Books

Book Review: “Shake It Up” — Great American Writing on Rock and Pop

May 8, 2017
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On the whole, this anthology, along with igniting discussions about sins of omission, will make for entertaining browsing.

Book Review: Gershom Scholem — A Rich and Complicated Jewish Life

May 2, 2017
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George Prochnik’s biography of Gershom Scholem is flawed, but well worth reading, especially for those struggling with their Jewish and Israeli identities.

Book Review: “The Dogs of Inishere” — The Ambiguities of Desire

May 1, 2017
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Alannah Hopkin demonstrates a near impeccable sense of craft, including a talent for coming up with surprises.

Poetry Review: Lyrical Outrage — Songs of the Resistance

April 30, 2017
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Many of the poems live up to the title’s shout-out to Walt Whitman, cutting through the current political miasma with fresh wit, insight, and lyrical outrage.

Book Review: “A Line Made By Walking” — A Lyrical Portrait of a Depressed Artist

April 24, 2017
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Sara Baume’s sophomore novel insists that we rethink the value of empathy: depend on it, yes, but also be suspicious.

Book Review: “The Girl at the Baggage Claim” – An Exploration of Avocado Pits and In(ter)dependent Selves

April 22, 2017
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What could easily have become a dense, jargon-filled work of cultural psychology instead reads like a thoughtful conversation.

Poetry Review/Interview: Poet Martín Espada — Resistance is Obligatory

April 21, 2017
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Martín Espada’s lyricism sings deeply in the key of loss, turning the anguish of social and personal histories into hope.

Book Review: “Stigmata of Bliss” — From the Master of the Tersely Disquieting

April 19, 2017
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Klaus Merz’s cunning, compressed prose invites us to listen for the sounds of the inexpressible, the other side of life.

Book Review: “The Teeth of the Comb” — Brusque Tales of Rebellion

April 17, 2017
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These tales have an incendiary energy, but Osama Alomar handles his narrative explosives with restraint, wisdom, care, and precision.

Book Review: “Shooting Creek and Other Stories” — The Presence of Evil

April 15, 2017
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These well-crafted stories are not for the faint-hearted.

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