‘Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City,’ Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson’s debut doesn’t linger on the moments that align the most with his caliber of celebrity. Set in the Nineties, the memoir only mentions his hits with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars to clarify that he won’t be writing about them at all. But even the superstar names that do jump off its pages, from Biggie and Beyoncé to Aaliyah and Michael Jackson, are only blips. The true heart of the story beats to the sound of the music that Ronson played in clubs with sticky floors after hauling pounds of vinyl into whatever DJ booth he made his home for the night. Night People triumphs in its emphasis on the memories that melodies hold, with Ronson sprawling about late nights and niche releases that shaped him not only as a DJ and a producer, but as a person. He makes the past feel tangible. —Larisha Paul