Laughing Shall I Die](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/laughingshall.jpg)
Being fearless in battle was important, but shuffling bravely off the mortal coil mattered more.
The Restless Wave
By John McCain and Mark Salter
![The Restless Wave](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/restless.jpg)
The senator reminds us how our political system is supposed to work, and that compromise is not, in fact, a dirty word.
The House of the Pain of Others: Chronicle of a Small Genocide
By Julián Herbert; translated by Christina MacSweeney
![The House of the Pain of Others: Chronicle of a Small Genocide](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/houseofthepain.jpg)
Recounting a little-known massacre of Chinese immigrants in Mexico.
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do
By Jennifer L. Eberhardt, Ph.D.
![Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/biased.jpg)
No need to fear being scolded in this understanding, revealing look into the insidiousness of partiality.
Enlightenment Now
By Steven Pinker
![Enlightenment Now](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/enlightenment.jpg)
Don’t buy into the gloom and doom, the author argues. Things are better than they’ve ever been.
Landfall: A Novel
By Thomas Mallon
![Landfall: A Novel](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/landfall_1.jpg)
This fictional tale of the Bush administration lacks many things — chief among them, a point.
The Book of Delights: Essays
By Ross Gay
![The Book of Delights: Essays](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/bookofdelights.jpg)
A poet finds endless enchantment in the everyday.
Island of the Blue Foxes
By Stephen R. Bown
![Island of the Blue Foxes](https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/assets/uploads/bluefoxes.jpg)
The curious tale of an ambitious sea voyage spent mostly on dry land.