AltWeeklies Wire
Benjamin Nugent Takes a Hard Look at the Nerdsnew
Nugent dutifully tracks the origins of both the word and the aesthetic, in a two-part book that first examines the history of the nerd, and then wraps up with a less-interesting series of case studies of nerd subcultures.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallet |
05-23-2008 |
Nonfiction
Abrahm Lustgarten Rides the Rails to Tibet on the Eve of the Beijing Olympicsnew
Lustgarten spent four years traveling to China and Tibet researching the Qinghai-Tibet Railway -- a 50-year plan to build the highest train line in the world and solidify Beijing's hold on the disputed region.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
05-22-2008 |
Nonfiction
'Bad Money' is Not Meant to be Pretty, and It Isn'tnew
Phillips argues that financial recklessness, combined with peak oil and the rise of Asian economic power, will doom -- has already doomed -- American world leadership and our standard of living, which depend on the value of the dollar.
The Texas Observer |
James K. Galbraith |
05-21-2008 |
Nonfiction
Lynda Barry Gives Us a Lesson on Writing in 'What It Is'new
What It Is is beautiful. If you've ever seen the illustrated version of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, you'll recognize the color scheme. Still, on my first reading of the somewhat murky, meandering opening section, I felt a vague unease.
Montreal Mirror |
Juliet Waters |
05-16-2008 |
Nonfiction
Read 'Bad Money' and Weepnew
After reading the new book by Kevin Phillips, a painful realization dawns: Not one of the people running for president is addressing how interconnected and serious America's economic, ecological, and security problems are. Worse, the bankers and hedge-fund speculators who created the credit crisis are financing the campaigns of Democrats -- the only politicians likely ever to rein them in.
Artvoice |
Bruce Fisher |
05-16-2008 |
Nonfiction
Humberto Caspa Chronicles the Fear and Loathing of Mexicans in Costa Mesanew
If Orange County is the Mexican-hating capital of America, then Costa Mesa is its capitol -- the crucible where anti-immigrant measures get debated, adopted, executed, and then mimicked nationwide.
OC Weekly |
Gustavo Arellano |
05-15-2008 |
Nonfiction
Michael Chabon Fills in the Blank Spacesnew
Maps and Legends, Chabon's first essay collection, unearths some of the author's source texts and offers his exuberant ruminations on the role of the writer as protector and defender of artistic ancestors.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Anthony Miller |
05-12-2008 |
Nonfiction
Tony Horwitz Shows Folks What They Didn't Know in 'A Voyage Long and Strange'new
The book's chief attraction, even more than its historical revelations about discovering North America, lies in armchair traveling with a personable, entertaining companion.
Shepherd Express |
Roger K. Miller |
05-09-2008 |
Nonfiction
Muhammad Yunus Looks at the Entrepreneurial Poornew
The book is a hopeful portrait of the achievements of hard work and passion, which led to Yunus' 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
Jackson Free Press |
Lindsey Maddox |
05-08-2008 |
Nonfiction
Julie Doucet Exposes Herself in '365 Days'new
Doucet's visual diary 365 Days is an intimate look into the minutiae of everything she went through over a full year.
NOW Magazine |
David Silverberg |
05-02-2008 |
Nonfiction
You Will Read Funny Storiesnew
Jennifer 8. Lee layers into her engrossing, charmingly tangential book other pieces -- beyond fortune cookies -- of the history of Chinese food in America.
Eugene Weekly |
Molly Templeton |
05-02-2008 |
Nonfiction
Reading Between the Beats of 'Rollin' with Dre'new
Bruce Williams and Donnell Alexander's book is strange and sinister. What makes it strange is that it's actually about Williams, who worked as a bodyguard, valet, personal manager, and confidante for Dr. Dre.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
D. Scot Miller |
04-30-2008 |
Nonfiction
Rich Westcott's Bio of Roundball Legend Eddie Gottlieb is a Slam Dunknew
Westcott tracks down most of Gottlieb's surviving friends and players (he died in 1979 at age 81) to present an unusually well-rounded portrait.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Andrew Milner |
04-29-2008 |
Nonfiction
This Memoir from a Survivor of American Torture May Help U.S. Face Realitynew
Reading Five Years of My Life, I realized the situation at Guantanamo is both better and worse than I had feared -- worse because the torture is so severe, so constant, so senseless, and so institutionalized, and better because someone who was subjected to it has survived with his soul intact.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Hannah Tennant-Moore |
04-28-2008 |
Nonfiction
What Mary Roach Doesn't Want to Talk About in 'Bonk'new
Sadism recognizes taboo and guilt and shame; the transgression is the point. But for science, and for Roach, taboo is simply superstition, a roadblock the repressed throw up between sex and pleasure, and between research and its funding.
Chicago Reader |
Noah Berlatsky |
04-28-2008 |
Nonfiction
