AltWeeklies Wire
'Appetite for Self-Destruction' Looks at the Collapse of the Record Industrynew
If you take one jewel of wisdom away from this book, it is this: The reason many crappy musicians have gotten the limelight, the reason most people turned off their radios and stopped watching the Grammys and instead started downloading music from the internet, is money.
Jackson Free Press |
Andi Agnew |
06-26-2009 |
Nonfiction
'We Did Porn' Peeks Behind the Curtain of the Alt-Porn Industrynew
Oh, pornography. Progressives still get turned around. Does it victimize women? Reinforce impossible sexual expectations? Cheapen intimacy? In his new book, Zak Smith cuts to the crux of the confusion: "The most hideous thing about pornography, of course, is that it works. On you."
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
06-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
Two New Books Try to Explain How We Lost a Truly Productive Economynew
The Great Financial Crisis: Causes and Consequences by John Bellamy Foster and Fred Magdoff, and Alan Beattie's False Economy: A Surprising Economic History of the World try to explain how we got here.
The Texas Observer |
Anis Shivani |
06-17-2009 |
Books
Elijah Wald Explains How the Uncool Music of Yesteryear Shapes Today's Tunesnew
No one makes music in a vacuum, completely detached from the pop mainstream and his or her potential audience. Wald argues that nobody should be trying to, since how many people music appeals to in its own time is at least as important as how many rock writers it appeals to in 30 years.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
06-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Columbine' Seeks to Explain the Inexplicablenew
Columbine is a marvel of structure, empathy, and insight, flickering between the run-up to that horrible day in Littleton and its complex, agonizing aftermath.
The Georgia Straight |
Brian Lynch |
06-08-2009 |
Nonfiction
For Scholar, Measuring Worth Must Weigh the Value of Caring Worknew
In The Real Wealth of Nations, Riane Eisler picks up where Adam Smith left off. Smith left out the market's REAL operators: the women who produce most of the caring services of our societies.
Pasadena Weekly |
Ellen Snortland |
05-18-2009 |
Nonfiction
Milwaukee Marched for Justicenew
Anyone living in Milwaukee in the '60s and old enough to be aware will recall a time of sharp tension. This story is recounted with lucid scholarship in The Selma of the North: Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee.
Shepherd Express |
David Luhrssen |
05-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
For John Gibler, the Conquest of Mexico Never Ended and Neither Did the Revoltsnew
Part journalistic travelogue, part political manifesto, Mexico Unconquered recounts some of the more bewildering revolts and upheavals that have roiled Southern Mexico from the turn of the 20th century through contemporary times.
The Texas Observer |
Liliana Valenzuela |
05-13-2009 |
Nonfiction
A Very Well-Behaved Record of Fearless Womennew
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich provides a window through which to view the social injustices faced by three of history's famous women. Just don't be surprised if their struggles look a lot like our own.
Jackson Free Press |
Brandi Herrera Pfrehm |
05-11-2009 |
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
'Alphabet Juice' Is a Sesquipedlaian Delightnew
Reading Alphabet Juice is like chaperoning a jungle gym full of words at play; you attentively watch them run among and slip and slide as you sit back and enjoy the cool evening breeze.
Jackson Free Press |
Sarah Litvin |
04-16-2009 |
Nonfiction
Eclipsing Slave History: 'Sugar of the Crop'new
Sana Butler set out to tell the stories of the children of slaves in America. Her book, however, is all about her, which is a shame.
Jackson Free Press |
Walter Biggins |
04-16-2009 |
Nonfiction
Veering Out of the Fast Lane: 'See You in a Hundred Years'new
Logan Ward and his family left Manhattan for rural Virginia, where they lived without electricity, phones or laptops for a year. To heal our planet, we can all use a little of what they learned, even without giving up our reading lamps.
Jackson Free Press |
Kelly Bryan Smith |
04-09-2009 |
Nonfiction
Roger Clemens's Rise and Fallnew
A career once on a par with those of Christy Mathewson, Warren Spahn, and Sandy Koufax now rests with Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe.
Boston Phoenix |
George Kimball |
04-02-2009 |
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
