AltWeeklies Wire
How Maurice Sendak Unleashed a Multimedia Monster with 10 Little Sentencesnew
While plenty of books from childhood are remembered nostalgically and still others are simply forgotten, Where the Wild Things Are is, for many, beloved not only for what it was then, but for what it means now.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Lauren F. Friedman |
10-20-2009 |
Books
Josh Bazell Turns His ER Experience into the Year's Best Debut Novelnew
Bazell, who wrote Beat the Reaper while working on his residency at a California hospital, crafted an ingenious, fast-paced thriller that also managed to be a work of art.
New Haven Advocate |
Drew Taylor |
10-20-2009 |
Fiction
In 'Shop Class as Soulcraft,' Matthew B. Crawford Says: Get Off Your Assnew
Ex-Bush think-tank dynamo-turned-vintage motorcycle shop owner Crawford calls out the trend in America's displacement of values pertaining to manual trades while questioning the misguided future of would-be knowledge workers (a dirty word as far as Crawford's concerned).
Metro Times |
Travis R. Wright |
10-20-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Egg on Mao' Praises a Truly Brave Iconoclastnew
With the publication of Egg on Mao: The Story of an Ordinary Man Who Defaced an Icon and Unmasked a Dictatorship, Denise Chong has revived interest in the moral heroism of Lu Decheng and his friends Yu Zhijian and Yu Dongyue.
The Georgia Straight |
Alexander Varty |
10-19-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Barbara Ehrenreich's Latest Book Tackles Our Oppressive Optimismnew
Rather than focus on some particular tool of oppression that's misled the masses into believing they're happy, in Bright-Sided Ehrenreich trains her ire on happiness itself.
Chicago Reader |
Noah Berlatsky |
10-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
How Alicia Silverstone Made Me Vegannew
The Kind Diet is a cookbook, yes, but the first half is dedicated to a surprisingly readable, occasionally affably ditzy, and heartfelt argument as to why one should consider the benefits of a "plant-based diet," which -- unbelievably redundant as it may seem -- is the politically correct way of saying "vegan."
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
10-16-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Putrefaction Live' Looks at Paradoxes on the Reznew
Warren Perkins' new novel is worthwhile for its authentic feel, although the plot development is a bit sketchy.
Tucson Weekly |
Christine Wald-Hopkins |
10-15-2009 |
Fiction
A Sweet Crop of New Graphic Narrativesnew
Comics. Graphic novels. Sequential-art books. Call them what you will, but there are more of them than ever. Here's a rundown on some of the best from the past few months.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
10-15-2009 |
Books
The Clinician and the Poet in Kay Redfield Jamison Harmonize in 'Nothing Was the Same'new
This is a slim yet profound book, unadorned by fatuous spirituality, by a writer eager neither to conceal nor exaggerate her feelings. It gives grieving its complete due, and at the same time there's nothing at all depressing about it.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
Kerouac's Big Sur Dreams -- and Nightmares -- are Memorialized in New DVD/CDnew
F-Stop/Atlantic Records is honoring the 40th anniversary of Jack Kerouac's death on Oct. 21, 1969 with the release of a 98-minute documentary and accompanying CD about Big Sur, both titled One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Kerouac's Big Sur.
Monterey County Weekly |
Stuart Thornton |
10-15-2009 |
Books
'Massacred For Gold' Rises Above the Usual History Book Formulanew
R. Gregory Nokes' investigation of the 1887 mass murder of more than 30 Chinese gold miners is a chronicle within a chronicle, explaining not only how and why the murders occurred but how the author had to sift through scant and often contradictory evidence to make sense of a crime.
Willamette Week |
Matt Buckingham |
10-14-2009 |
Nonfiction
How Anna Broadway Cashed in on Being a 31-year-old Virgin and Scored a Book Dealnew
There are huge advantages to being a 31-year-old virgin, says Broadway, whose popular blog "Sexless in the City" ultimately led to a book contract with Doubleday. But there are downsides, too.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
10-14-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Johnny Rico's Second Book Uses the Border Reality as its Shticknew
Border Crosser is the account of Rico's attempt to illegally cross from Mexico into the United States in the summer of 2007. Physically and mentally, Rico is woefully unprepared for the task he has assigned himself. Nevertheless, he sets out with testosterone-fueled arrogance and a naive, fetishized view of the border-crossing experience.
The Texas Observer |
Kirk Forrester |
10-14-2009 |
Nonfiction
The Case Against Google Booksnew
How three California librarians led the revolt against the company's plans to archive all earthly knowledge.
East Bay Express |
Chris Thompson |
10-14-2009 |
Books
Tom Tomorrow Creates a Kids Book! Yay!new
"I love stepping outside the world of politics, that negativity, so I can do something happy," Dan Perkins, aka Tom Tomorrow, says in a phone interview from his New Haven work studio.
New Haven Advocate |
Christopher Arnott |
10-13-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
