Feminine Discontents in ‘Back from the Dead’ and ‘The Other One’
Catherine Turney, a top-drawer writer of classic films about strong women, adapts her supernatural novel The Other One for Back from the Dead.
Books
Features, reviews, interviews, and lists about books including cultural commentary and history, non-fiction, literature, and more.
Tommy Orange Testifies to the Power of Cultural Reclamation
In Wandering Stars masterful storyteller Tommy Orange shifts our lens from historically imposed assimilation to contemporary cultural reclamation.
This Lesbian Fashion History Is a Perfectly Tailored Fit
With Unsuitable, lesbian fashion historian Eleanor Medhurst stitches fashion, gender, and sexuality into a perfectly tailored, comprehensive and inclusive book.
Patric Gagne Calls for Empathy in ‘Sociopath: A Memoir’
Sociopath author Patric Gagne asks readers to reconsider their perceptions of sociopathy, arguing that people who struggle to feel empathy still deserve to receive it.
No Such Thing as Failure: Nintendo’s Failed Virtual Boy
Nintendo’s failed Virtual Boy followed the tradition of wondrous human inventions made to trick the eyes, like a diorama. “Retro collecting” gamers love it.
The Beatles Shake Britain: The Beginning of Beatlemania
Shake It Up, Baby! breaks down the Beatles’ concerts, business deals, sleepless nights, and bloody fights month by month during the transitional year of 1963.
Zionism, Belonging, and George Eliot’s ‘Daniel Deronda’
George Eliot was not Jewish, but her 1876 novel Daniel Deronda took on the “Jewish question” and brought forth the concept of Zionism with knowledge and grace.
Nordic Noir in Transition: Jussi Adler-Olsen’s ‘Department Q’ Books on Film
Jussi Adler-Olsen, author of the Nordic noir Department Q series, isn’t thrilled with the transition of his work to film. Five directors of six films argue that’s a crime.
Steve Reich’s Music Echoes in Jordan Mechner’s Graphic Memoir ‘Replay’
Like Steve Reich’s Different Trains, Jordan Mechner’s graphic memoir Replay is a work of introspection that looks to history and tragic synchronicity.
‘Trash Talk’ Doesn’t Get Down and Dirty Enough
Trash Talk is a fun read, but it doesn’t get down and dirty enough to take down racism, sexism, and homophobia in sports’ verbal one-upmanship.
Jules Verne’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ Goes Deeper Than You May Realize
Like its vast ocean setting, Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea goes deeper into pop culture – its tentacles reaching farther than its creature’s – than you may realize.
The Tooth Hurts: John Patrick Higgins on Pain and Porcelain
John Patrick Higgins chatters about his newfound porcelain immortality and the tooth hurt endured for his new book, Teeth: An Oral History.