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Rachel BalikAbout Rachel BalikRachel is a full-time staff writer at findingDulcinea.com where she covers arts and culture, as well as GLBT rights, women’s health and the dying newspaper industry. She has studied English, Philosophy and Theater, worked in all three fields, and has a illicit love for biographies of scientists. Reviews
Changing My Mind: Occassional Essays by Zadie SmithSmith is self-aware without self-absorbed, shares her voice without yelling, and gives the reader not only the gift of her wisdom, but also the gift of her humanity. [1 February 2010] 
Too Much Happiness by Alice MunroThe stories reflect both the saturation and the irony indicated in the title: The world of this book is simply the other side of the coin, or the opposite of happiness. [15 December 2009] 
What Would Susie Say?: Bullsh*t Wisdom about Love, Life and Comedy by Susie EssmanPart stand-up routine and part autobiography, Susie Essman offers her unfettered opinion on how to live and laugh while you're doing it. [10 December 2009] Art Brut: 15 November 2009 - New YorkMost shows at Bowery aren’t intimate, but Art Brut performed as though we were all at a party, and they were the ones drunk enough to stand on the kitchen table and start expounding. [7 December 2009] 
The Return of Depression Economics and The Crisis of 2008Through simple language and basic analogies, Krugman manages the great feat of explaining how money works in a vacuum, and how it has worked for us in the past 20 years. [3 December 2009] 
The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York by Matteo PericoliPericoli's sketchbook captures the pictures, moments, methodologies, and musings that occur at every second in every spot of the city every single day. It is a macro microcosm. [20 November 2009] The Dodos: 13 October 2009 - New YorkTouring after the release of their latest album, Time to Die, the Dodos revert to a more raw and experimental sound [1 November 2009] 
Only the Super Rich Can Save Us! by Ralph NaderNeither fiction nor fact, Nader's sprawling novel is another venue for the same political ideas we've heard, not an opportunity for creativity. 
Just a Phrase I’m Going Through: My Life in Language by David CrystalCrystal's book is part memoir and part guide to the world of Linguistic study. But as it turns out for the author, life and language are one and the same. [29 September 2009] 
Radiohead and Philosophy, ed. Brandon W. Forbes and George A. ReischUnderstanding why Radiohead may be the greatest band of all time requires help from the greatest philosophers of all time. If you're still confused about Kid A, Heidegger can help. [14 September 2009] 
It’s Beginning To Hurt by James LasdunLasdun's stories ease us out of our lives and pull us into the world of his characters, whose experiences at times seem more real than our own [1 September 2009] 
A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman by Wadad Makdisi CortasWadad Makdisi Cortas understated but deeply nostalgic memoir of her childhood in Lebanon gives a revealing, appealing, and necessary glimpse into the Arab world of the past. [25 August 2009] As Tall As Lions: 30 June 2009 - New YorkAlthough the band demonstrate musical versatility and dexterity, they also draw attention to themselves in a way that is visually intense. [11 August 2009] Au Revoir Simone: 27 June 2009 - New YorkIt was never clear whether they were consciously putting on a show, or forgetting that there was an audience and simply being three girls having fun in a basement. [7 August 2009] 
In the Kitchen by Monica AliAli is a talented writer, working with a fascinating list of ingredients. But her final product is, quite simply, over seasoned and undercooked. [6 August 2009] TV on the Radio + Dirty Projectors: 5 June 2009 - New YorkDespite a downpour, TV on the Radio was able to use the dreary, soggy night to accentuate the illuminating energy of its music and performance. [15 July 2009] 
London’s Burning by Dave ThompsonThompson writes of that singular year when punk when was really fresh, and only a select few, himself included, were on the scene when it was conceived. [5 July 2009] The National: 29 May 2009 - PhiladelphiaThe National’s performance, muted and uneasy as it was, still elicited rapt attention and glowing faces. [22 June 2009] 
Hella Nation by Evan WrightWright’s gift is his ability to trace a story through time and weave together a piece that is chilling in both subtlety and revelation. [26 May 2009] Mary Stuart: 20 April 2009 - Broadhurst Theatre, New YorkPortrayed by the explosively accessible Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart demands our attention, lures our senses, and holds our hearts with a blend of power and tenderness [21 May 2009] Five Peace Band: 23 April 2009 - Lincoln Center, New YorkThe concert was a chance for two men with parallel careers to reconvene at a point that mirrored their shared roots. [15 May 2009] 
A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla NunnA crime novel where the reader is bewildered rather than scheming and conjecturing makes for a lethargic trek. [30 March 2009] 
Script and Scribble by Kitty Burns Florey“This isn’t meant to be a nostalgia trip,” Florey says. Rather, a mix of living monument to an essential human skill and a call to action. [26 March 2009] 
On Criticism by Noel CarrollThe sole purpose of critics is to influence the public in making art choices by way of guiding them through an understanding of a work’s value -- they must pass judgment. [5 March 2009] 
The Sky Below by Stacey D’ErasmoIncorporating themes from Greek mythology, the author portrays a compelling protagonist, his self-pity subtly presented with a mix of clear narrative and sub-textual self-loathing. [9 February 2009] 
Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend by Mark WilkersonThere is a significant amount of information about the Who, but it doesn’t tell an obsessive fan anything she doesn’t already know. [7 November 2008] 
Walk the Blue Fields by Claire KeeganTreating the dismay and dissatisfaction of her characters as a quiet inconvenience, the real tragedy of these stories is their tone of grim and expedient inevitability. [16 October 2008] 
The Life and Death of Images, Diarmuid Costello & Dominic Willsdon (eds.)In addition to a reasonably strict adherence to the analytic restrictions of philosophical inquiry, the speakers in this book seem to be on a subtextual quest to save art. [29 September 2008] 
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a BarMany who feel that philosophy is not for them, or is incredibly esoteric, will soon realize it’s as natural a commentary on our lives as jokes about boobs are. [26 August 2008] 
Slackonomics by Lisa ChamberlainChamberlain’s deftly researched book gives a group of people once lumped disparagingly with Reality Bites and dot-com disasters a multifaceted, fresh and potent identity. [15 July 2008] 
The White King by György Dragomán (Author), Paul Olchváry (Translator)This is not just a beautiful novel, but also an important political reflection. [10 June 2008] 
The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB’s, by Rachel BalikThe book is a successful 'Who knew?' effort, and would make a great gift for any Jewish teenager with a guitar, but as cultural or aesthetic theory, it feels unsound. [7 April 2008] BlogsNotes from the Road: Pop. 1280: 23.Jan.2010 - NYC [3 February 2010]Consuming Consumables: 44 Days: Iran and the Remaking of the World [1 December 2009]Re:Print: Iran and the Remaking of the World [25 November 2009]Re:Print: Woe Is Everyone [17 November 2009]Re:Print: The E-book Pirate Ship Sets Sail [13 October 2009]Re:Print: The Power of Kindess: “Shop A Little Bit Richer” [30 September 2009]Notes from the Road: The Little Dog Laughed At Wellfleet Harbor Actor’s Theater [19 August 2009]Notes from the Road: New Music Seminar: 21 July 2009 - Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York [5 August 2009]Re:Print: Book Bytes: Investigating Jack Murnighan’s Beowulf on the Beach [18 June 2009]Re:Print: Much to Our Relief: A Memoir Published Without Fear of Embarrassment [17 April 2009]Notes from the Road: Hamlet: Theater for New Audience - Duke Theater, New York City [8 April 2009] |
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