Books
Ah, Florida, “the grease trap under America’s George Foreman Grill”: not just “weird America,” also “impending America.”
Twilight of Democracy made me yearn (uncharacteristically) for hard scientific data to supplement Anne Applebaum’s punditry about the pundits.
Practical handbook, compendium of theory, or history of an American tradition? A little of each… but enough of any?
These days, I worry that David Mitchell is losing touch with reality.
Two Californias is full of humor, good writing, and thoughtful angles on human existence—with zombies thrown in for good measure.
It wasn’t until 2009 that a trove of Florence B. Price scores was discovered in a dilapidated house in down-state Illinois and a revival of interest in this most remarkable of composers began in earnest.
Invisible Years is — simultaneously — an indispensable source and a distinguished work of art.
Hardly a portrait of glory from sea to shining sea, these tales drop in on estranged, lost, and overwhelmed people.
Crooked Hallelujah is a splendid debut, its intricately structured narrative following four generations of a matriarchal family from the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
American Radicals is as revealing, riveting, and well-researched as any work of history that I have read in recent years.
Music Commentary: Brian Wilson’s Legacy Thrives — 2026 Reissues Reviewed