Publishers Weekly

Nonicion Reviews

FEBRUARY 2, 2026 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 99

confuses heartburn for a heart attack and goes to the ER. She covers many relatable motherhood experiences, like her struggles with breastfeeding, the crushing worry she felt leaving her kids behind to go on a trip, and the frustration of being bombarded with unsolicited parenting advice while pregnant (“If you think you’re tired now, just you wait”). With sharp humor and a keen eye for detail, Wolfe lays bare the complexities of juggling motherhood, career, and marriage. Lively prose puts a fresh spin on o-discussed parenting expe- riences, such as when she describes being moved to the operating table for a C-section: “I was lied in my sheets like a human taco.” ese can- did reections will resonate with busy moms. (Apr.) Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page Ramona Ausubel. Tin House, $20 (288p) ISBN 978-1-963108-71-2 In this encouraging how-to, novelist Ausubel ( e Last Animal ) catalogs writing’s many “doorways” and the keys to unlocking them. She aug- ments these lessons with personal stories of her own zigzagging journey through the creative process. Her plethora of sage suggestions include “Cut half the things on your plot to-do list. Spend twice as much time in moments that matter to characters,” and “Close your eyes. Breathe deeply and slowly. Place yourself in a scene you want to write.” Ausubel also tackles how to prepare for the next day’s writing session, suggesting: “Write the word NEXT at the bot- tom of the page and jot down your ideas for the next two scenes, ideas, moments, or questions.” roughout, she provides a kind, supportive voice to help keep nascent writers on course. Her calming vibe is encapsu- lated by her parting words in doorway #101, “Begin Anywhere (Again),” wherein she advises: “I want you to nish a project and hold it in your hands. But here’s what I know: When you get there, aer the high ves and a cocktail, everyone else will go home and all you’ll be le with is a chair

undergirded a range of fraught political and economic developments in the 19th century, from the rise of race science to the emergence of the insurance industry. e proliferation in recent

Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI Carissa Véliz. Doubleday, $35 (384p) ISBN 978-0-385-55097-0

★

TODAY’S ALGORITHMICALLY generated “predictive” decisions, from loan approvals to missile strikes, are, despite their scientic veneer, no less expressions of cultural and personal desires than the “prophecies” of earlier eras, ethicist Véliz ( Privacy Is Power ) argues in this captivating study. Surveying the long history of prediction, from the “oracle bones” of Shang dynasty China (1600–1046 BCE) to the writings of England’s 16th- century “astrologer-physicians,” Véliz shows that “prediction cannot be disentangled from power.” In classical Greece, for instance, the priestesses of the Oracle of Delphi were known to “[accept] bribes in return for deliv- ering convenient political messages.” Véliz shows how statistical prediction similarly

years of machine learning, large language models, and so-called articial intelligence has turbocharged the role of prediction in culture, she notes. e rise of AI chatbots, in particular, has brought humans back full circle to ancient forms of prophecy like the Oracle of Delphi. By employing statistical models to guess the most appropriate response to a given prompt, chatbots enact the same ancient feedback loop of power and desire, hidden behind a quasi-mystical pro- cess. Véliz elucidates complex philosophical and technological concepts with ease, while covering a vast range of topics. Lively and erudite, this impresses. (Apr.)

and desk, your own mind, and a thou- sand, million doorways. And it will be the most beautiful thing in the world.” is is a gentle tonic for writers in need of a boost. (Apr.) Dogs, Boys, and Other ings I’ve Cried About: A Memoir Isabel Klee. Morrow, $28 (288p) ISBN 978-0-06-345107-0 Social media inuencer Klee’s sweet debut sets her coming-of-age against the backdrop of her experiences fostering dogs. Bookended by Klee’s preparation for a TV interview in the summer of 2024, the memoir spans 11 years, beginning with her decision to move to New York City aer drop- ping out of college and traveling around the U.S. In the city, Klee took a job assisting a pet photogra- pher (“I came home from my job interview soaking wet and covered in dog slobber”), which spurred her to interact with animals more oen in her downtime. She eventu- ally signed up to foster dogs in her Queens apartment, and charmingly recounts the trials and rewards of each of her charges, including Simon,

an epileptic mutt Klee wound up adopting in 2019. Along the way, she recalls opening her heart to a variety of men, friends, and occupations, and shares the wisdom she gleaned from her parade of four-legged companions (“ey live unencumbered, unrelent- ing, and the state of the world doesn’t matter”). roughout, Klee proves an endearing, unfussy guide to growing up. Readers will be charmed. Agent: Jessica Spitz, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Apr.) Ghosts of Sicily: e True Story of the Naval Intelligence Agents Who Courted the Mob to Fight Nazis in America and the Battleelds of Italy Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr. Harper Select, $29.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4002-5298-5 is meandering WWII saga from NCIS star Harmon and former real- life NCIS agent Carroll, authors of Ghosts of Honolulu , recaps Operation Underworld, an eort by the Oce of Naval Intelligence to use gangsters who ran New York City’s waterfront as intelligence assets. Hatched by ONI ocers including Lt. Anthony

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