Books

Book Review: Chris Stein’s “Under a Rock” — A Complex Account of Love, Loss, and New York City

June 23, 2024
Posted in , , ,

Part of what makes “Under a Rock” special is Chris Stein’s open-eyed fascination with New York City.

Book Review: How California Appropriated Hawaiian Beach Culture

June 20, 2024
Posted in , ,

California beach culture didn’t spring full blown from the ocean riding a longboard, but the closest you will come to a founding figure is the legendary native Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku.

Book Review: “Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life” — A Poet Who Spoke to Unbearable Loss

June 15, 2024
Posted in , ,

This is not a dry, academic look at Thom Gunn’s life: the biographer supplies a loving — though at times unflinchingly honest — view of the self-punishing poet.

Author Interview: Tiya Miles on Empowering the Memory of Harriet Tubman

June 14, 2024
Posted in , ,

Many of us think of Harriet Tubman as a lone heroic figure. But the truth is she was never alone; she did things that other people did not do.

Book Review: “The Sixth Extinction, Tenth Anniversary Edition” — Still Essential

June 12, 2024
Posted in , ,

Today, Elizabeth Kolbert’s book remains an important reminder of what is at stake — nothing less than the future of life on earth.

Children’s Book Reviews: Belonging — Family and Friends

June 11, 2024
Posted in , ,

Three new picture books offer help for kids wanting to be perfect, giving feedback, and finding your place in the world.

Book Review: “Clete” — A Whodunit in Masquerade

June 10, 2024
Posted in , ,

James Lee Burke’s “Clete” is Beat poetry, suffused with sadness and longing for all those sunsets now gone.

Book Review: A Deep Dive into the Complex World of Ingmar Bergman

June 7, 2024
Posted in , , ,

Film historian Peter Cowie’s writing is always intelligent, if somewhat dry, and normally correct in its evaluations of Ingmar Bergman’s films.

Book Review: “Freeman’s Challenge” — Essential Reading on Prisons, Slavery, and Profit

June 4, 2024
Posted in , , ,

The prison was the first in the nation specifically designed to generate a profit for everybody but the laborers.

Book Review: “The Warehouse” — A Visual Primer of America’s Carceral System

June 1, 2024
Posted in , ,

The graphics in “The Warehouse” provide clear explanations of a grim reality. The U.S. leads the world at incarcerating its citizens.

Recent Posts

Popular Posts

Categories

Archives