Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle

Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword PuzzleAn entertaining and eye opening look at the history of the crossword, who constructs it, and why it matters as both a reflection of and influence on our culture From WORDLE to SPELLING BEE, we live in a time of word game mania. Crosswords, in particular, gained renewed popularity during the Covid 19 lockdown, when games became another kind of refuge. Today, 36 million Americans solve crosswords once a week or more, and nearly 23 million solve them

But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families

he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities

With her family in dire financial straits and a contract for her own television show on the line

No mother would take that risk

In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses

Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule

From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas

When he agrees to let the elusive Collins Cartwright stay in his spare room

When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment

A contemporary classic

Allegra sees this as her chance—maybe her last chance

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE