“Why read Zola now? Leaving aside sheer enjoyment of his narrative art, I’d say: because his representation of society’s impact on the individuals within it memorably depicts what it means to be a human being in the modern world.”
Oxford University Press
Book Interview: Translator Julie Rose on the Lyrical Power of Émile Zola’s “Doctor Pascal”
Published in August of 2020, Oxford University Press’s English translation of Doctor Pascal marked the first time that Émile Zola’s 20-book Les Rougon-Macquart series was available in print under one publisher.
Book Review: “The Making of the American Creative Class” — Unions, Their Rise and Fall
This history of union activity among white-collar workers in New York City tells an illuminating story about creative labor’s effort to be treated with respect by the powerful.
Book Review: “The Movement” — The Struggle for Civil Rights, Abbreviated
The Movement works best as a stripped-down, high-speed introduction to the struggle for civil rights, nothing more.
Book Review: “Journey into the Land of the Zeks and Back” — “Jews, Write and Record.”
An unabridged text of an incisive, harrowing, and absorbing eyewitness account of the Gulag has finally been published in English translation.
Book Review: “Heart Full of Rhythm: The Big Band Years of Louis Armstrong” — The King of All Kings
He may be extreme as a polemicist, but Ricky Riccardi shines when he sticks to jazz’s history.
Book Interview: Heather Cox Richardson on “How the South Won the Civil War”
“Politics is driven by language, and America’s peculiar history has given oligarchs the language to undercut democracy.”
Book Review: The ‘Papa’ of Male Modern Dance, Ted Shawn — A Story of Changing Norms
In this new biography, Ted Shawn is on display in all his narcissism, paternalism, hypocrisy, originality, and the dedication to creative expression that set American modern dance on its way.
Book Review: A Critical Look at Barbra Streisand’s Career
Ethan Mordden’s exhaustive take on Barbra Streisand may not be what diehard fans are looking for.
Book Review: “Which Side Are You On?” — American History, Skimmed Over
In its efforts to cram so much information into so small a space, the narrative becomes unfocused.