AltWeeklies Wire
'A Thousand Splendid Suns': A Problematic Epicnew
By the time you've brought your emotions under control, you'll realize that this book amounts to an elaborate apology for American military intervention in Afghanistan and, by extension, Canada's as well.
NOW Magazine |
Susan G. Cole |
08-24-2007 |
Fiction
Texas A&M Press: A Bush Administration Mouthpiece?new
If you've picked up a catalog from Texas A&M Press lately, you've no doubt noticed all of the battleships and generals and wars.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Cynthia Shear |
08-24-2007 |
Books
'High Cotton': Not For Sissiesnew
There have been hundreds, maybe thousands, of books written about the social, agricultural and economic attributes of cotton, but not until Gerard Helferich came along did anyone think to provide insight into what it is like to actually be a cotton farmer.
Jackson Free Press |
James L. Dickerson |
08-23-2007 |
Nonfiction
Tao Lin Goes Down the Rabbit Holenew
Tao Lin takes language and makes it new again, and in doing so makes fiction that reads like poetry.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Marcelo Ballve |
08-22-2007 |
Fiction
'Freedom Next Time': Tracking Struggles for Justicenew
Agree with him or not, Pilger presents a view widely accepted in much of the world, one the American public ignores at its own peril.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Tom Gallagher |
08-22-2007 |
Nonfiction
'These Things' is Drop-dead Hilariousnew
Smoking, once a cultural norm, is now essentially a taboo subject -- and there's no one better than Emily Flake to get to the heart of the drama of an addicted smoker trying her damndest to quit.
C-Ville Weekly |
Doug Nordfors |
08-22-2007 |
Nonfiction
Literary Dreamers Find Homes at Tiny DIY Pressesnew
Whatever's overly cloying gets edited, marketed and sold by the NYC publishing industry -- anything else often gets a great big "It's a go!" from a chipper editor, but gets redlined once it reaches the marketing department. Here's what independent publishers can do.
Metro Times |
Rebecca Mazzei |
08-21-2007 |
Books
'Seeing Beyond' Goes Inside a Photog's Worst Nightmarenew
A profession that relies on vision would, in theory, be severely crippled by blindness, and it is with this deep-rooted fear in mind that photographer Tony Deifell approached Governor Morehead School for the Blind in 1992 to start an after-school photography club.
Baltimore City Paper |
Katherine M. Hill |
08-21-2007 |
Nonfiction
'Let's Spend' is a Ceaseless Cascade Of Clichesnew
No one expects A Farewell to Arms when picking up a book titled Let's Spend the Night Together, but you should expect more than what's offered here.
Baltimore City Paper |
Ed Schrader |
08-21-2007 |
Nonfiction
'The Interloper': Thoroughly Dark & Uncannily Disturbingnew
This debut novel may not make it into the literary canon, but it is definitely worth a close read -- Wilson has a promising career ahead of him.
Baltimore City Paper |
Anny Hoge |
08-21-2007 |
Fiction
'Sugarcane Academy': Back to Schoolnew
Michael Tisserand on learning from Katrina.
The Memphis Flyer |
Leonard Gill |
08-21-2007 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
A Russian Toxic Shockernew
The murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London last year via a deadly dose of radioactive polonium, and the mystery of who and what was behind it, is ably told by former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin Sixsmith.
NOW Magazine |
Howard Goldenthal |
08-20-2007 |
Nonfiction
No 'Beauty' Here, Just Mathnew
Stewart's prose is clear, and he has a good story to tell and some fascinating ideas to present -- but he never quite brings his subject to life.
NOW Magazine |
Andrew Dowler |
08-20-2007 |
Nonfiction
'The World Without Us': Homo Extinctusnew
Alan Weisman takes an in-depth look at a human-less earth.
Montreal Mirror |
Juliet Waters |
08-17-2007 |
Nonfiction
'The Big Beautiful': Reach the Beachnew
Above all, Duncan's authentic writing and character exploration allow us to believe in Cassandra's emotional journey from feckless bride to a mature woman who follows her heart while taking physical and emotional risks.
