New Yorker Briefly Noted: Four Book Reviews

Key facts

• The Infinity Machine is by Sebastian Mallaby, published by Penguin.
• Demis Hassabis co-founded DeepMind in 2010 at age 34.
• DeepMind's program solved the protein-folding problem, advancing drug discovery.
• Hassabis won a Nobel Prize for the protein-folding breakthrough.
• If This Be Magic is by Daniel Hahn, published by Knopf.
• Hahn is a translator of Portuguese, Spanish, and French.
• The book examines translation problems like monosyllabic words in Italian vs. English.
• While We Were Waiting is by Katherine Nouri Hughes, published by Delphinium.
• The novel is set in a Manhattan hospital waiting room.
• Characters include a venture capitalist and a Chaldean Christian family from Iraq.
• Coyoteland is by Vanessa Hua, published by Flatiron.
• The novel is set in a wealthy Bay Area community called El Nido.
• A coyote stalks the community.
• Jin is a software engineer who helps Chinese investors flip houses.
• The Belles conduct surveillance via intelligent cameras.
• Jane, Jin's daughter, teams up with a Black classmate to expose prejudices.