Alice Coltrane: Conjurer of the Majestic
Andy Beta’s Alice Coltrane biography, Cosmic Music, is an excellent work about this forward-thinking and often misunderstood musician.
book review
‘Playmakers’ Explores the Chutzpah That Made Kids’ Toys
Playmakers illustrates that many toys of American childhood came into being because their Jewish creators were shut out of the American workplace.
‘The Summer We Ate Off the China’ Is a Buffet of Varied Stories
Devin Jacobsen’s The Summer We Ate Off the China is a varied collection of emotional stories that will leave one feeling satisfied.
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Iconic 1960s ‘It Girl’ Jane Birkin Finally Gets Some Respect
Biographer Marisa Meltzer accentuates the inner depth of her talented subject in her book, It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin.
Lemonheads’ Evan Dando Authors His Addictive Hooks
Lemonhead Evan Dando’s long-awaited memoir is an engaging, sometimes harrowing, trip through the 1990s alternative rock boom.
‘Things in Nature Merely Grow’ Tackles Death Differently
Yiyun Li’s beautiful and complex autobiography Things in Nature Merely Grow is not about death or loss; it is about who we become when we lose.
Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Shadow Ticket’ Knocks Readers Sideways
Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket, should it be his last, showcases that even when he’s not at his very best, the man can pack an artful wallop.
Ella Jenkins’ Biography Sings Her Song
Gayle F. Wald’s Ella Jenkins’ biography sings Jenkins’ commitment to social justice and her important multicultural and participatory approach to teaching children music.
‘Everything Is Now’ Digs Into NYC’s Avant-Garde Ferment
Everything Is Now expertly demonstrates how NYC’s varied avant-garde subcultures were birthed in cold-water lofts, coffeehouses, and tiny storefront galleries and theaters.
‘Calls May Be Recorded’ Intentionally Disconnects
Katharina Volckmer’s tale of an isolated soul’s yearning for connection, Calls May Be Recorded intentionally disconnects with its readers in that funny/not funny way.
‘Separation of Church and Hate’ Reclaims the Good Book
Comedian John Fugelsang organized The Separation of Church and Hate as a reference guide to encourage conversation about the Good Book during our fraught cultural-political times.
‘The Martians’ Probes the First Time Americans Went Nuts for Aliens
David Baron’s pop history of the early Martian mania, The Martians, probes how deception, promoted by the fantasies of single-minded obsessives, predated Silicon Valley.