A must-read for crossword fanatics, and may be of interest to crossword dabblers, as well. This is quite a dense book -- it borders on pretentious at times, but I think this is a good fit for the subject and the author's background. The book shines most when it dives into contemporary crossword makers and the ways politics affect crosswords. I enjoyed reading it and even felt inspired to practice constructing. my own crosswords.

In this part history, part memoir, Last takes us on a journey every puzzle lover and crossword enthusiast will enjoy. You will walk away knowing more than you ever thought you could about a humble (or is it?) puzzle, while also seeing its larger societal impacts. I think experiencing this while knowing literacy rates are dropping, AI is dominating attention spans, and conversations around anti-intellectualism are prevalent, very much added a level or urgency to the traditional roots of the puzzle. They were all interesting dynamics to be aware of as an undercurrent to my reading experience.

This was one of my most-anticipated nonfiction releases of the year and it did not disappoint! I’m a big crossword fan so I already had a vested interest in what was going to be shared, and I will admit, I think that might be a prerequisite to fully enjoying it (or at lease a willingness to experience a nerdy and wordy book). My preferred puzzle is the weekly crossword in the print edition of The New Yorker (I’m a subscriber and I am devout to a black ballpoint pen), which also means I’ve had the meta experience of working on Last’s own puzzles. Overall, I think he did a great job of capturing the spirit of the crossword and the fascinating, differing philosophies around it.

My only qualm is that I wished I had the audiobook to tandem read it, as some sections got a little slow to eyeball read (I’ve been reading this on-and-off for the past two months). But I do think tandem reading is the way to go regardless, because it’s nice seeing how clues are written out and the accompanying pictures of various puzzles.

And yes, as a Beetles fan, I sang “Across the Universe” every time I went to pick up my Kindle to read it.

Thank you Pantheon and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Across the Universe explores the surprising cultural weight of the crossword puzzle. Natan Last dives into its history, influence, and the growing movement to make puzzles more inclusive and reflective of modern voices. The book balances entertaining anecdotes with thoughtful analysis, showing how crosswords are far from apolitical. With a fresh look at who creates them and who they serve, this is a must-read for fans of word games and cultural criticism alike. It’s both fun and thought-provoking.

3.25
I always say I love reading novels written by poets because you can just *tell* through their beautiful and lyrical and flowery writing. And in a similar (but maybe slightly less positive) vein, you can tell that this is written by someone who also writes crossword puzzles? lol
At risk of making myself just sound stupid, I do think the writing style and timeline of this was hard to follow. Writing about clever wordplay by using tons and tons of clever wordplay yourself was... a lot. Every sentence felt like a clue I needed to dissect and I felt like the really interesting points and stories were lost amid the efforts to make them sound really cool.
I obviously love language but this just felt overwritten. Still a fun and interesting read if you love crossword puzzles, but it did take a bit of work to get through (work that I sometimes just preferred to spend on actual puzzles and not confusing sentence structures).