AltWeeklies Wire
How Alicia Silverstone Made Me Vegannew
The Kind Diet is a cookbook, yes, but the first half is dedicated to a surprisingly readable, occasionally affably ditzy, and heartfelt argument as to why one should consider the benefits of a "plant-based diet," which -- unbelievably redundant as it may seem -- is the politically correct way of saying "vegan."
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
10-16-2009 |
Nonfiction
Road to Somewhere: David Byrne's Energizing 'Bicycle Diaries'new
The underlying message here is that while bicycling may be a political movement, it can also be liberating and fun at the same time. I'm hoping Byrne's book now heralds bicycling's offbeat entry into the American mainstream, just as his wacky persona hit the big time thanks to our parents' taste in pop music.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
09-25-2009 |
Nonfiction
I Have to Wonder: Who Exactly is 'Porn & Pong' Written For?new
Nothing Brown presents in Porn & Pong is going to be a huge revelation if you're already mired in gamer culture, and I just can't see the average person choosing the book over Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vampires.
The Portland Mercury |
Earnest "Nex" Cavalli |
08-28-2009 |
Nonfiction
'We Did Porn' Peeks Behind the Curtain of the Alt-Porn Industrynew
Oh, pornography. Progressives still get turned around. Does it victimize women? Reinforce impossible sexual expectations? Cheapen intimacy? In his new book, Zak Smith cuts to the crux of the confusion: "The most hideous thing about pornography, of course, is that it works. On you."
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
06-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
Kate Hopkins Creates a Boozy Travelogue with '99 Drams of Whiskey'new
Hopkins is an entertaining storyteller, which works in a book dedicated to a storied beverage. Moors, alchemists, gangsters, and politicians all show up in whiskey's history, and Hopkins' language lends fullness to the characters responsible for its mystique.
The Portland Mercury |
Patrick Alan Coleman |
06-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
This 'Almanac' is Less a Book, More a Shot Heard 'round the Sportswriting Worldnew
For all of those who absolutely love the sport of basketball, but have grown tired of the tired cliches that weigh the game down, then Macrophenomenal is your new bible -- proof that if there is any justice in this cruel world, sports writing as we know it is about to change for the better.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-12-2008 |
Nonfiction
Harmon Leon's Latest Book is an Error-Filled Report from America's Underbellynew
Thanks in no small part to the book's countless textual errors, Leon comes across more as a witless lunkhead than a loveable rapscallion. His complete disinterest in cultural analysis has the quality of a bad show on Comedy Central, and American Dream is ultimately about as entertaining and fulfilling as a couple hours of TV.
The Portland Mercury |
Justin W. Sanders |
12-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
Tags: Harmon Leon, The American Dream
Thom Hartmann's Latests Explains How to Think Like a Republicannew
Cracking the Code explains how the left wing can exploit the techniques of the right. While that sounds like a snoozy topic, Hartmann drops in enough anecdotes and ripped-from-the-headlines (or, from politicians' speeches and campaign ads) examples to keep it lively.
The Portland Mercury |
Amy J. Ruiz |
12-04-2008 |
Nonfiction
Ed McClanahan's Memoir is Generous and Irreverentnew
Formally meticulous and thematically irreverent, O the Clear Moment is a loose collection of autobiographical pieces in which McClanahan reflects on an idyllic childhood in small-town Kentucky, chronicles the successes and humiliations of high school, and opens a few small but well-placed windows onto his adult eccentricities.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-31-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Veeps' is an Irreverent Guide to the History of the Vice Presidencynew
There are three people on the blue side of the political spectrum who benefited from the selection of the profoundly terrifying Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate: Tina Fey, Bill Kelter, and Wayne Shellabarger.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
10-24-2008 |
Nonfiction
Haruki Murakami on Runningnew
Murakami's new book, What I Talk about When I Talk about Running, is such a memoir: Murakami here treats long-distance running as both a routine that has physically sustained him for more than 20 years, and a metaphor for his workhorse approach to writing.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
07-31-2008 |
Nonfiction
Benjamin Nugent Takes a Hard Look at the Nerdsnew
Nugent dutifully tracks the origins of both the word and the aesthetic, in a two-part book that first examines the history of the nerd, and then wraps up with a less-interesting series of case studies of nerd subcultures.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallet |
05-23-2008 |
Nonfiction
'X Saves the World' Gets Motivational for the Unmotivatednew
Just as Tom Brokaw's books remind us how everyone born right after 1945 is a worthless piece of shit, so Gordinier focuses on how super-great Xers are.
The Portland Mercury |
Temple Lentz |
04-10-2008 |
Nonfiction
'True Tales of Rollerderby': A Real-Life Cartoonnew
A comic book about the Rose City Rollers is one of those ideas that's so obvious, once you've heard about it, that it seems strange such a thing hasn't been hit on before
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
04-03-2008 |
Nonfiction
Slack Onnew
When recovering slacker Kennedy gets a high-paying job in the marketing department of a major record company, he sees his coolness finally validated. Then he started work.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
02-28-2008 |
Nonfiction
