The Wrath Wrought by that Other Grapes of Wrath
‘The Grapes of Wrath’ author Boyd Cable has stirred up a lot of discontent amongst Amazon users. Will this be the accomplished author’s final legacy?
Books
The Likability of Unlikability in Elizabeth Strout’s ‘Olive Kitteridge’
Elizabeth Strout counters Olive Kitteridge’s unpleasantness with two of the most important, traits of a standout character: the Ghost and the Lie.
Julie DiCaro’s ‘Sidelined’ Tackles Sexism in Sports
Sports journalist Julie DiCaro mixes research and experience for a compelling and troubling revelation in her book, ‘Sidelined’.
Brunch, Ladies? On Arielle Zibrak’s ‘Guilty Pleasures’
Arielle Zibrak’s ‘Guilty Pleasures’ is such a fun and fast conversation that reading it feels like having brunch with a hilarious dear friend.
Scholar Peter Stanfield Brings ‘Hate’ to the Who’s Pop Art Period
Peter Stanfield’s ‘A Band With Built-In Hate’ highlights redundancy, aggression, obsolescence, and ambiguity in Townshend’s lyrical stance and the Who’s performing methods.
Shigeru Mizuki’s ‘Tono Monogatari’ Is a Rewarding Read with Sumptuous Artwork
The simple yokai tales in Mizuki’s Tono Monagatari are interesting but what makes this truly stunning is his artwork, presented here in full, luscious effect.
Spanish Poet Eva Baltasar’s Novel ‘Permafrost’ and the Art of Translation
Eva Baltasar’s Permafrost is an aesthetic novel that underscores the magnificence of a poet successfully translating poetic awareness into prose.
‘Doom’ Illustrates Niall Ferguson’s Historical Flaws
While historian Niall Ferguson’s broad survey of human catastrophe, Doom, has erudition, insight, and sweep, it is frequently derailed by contrarian carping.
J. Robert Lennon’s ‘Subdivision’ Has a Momentum and Logic All Its Own
J. Robert Lennon’s Subdivision is a very good novel presenting a very bad dream.
How Could F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ NOT Mention the Flu Pandemic of 1918?
F. Scott Fitzgerald and his literary contemporaries ignored the 1918-1919 pandemic. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
Annemarie Mol’s Eating in Theory Reads Like a Buffet
Mol’s steady drip of accessible anecdotes in ‘Eating in Theory’ offers a slow-motion explosion of the connection between food and philosophy.