AltWeeklies Wire
Gil Scott-Heron: The Last Holiday: A Memoirnew

Gil Scott-Heron’s memoir isn’t intimate, but it casts him in a new light nevertheless.
Baltimore City Paper |
Pierre Bennu |
01-18-2012 |
Nonfiction
Tags: Gil Scott-Heron
Christian Siriano Talks About Success, Style, the Industry, and Ferocitynew

Prior to evolving into the gravity-defying-coif-sporting, catchphrase-spouting enfant terrible who walked away with Project Runway's fourth season title, Christian Siriano was a self-described "little fairy white kid walking around in giant FUBU jerseys" in Annapolis.
Baltimore City Paper |
Raymond Cummings |
01-12-2010 |
Nonfiction
Jazz Writer Ted Gioia Bites Off More Than He Can Chew in 'The Birth (and Death) of the Cool'new
Gioia presents convincing evidence that people trust brand names less than they did for many years. But he spends endless energy hard-selling the idea that brand-name obeisance has, or has ever had, anything to do with "cool."
Baltimore City Paper |
Michaelangelo Matos |
11-24-2009 |
Nonfiction
'The Architecture of Community' Advocates a Return to More Conscientious Urban Developmentnew
Leon Krier contends that modernism, whatever its virtues in small scale, has been nothing but a disaster in larger scales -- a force that has managed to sterilize cities aesthetically, ruin years of expertise in building trades, and lead planners and developers to compose cities in unsustainable ways.
Baltimore City Paper |
Scott Carlson |
10-06-2009 |
Nonfiction
In 'Hound Dog,' Songwriting Duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Remember Redefining Postwar Pop Musicnew

Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography is a delightful read. Both men are terrific storytellers, witty and succinct, with a sharp eye for the telling detail.
Baltimore City Paper |
Geoffrey Himes |
08-18-2009 |
Nonfiction
The More Tom Waits Creates 'Tom Waits,' the Less Anyone Knows About Himnew

Outside of his showman's persona, Waits is intensely private, banking perhaps on the presumption that his fans possess a happy lack of curiosity about what fuels his greatness. Barney Hoskyns confirmed this trait the hard way while working on Lowside of the Road.
Baltimore City Paper |
Van Smith |
07-07-2009 |
Nonfiction
Considering Dominique Green, Capital Punishment, and Justicenew
Dominique Green's execution and short life--he was arrested, convicted, and sent to Death Row at age 18--is the subject of popular history writer Thomas Cahill's remarkable new book.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael Corbin |
04-21-2009 |
Nonfiction
A New Study Storms the Barriers Between Punk and Metalnew
Whether you agree with the author or not, This Ain't the Summer of Love considerably raises the bar for engaged exploration of music subcultures.
Baltimore City Paper |
Bret McCabe |
03-31-2009 |
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
How Do You Feed an Anorexic Eel or Mend a Giraffe's Dislocated Hip?new
The Rhino With Glue-on Shoes, edited by veterinarians Lucy Spelman and Ted Mashima, is a collection of true stories written by zoo vets who have faced these situations.
Baltimore City Paper |
Anny Hoge |
10-07-2008 |
Nonfiction
James Woods Shows Less is More in 'How Fiction Works'new
While disclosing sublime writing tools, long-celebrated book critic Wood digresses into lucid meditations on the nature of language, character, and consciousness.
Baltimore City Paper |
Eli Perlow |
10-07-2008 |
Nonfiction
Tags: How Fiction Works, James Wood
Al Silverman Talks to The Post-War Editors Who Helped Forge Contemporary American Lettersnew
The book is a celebration of the "golden age of the publishing industry," from the end of World War II to the beginning of the 1980s, focusing on the publishing houses themselves.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michaelangelo Matos |
10-07-2008 |
Nonfiction
A Book About What Your Stuff Says About You Doesn't Reveal Enoughnew

Gosling's concept in Snoop is pretty darn alluring: By carefully observing all the seemingly inconsequential bric-a-brac around a person, you can gain valuable insights into his personality.
Baltimore City Paper |
Joab Jackson |
09-02-2008 |
Nonfiction
C. Fraser Smith Chronicles the Marylanders Who Fought For Civil Rights in 'Here Lies Jim Crow'new
Having Baltimore Sun columnist and WYPR senior news analyst Smith's new book in my possession has been as interesting and eye-opening as the book itself. The book drew people's attention everywhere I went.
Baltimore City Paper |
Petula Caesar |
08-12-2008 |
Nonfiction
Jenny Block Refuses to Let Monogamy Ruin Her Marriagenew

In her new book, Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage, Block traces her path from monogamy to infidelity to polyamory, being in an intimate relationship with more than one person.
Baltimore City Paper |
Heather Harris |
08-05-2008 |
Nonfiction