AltWeeklies Wire
Kwei Quartey Takes Readers Back to His Native Ghana in 'Wife of the Gods'new
Quartey has long harbored a passion for writing fiction, and his debut novel is a mystery set in the land of his birth. The book is laced with vivid depictions of its exotic locale, as well as twists and quirks rooted firmly in the traditions of that African nation.
Pasadena Weekly |
Carl Kozlowski |
07-20-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'The Rough Guide' is a Simple Roadmap to Nirvananew
Veteran Seattle music scribe Gillian G. Gaar smartly resists sensationalism in a new book about the iconic local band.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
07-20-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Tales Designed to Thrizzle' Turns Boob-Tube Tropes Into Artnew
Tales Designed to Thrizzle is a monument not only to silliness, but to craft -- which is perhaps the way in which it most clearly departs from its TV inspirations. With few exceptions such as Terry Gilliam's Flying Circus animations, TV doesn't pay attention to visual aesthetics the way Kupperman does here.
Chicago Reader |
Noah Berlatsky |
07-20-2009 |
Nonfiction
My Beef With The Editor Of The L.A. Times Book Reviewnew
Writer, thinker, and cultural critic Lionel Rolfe reflects on L.A.'s literary scene and the slow death of the Los Angeles Times.
Random Lengths News |
Lionel Rolfe |
07-17-2009 |
Books
New Book Looks at How Billy Graham Shook Up the Solid Southnew
Billy Graham played a key role in shaping the American political landscape of the second half of the 20th century, as confidante to presidents and adviser on domestic issues (particularly civil rights) and foreign policy (Communism and the Cold War).
INDY Week |
John Sinclair |
07-17-2009 |
Nonfiction
Three Recents Books Tackle Iran From the Inside Outnew
Books about Iran have been recently proliferating. The last year in particular has delivered three notable titles: Hooman Majd's The Ayatollah Begs to Differ, Azar Nafisi's Things I've Been Silent About: Memories and Azadeh Moaveni's Honeymoon in Tehran.
The Texas Observer |
Azita Osanloo |
07-15-2009 |
Books
'Catching Fire' Can Be Boldly Essentialist ... Perhaps Too Boldly Essentialistnew
Since the 1950s, scientists have hypothesized that the key factor bringing our ancestors down from the trees was the decision to eat meat. In this persuasively argued book, Richard Wrangham disagrees. Instead, he writes, it was the decision to cook with fire that literally made us human.
The Texas Observer |
James E. McWilliams |
07-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
The 'Outlier' Elephant in the Room is Gender Imbalancenew
Malcolm Gladwell either ignores, dismisses or is utterly blind to the massive gender elephant in the room -- a shocking disregard for the success and failure rates of half the human race.
Pasadena Weekly |
Ellen Snortland |
07-13-2009 |
Nonfiction
New Novel Situates a Worst-Case Scenario in Western North Carolinanew
In his new novel, One Second After, Bill Forstchen paints a distinctly local picture of post-electric life. A history professor who's penned 40-some books, he imagines the end of the world as we know it, telling a tale of what he thinks it would be like in Western North Carolina.
Mountain Xpress |
Jon Elliston |
07-10-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Jihad, Definednew
Casual readers may view How to Win a Cosmic War, the second book by acclaimed religious scholar Reza Aslan, as a defense of Islam. In part, this is an accurate assessment.
Jackson Free Press |
Cheree Franco |
07-09-2009 |
Nonfiction
New Book Reveals Calivinist Truths About Standing Up for Social Justicenew
The Good Doctors: The Medical Committee for Human Rights and the Struggle for Social Justice in Health Care portrays fallible human beings who didn't always get along, didn't always know what they were doing, and still managed to accomplish something.
Jackson Free Press |
Tom Head |
07-09-2009 |
Nonfiction
Parting the Curtain: 'Devil's Sanctuary' Tells the Story of Mississippi's Racismnew
Magnolia State residents "have a long history of being against whatever the rest of the nation is for," the authors write in Devil’s Sanctuary: an Eyewitness History of Mississippi Hate Crimes. Their self-evident truths did not include equality—not for the slaves imported into the state and not for the Native Americans exported out.
Jackson Free Press |
Ronni Mott |
07-09-2009 |
Nonfiction
Introducing Sir John Hargrave, Professional Pranksternew
Sir John Hargrave is no nobleman. He's a lifelong mischief maker who legally changed his name to punk the entire British royal family — and in the process got himself barred from the Queen's digs.
Boston Phoenix |
Ian Sands |
07-09-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'Farewell to Dejla' Follows Iraq's Jews Across Borders and Oceansnew
In Farewell to Dejla, Tova Murad Sadka uses the short story to explore the travails of Iraqi Jews, both in their homeland and in dispersion. Though marred by crude ethnic and religious stereotypes, her book offers a sensitive treatment of a community's existential fears and an exquisite probing of the painful and comic aspects of culture clash.
Chicago Reader |
Rayyan Al-Shawaf |
07-07-2009 |
Fiction
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
