AltWeeklies Wire
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
'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
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
'Slavery by Another Name' Examines Post-Civil War Convict Labornew
Douglas Blackmon argues -- passionately, forcefully and convincingly -- that by any measure, blacks in the states of the former Confederacy saw their freedom so warped and constrained in the decades after the Civil War that the overwhelming majority were not in any meaningful way free.
The Texas Observer |
Todd Moye |
12-17-2008 |
Nonfiction
Lewis Hyde's Classic Manifesto 'The Gift' Gets a Timely Re-Releasenew
What this book conveys more than almost any other book I've read is the sense of abundance artists develop from grounding their sense of self in something other than money or "stuff." At this time, perhaps more than any other, this book will also speak to readers who don't necessarily consider themselves artists.
Montreal Mirror |
Juliet Waters |
12-15-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Digging for Dirt' is a Testament to Ol' Dirty Bastard's Whole Beingnew
Pharrell Williams put it best when he said Ol' Dirty Bastard was "insanely genius, geniusly insane." But Jaime Lowe's new biography offers a more complete history of a man spiraling down a rabbit hole of drug addiction and fame.
Charleston City Paper |
Mark Glenn |
12-10-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Big Necessity' Looks at Some of the Problems with Poopnew
If we can remember the political dimensions of this most personal act, George suggests, we may one day find our way out of the muck.
New Haven Advocate |
Jason B. Jones |
12-09-2008 |
Nonfiction
Malcolm Gladwell Examines the Secret of Success in 'Outliers'new
Gladwell uses birthdays, tight-knit communities and circumstance to show why some make it and others don't.
Montreal Mirror |
Juliet Waters |
12-05-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Guilty' Examines Arab Bashing on the Big Screennew
Six years into a costly war fought on Arab soil, one might expect American media to demonize the enemy, rationalizing the necessity of killing and maiming hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. But perhaps because of popular revulsion at the war, Shaheen finds cause for hope.
The Texas Observer |
Steven G. Kellman |
12-03-2008 |
Nonfiction
'The Oxford Project' Uses Photography as a Kind of Time Machinenew
Ultimately, The Oxford Project is an homage to Americana, a photographic record of small-town America and the story of intertwined lives. It is about history, personal and collective, and that ubiquitous force: change. This book, like the facets of human features, is so intriguing, it is nearly impossible to put down.
San Antonio Current |
Lyle Rosdahl |
11-13-2008 |
Nonfiction
Diane Wilson's Memoir of Her Fundamentalist Upbringing is a Delightnew
Holy Roller: Growing Up in the Church of the Knock Down, Drag Out; Or, How I Quit Loving a Blue-Eyed Jesus describes Wilson's Pentecostal upbringing in a tiny fishing town in Texas, where residents were ruled by poverty, labor, elaborate religious mores, and corrupt authorities.
The Texas Observer |
Emily DePrang |
11-06-2008 |
Nonfiction
'The Other Side of the Coin' May (or May Not) Help You Understand the Meltdownnew
People need to educate themselves in economics. Still, I'm not sure anybody this week needs to read a whole book to figure out that the rules of the game have changed, and that the time has come to have some serious talks about profit caps.
Montreal Mirror |
Juliet Waters |
09-26-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Obscene in the Extreme' Recalls the Fight to Ban 'Grapes of Wrath'new
Seventy years later, with The Grapes of Wrath canonized in American literature and still a must-read for students across the country, it is almost forgotten how strongly -- and even violently -- publication of Steinbeck's novel was opposed in the heartland of California.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Geoffrey Dunn |
09-26-2008 |
Nonfiction
