AltWeeklies Wire
Tripping through the 'Twilight Zone'new
Not merely a puff piece, Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone portrays a complex view of the famed auteur.
San Antonio Current |
Rick Klaw |
02-04-2009 |
Nonfiction
Skepticism, Hume and the Burden of Proof: 'Amazing Grace'new
It’s very easy to make a claim about something, while thoroughly investigating that claim can be a difficult job.
Weekly Alibi |
Benjamin Radford |
02-03-2009 |
Nonfiction
Robin Romm's 'The Mercy Papers'new
In The Mercy Papers: A Memoir of Three Weeks, author Robin Romm has opened herself to the world in a courageous little book that chronicles the three weeks before her mother’s death.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Charlotte Jusinski |
01-29-2009 |
Nonfiction
'My Private War': The Things They Carrynew
Norman Bussel's beautifully constructed, emotionally devastating account of being a prisoner of war in Germany during WWII is a tale too rarely told, one whose import should have immediate and direct consequences on current U.S. policy.
Eugene Weekly |
Suzi Steffen |
01-22-2009 |
Nonfiction
Paul Maliszewski Examines Literary Fraudstersnew
Fakers, a collection of essays that comes mostly from Maliszewski's contributions to Bookforum, Harper's, The Paris Review and other publications, examines not just the counterfeiters themselves, but those who publish, promote and read their work.
INDY Week |
Sam Wardle |
01-22-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Dynamite Club' Revisits the Bomb Heard 'round the Worldnew
John Merriman examines how an 1894 anarchist bombing in Paris kicked off the age of modern terrorism, and what we stand to learn from the bomber.
The Texas Observer |
Tom Palaima |
01-16-2009 |
Nonfiction
Pink Floyd Bio Reveals All the Cracks in the Wallnew
Nothing in these pages is pretty, and the collective story doesn't seem to be so much about rock stars as about human beings going through the trajectory of life: being young and having a dream, moving toward the realization of that dream, achieving success and then dealing with the emotional and psychological fallout.
New York Press |
Aileen Torres |
01-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Hot, Flat, and Crowded' is the Same Old Thomas Friedmannew
When some time ago a friend of mine told me that Thomas Friedman's new book was going to be a kind of environmentalist clarion call against American consumerism, I almost died laughing.
New York Press |
Matt Taibbi |
01-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Don't Stop' Looks at Karaoke's Democratization of Musicnew
Despite his book's limitations, it's hard to disagree with Brian Raftery's basic proposition: Skill is overrated, and the music stars or publishing houses who own the big hits tend to be overpaid.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
01-12-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Drum of War' Looks at Walt Whitman's Nonreligious Ministry During the Civil Warnew
Whitman recognized something that few writers of that era or after did: the Civil War's true meaning lay in the "valor of suffering -- not of men firing rifles," and certainly not in the fascination with battles and troop movements that has dominated Civil War studies.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Michael S. Gant |
01-09-2009 |
Nonfiction
Surviving Sudan: 'Out of Exile' Chronicles Displaced People's Tragic Talesnew
Exile is the fourth book in Dave Eggers' Voice of Witness series, and it shows that McSweeney's admirable project has improved along the way.
Las Vegas Weekly |
John Freeman |
01-08-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Pathway to the Gods' Brings to Life the World's First Chocolate Obsessionnew
For centuries, it has captivated humans and gods. It's been associated with worship, commerce, romance and comfort. But why has it so completely seduced the world? Just what's so special about chocolate? Meredith L. Dreiss and Sharon Edgar Greenhill travel back in time to Mesoamerica to answer these questions. With recipe for Mayan Hot Chocolate.
Weekly Alibi |
Maren Tarro |
01-06-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Courtroom Cowboy' is a Rich, Rewarding Readnew
Along with the court cases, Cipriano introduces us to Jim Beasely the man, a remarkable, evangelical trial lawyer who flew fighter jets, hunted big game and was so committed to work, he was unable to vacation, despite a love of fishing and owning a huge boat.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Liz Spikol |
01-05-2009 |
Nonfiction
'The Elfish Gene' is One Man's Reflection on Life in Fantasylandnew
Whether or not The Elfish Gene lives up to the cleverness of its title (meh), its self-inflicted cheap shots threaten its charm. Barrowcliffe chooses laughs over homage every time. What would his 12-year-old self think?
New Haven Advocate |
Craig Fehrman |
12-30-2008 |
Nonfiction
Two Photography Books Remember Punk's Growth Spurtsnew
Punk may roll a little in its grave now that it's been mythologized, but if it's going to get the coffee table treatment at least Skins & Punks and Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History of American Hardcore Music offer it respect.
Baltimore City Paper |
Tony Ware |
12-30-2008 |
Nonfiction
