AltWeeklies Wire
Barbara Kingsolver Makes a Misstep as She Tries to Make Her Point in 'The Lacuna'new
Kingsolver has created a reserved, unassuming character in Harrison Shepherd. He's so unassuming, in fact, that he becomes a cipher. Kingsolver's trademark nuanced characterization is not well-served by this collaged point of view.
Tucson Weekly |
Christine Wald-Hopkins |
11-11-2009 |
Fiction
One Helicopter Crew Looks Back on an Unforgettable Rescuenew
With the Afghan war back in the headlines, and none of the news good, the rescue led by the Air Force's 305th Rescue Squadron provides a glimpse into one story that began horribly and ended well, thanks to the ordinary Americans who made it happen.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
11-11-2009 |
War
Price Tags: The Elephant in the Room in Health Carenew
Selling stuff to patients is like supplying the Pentagon: Welcome to the wonderful land of the surreal markup. When you're sick or in pain, you do not shop for bargains -- which is the main reason that the free-market model is a catastrophe for health care.
Tucson Weekly |
Renee Downing |
11-11-2009 |
Science
Reality Fiction: How 'The Road' and '2012' Might Predict the Future ... For Realnew
From health care to finance, the prefix "broken" has been applied to every industrialized system humankind has had the gumption to design. The world that lapped up Roland Emmerich's last two end-time fables might not be so eager for part three.
North Bay Bohemian |
Hannah Strom-Martin |
11-11-2009 |
Movies
Using Soccer to Help Juvenile Offenders in Santa Cruz Countynew
For the last four years, Gina Castaneda has been a deputy probation officer for Santa Cruz County, working with juvenile offenders who live in the Watsonville area. Her soccer team is made up of a small handful of the 400 youths currently on, or at least in contact with, county probation, some of them from rival gangs.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Jessica Lussenhop |
11-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
'Pirate Radio' Rocks the Boatnew
This is one of those ensemble comedies in which each member of the ensemble tends toward one-dimensionality, but that's OK because there are so many members, and they're all so talented.
C-Ville Weekly |
Jonathan Kiefer |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Pirate Radio, Richard Curtis
Solid Gold's Fantastic Voyage: From Twin Cities Band to National Treasurenew
The band's slow and steady climb doesn't seem to surprise any of the members of the group. For Solid Gold, this latest leap onto the national radar is just part of their master plan that started at the beginning of the decade by a couple of party boys in Madison, Wisconsin.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
11-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Bodies of Water, Solid Gold
Margaret Atwood Renders Today's Troubles into Absorbing Dystopian Tomorrowsnew
Atwood discusses her new novel, The Year of the Flood, today's environmental movement, and why no one can predict the future.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Julia Goldberg |
11-11-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
A River Runs Through Coyote Bonesnew
David Matysiak jokes that if Bruce Springsteen's brooding Midwestern odysseys Nebraska and The River were meant to be part of a trilogy, the third installment is Coyote Bones' Niobrara.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Coyote Bones, Niobrara
Augusten Burroughs Gets Personal with Santa in 'You Better Not Cry'new
While discussing Christmas (his favorite holiday), Burroughs says he sees one common thread throughout his memories, "Each one has been horrible, worse than the last." He's recounted those laughably miserable memories in his latest book, a loose collection of Christmas stories spanning from his youth until just a few years ago.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Wyatt Williams |
11-10-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Why is the Political Settlement in Honduras a Big Win for Americans?new
It's harder to justify your existence as a bulwark against U.S. bullying when the U.S. has quit acting like a bully.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
11-10-2009 |
Commentary
Go Phish: Hippie Music Is on the Downswing -- and That Sucksnew
Phish is and will continue to be the most vital jam band in the world -- but that title doesn't carry as much water as it used to. They're legends.
Phoenix New Times |
Martin Cizmar |
11-10-2009 |
Music
All Eyes on Joe Liebermannew
Jumpin' Joe Lieberman has once again managed to freak out Connecticut Democrats of nearly every persuasion. Left-wingers are firing rockets into the blogosphere, some longtime Lieberman loyalists are sadly shaking their heads, and establishment types are seething at what Joe may be doing to his old buddy Chris Dodd's reelection chances.
New Haven Advocate |
Gregory B. Hladky |
11-10-2009 |
Politics
Does U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke Have the Stones to Take on Sheriff Joe Arpaio?new
Will anything be done about Arpaio's possible violations of federal law? Everyone knows the Department of Justice and the FBI are investigating Arpaio, but will new U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke do anything about Arizona's rogue sheriff? History does not bode well.
Phoenix New Times |
Stephen Lemons |
11-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tristan Taormino, the Feminist Pornographernew
Taormino just completed her sixth book, The Big Book of Sex Toys. She's finished editing an erotic anthology for Cleis Press called Sometimes She Lets Me. And she's working on three new movies for Vivid, the largest adult video producer on the planet.
Weekly Alibi |
Marisa Demarco |
11-10-2009 |
Culture
