Books

Book Review: “The Jesuits: A History” — The Order Continues

March 3, 2022
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Markus Friedrich, a professor of early modern history at the University of Hamburg, has written a scholarly but immensely readable history of the order that will appeal to an audience beyond the Catholic tradition.

Book Review: “Frank & Co” (Mr. Mother of Invention Speaks His Mind)

February 26, 2022
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Frank Zappa didn’t like being interviewed, but he sure enjoyed having a chat.

Book Review: “The Sentences That Create Us” — In Prison, Triumphs Great and Small

February 23, 2022
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It’s no exaggeration to say that some of the men and women who embraced writing while they were in prison and whose work is featured in this book were writing for their lives.

Book Review: “The Swells” — Expertly Cruising Through Satiric Waters

February 22, 2022
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Is it possible that adventurous readers have a better feel for the virtues of this zany, demanding satire than fuddy-duddy critics?

Author Interview: Jan Brogan on a Revelatory Murder in Boston’s Combat Zone

February 22, 2022
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The Combat Zone is more than simply a captivating exposition of legal proceedings and adjacent matters. It is an incisive, vivid, jarring, and meticulous account of — as the subtitle says — “murder, race, and Boston’s struggle for justice.”

Book Review: “Crown & Sceptre” — A Quick Walk Through the British Monarchy

February 21, 2022
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Crown & Sceptre is generally amusing and it has the instructional benefit of helping readers keep the Williams, Henrys, Edwards, and Georges who have occupied the ancient throne straight.

Author Interview: Linda Hirshman on the Battle Against Human Bondage

February 19, 2022
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“I always wanted to write about abolition, because abolition is the most successful social movement in American history.”

Book Review: “Indefinite: Doing Time in Jail” — Prison Is Bad. Jail’s Worse.

February 18, 2022
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Indefinite argues that legitimate change in the way this country deals with people accused of breaking the law would have to begin with the recognition of their humanity.

Book Review: “Pyre” — A Powerful Romeo & Juliet Fable That Centers on Caste

February 17, 2022
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The Tamil version of Pyre, under the title, Pukkuli, was dedicated to a young man murdered in his community for making an inter-caste marriage.

Book Review: “Cuba: An American History” — Inextricably Linked, for Better and Worse

February 16, 2022
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As we hopefully continue to reevaluate our relationship with Cuba, this masterful history should prove an invaluable asset for us all.

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