Books

Book Review: “The Slip” — An Epic Exploration of the Elasticity of Identity

July 10, 2025
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“The Slip” raises issues of race and entitlement, as well as the malleability of identity, all in one big, sloppy, and occasionally gorgeous package.

Book Review: “The Power of Adrienne Rich” — An Aesthetic and Political Force

July 9, 2025
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Poet Adrienne Rich’s journey serves as a model for meeting the challenge posed for artists and the rest of us today, confronted with the rise of authoritarian forces in America.

Poetry Review: Words into Truth — Henri Cole’s “The Other Love”

July 8, 2025
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There are reassuring lyrics here that suggest that, no matter what terror comes along, our noble charge is to fight to the end, joyously.

Children’s Book Reviews: A Celebration of Science and Scientists

July 6, 2025
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In a time when the work of scientists is itself endangered, these two picture books provide detailed and fascinating insights into how science helps us live in the modern world.

Book Review: “Via Ápia” — Life in Brazil’s Lower Depths

July 1, 2025
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Hearing the novel’s poignant voices, we can’t help but think that in many respects the plight of poor young men in the ’hood is everywhere alike.

Poetry Review: Ode to Sisterhood — Barbara Henning’s “Girlfriend”

June 28, 2025
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Chronicling acts of feminist sisterhood, “Girlfriend” memorializes a mutual support system that has been among the backbones of American life.

Book Review: “Tidal Lock” — Living in a Trauma-Informed Reality

June 27, 2025
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The book is crafted, sentence for sentence, as a seemingly impossibly layered mindscape — rich if not overripe in what must be metaphor, must be symbolism.

Book Review: “Not My Type” — Surviving Trump

June 26, 2025
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This is a measured book, harrowing at times but also thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a fun read about a rape trial.

Children’s Book Reviews: Changing the World in Big and Little Ways

June 26, 2025
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Two portraits of champions: a famous fighter for civil rights and a little girl who loves chess.

Book Review: The Poetry of Zbigniew Herbert — Mr Cogito’s Insomnia

June 25, 2025
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How should artists live under autocracy? A Cold War Polish poet doesn’t have good answers, but offers chilling advice.

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