Books by Fishman ’01, Galchen ’98, Goffman *10, and Sharma ’92 Featured Among New York Times Notables

Three books by Princeton alumni were featured in The New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2014: A Replacement Life, by Boris Fishman ’01; American Innovations, by Rivka Galchen ’98; On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, by Alice Goffman *10; and Family Life, by Akhil Sharma ’92. Emeritus professor James McPherson also made the list with his biography of Jefferson Davis, Embattled Rebel.  Times Book Review editors also named Sharma’s novel as one of the year’s 10 best.

Read more about the authors in the PAW Archives: Boris Fishman ’01: Immigrant Experiences Inspire a Debut Novel Fishman, who was born in the former Soviet Union and came to the United States at age 9, told PAW contributor Maria LoBiondo that the immigrant experience has played a key role in his writing. “Outwardly I’m very American, but inwardly I’m Russian,” he said. “The conflict is very rich for writing. Honey for art, but vinegar for life.” Tiger of the Week: Author Rivka Galchen ’98 Galchen’s fresh, innovative short-story collection earned high marks from reviewers. Life on the Run Goffman, a rising star in sociology, chronicled the human costs of America’s penal system after spending her 20s immersed in fieldwork with wanted young men. Tiger of the Week: Novelist Akhil Sharma ’92 Sharma’s semi-autobiographical second novel was the result of a sometimes painful writing process that took nearly a decade. He wrote about the experience in a personal essay for The New York Times. For the record: This post has been updated to include Akhil Sharma ’92’s novel Family Life.