The Devil Problem: And Other True Stories

In this brilliant collection of profiles, many of which first appeared in The New Yorker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lenin's Tomb spotlights subjects that range from Mario Cuomo to Dennis Rodman, Ralph Ellison to Ben Bradlee. What emerges is at once a gallery of fascinating characters and a human mosaic of ambition, recklessness, failure, and redemption.

David Remnick's previous book, Lenin's Tomb, was a razor-sharp portrayal of both the rulers and the ruled in the closing days of the Soviet Union. The Devil Problem pulls together profiles of athletes and politicians at the end of their careers (Reggie Jackson, Gary Hart), writers thriving in exile (Joseph Brodsky) and struggling in their homeland (Ralph Ellison), and scholars searching for the very origin of the devil (Elaine Pagels). Especially devastating is a profile of radio talk show host Mario Cuomo, who clearly preferred life as Governor of New York. These pieces previously appeared in Esquire, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker.