Category Archives: Books

Ke$ha Tells Fans of Her “Crazy Beautiful Life”

Posted on December 9, 2012 by

By Stephanie Beach In Ke$ha’s photographic memoir “My Crazy Beautiful Life,” the pop star gives her fans a backstage pass to her everyday life on and off the stage. Starting with her childhood in California living with her single mother … Continue reading →

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Barbara Kingsolver Novelizes Climate Change in “Flight Behavior”

Posted on December 9, 2012 by

By Wicy Wang It is not surprising that Barbara Kingsolver majored in biology—her newest book, “Flight Behavior,” is one of many Kingsolver works that focuses on environmentalism. Here, she returns to her native Appalachia with loving detail that focuses less … Continue reading →

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Robert Greene’s “Mastery” Debunks The Mystery of Success

Posted on December 9, 2012 by

By Tali Kuhel What is the meaning of life? This age old question is the foundation for Robert Greene’s newest book, “Mastery.” The pursuit of a meaningful life has influenced and tormented all classic thinkers and leaders. To Greene, the … Continue reading →

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Merits of Franzen Essay Lost in Stage Adaptation

Posted on December 4, 2012 by

By Leora Rosenberg Within fifteen minutes of “House for Sale’s” opening section, the gimmick becomes very clear. Five actors share a huge stage cluttered with plenty of chairs, a lectern, an organ, a television, and a potted plant. A lighting … Continue reading →

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NYU Professor Zadie Smith Falls Short of Former Standards With “NW”

Posted on November 11, 2012 by

By Leora Rosenberg Readers of “NW,” Zadie Smith’s newest novel, might complain that the four-hundred-page book lacks a clear plot, protagonist, and several other hallmarks of storytelling. These naysayers would be right, but they would be missing the point. This … Continue reading →

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Neil Young’s Convoluted Memoir Reaches A Universal Truth

Posted on October 12, 2012 by

By Siddhi Sundar Reading Neil Young’s autobiography “Waging Heavy Peace”is much like looping “The Last Trip To Tulsa” (his 1968 release flowing in a heavy stream of consciousness) for a bittersweet forever. On one hand, it provides a candid lens … Continue reading →

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Paul Tough’s “How Children Succeed” Delves Deep into National Educational Problems

Posted on October 4, 2012 by

By Leora Rosenberg With Chicago teachers going on strike, Bill Gates backing charter schools, and the government moving from No Child Left Behind to Race To The Top, it’s easy to forget that nobody knows exactly how to help a … Continue reading →

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D.T. Max Examines David Foster Wallace’s Literary Craft in New Biography

Posted on October 3, 2012 by

By Jason Bowers “Infinite Jest,” along with the rest of David Foster Wallace’s output, has the air of a rite of passage about it. As Dave Eggers put in his foreword to the most recent edition of “Jest,”  “It’s to … Continue reading →

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Screenwriter of “Blade Runner” Releases Short Story Collection

Posted on September 30, 2012 by

By Helen Holmes Hampton Fancher’s short stories are so viciously phrased and violently worded that their brutal abruptness give the reader nothing short of whiplash. Rather like “Blade Runner,” the film that gave the author his claim to fame, the … Continue reading →

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Michael Chabon Maintains Shining Reputation with “Telegraph Avenue”

Posted on September 28, 2012 by

By Clio McConnell “Telegraph Avenue” is a book that recreates a real location, a real culture, and a real community. The neighborhood in question is that revolving around the titular street. Even those who are not native to Northern California … Continue reading →

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