Books: Buck's Father

FIGHTING AXGEL—Pearl Buck—Reynal & Hitchcock ($2.50).

Less than a year ago, Pearl Syden-stricker Buck published a sympathetic portrait of her mother called The Exile (TIME, Jan. 13). In that affectionate volume, Carrie Sydenstricker, sensible missionary and patient mother, far overshadowed her husband Andrew. He emerged as a zealous, absent-minded man who was constantly pushing deeper into China to gather converts of doubtful loyalty and understanding. Good, unquestioning, self-righteous, he caused Carrie more suffering than he knew. This week in another purely biographical volume that is the December choice of the Book-of-the-Month Club, Pearl...