Poetry–sadly the bastard child of the publishing industry these days–has a place close to my heart. As a longtime poet (since 2nd grade!) and an MA degree holder in English literature with a specialization in poetry, I feel qualified to adjudicate a book on the study and appreciation of the art. In addition [...]
Tragic and inspiring, the story of fifteen-year-old Hadiya living and blogging in Mosul, Iraq is presented in print form by Haymarket Books, Chicago’s own progressive and nonprofit book publisher. IraqiGirl is a series of edited—for grammar—blog posts from Hadiya as she attempts to make sense of what is happening in native country. As an American [...]
I’ve never owned a car, and I can happily say that being carless in Chicago has been a much easier experience than anywhere else I’ve lived. For this reason, I was delighted to find a copy of Carless in Chicago by Jason Rothstein, published by Chicago publisher Lake Claremont Press, on my doorstep. If you’re [...]
Nancy Friday’s Beyond My Control is a follow-up to her groundbreaking 1973 book My Secret Garden, which detailed real women’s sexual fantasies that they had shared with the author through letters and video-recorded interviews. My Secret Garden was a groundbreaking book at the time, though today you might find an average issue of Cosmopolitan [...]
This book isn’t necessarily as stuffy as its title and premise make it out to be. It is, however, erudite throughout, even as it meanders away from what might be considered the thesis down long diatribes about interesting, if only-connected-by-gossamer-threads, side topics. It’s an unusual and intriguing ride, and one bolstered by the [...]
“Even in Chicago, a city steeped in mob history and legend, the Family Secrets case was a true spectacle when it made it to court in 2007. A top mob boss, a reputed consigliere, and other high-profile members of the Chicago Outfit were accused in a total of eighteen gangland killings, revealing organized crime’s ruthless [...]
“This book is the first in English to consider women’s movements and feminist discourses in twentieth-century Taiwan. Doris T. Chang examines the way in which Taiwanese women in the twentieth century selectively appropriated Western feminist theories to meet their needs in a modernizing Confucian culture. She illustrates the rise and fall of women’s movements against [...]
“Over the past thirty years, visionary anthropologist Michael Taussig has crafted a highly distinctive body of work. Playful, enthralling, and whip-smart, his writing makes ingenious connections between ideas, thinkers, and things. An extended meditation on the mysteries of color and the fascination they provoke, What Color Is the Sacred? is the next step on Taussig’s [...]
“Nobody knows the game of golf like a caddie. The long-shot dreams, jaw-dropping victories, and soul-crushing defeats—the caddie sees it all. Rarely receiving credit when things go right and frequently taking the blame when things go wrong, caddies are the invisible backbone of the game. Behind every top 10 finish, every Tour championship, and every [...]
“Thirty-five years ago, Nancy Friday became one of history’s most controversial figures and helped launch the sexual revolution with the groundbreaking mega-bestseller, My Secret Garden, exploring for the first time in the public arena the true nature of women’s sexual fantasies.
“The revolutionary and renowned journalist is now releasing Beyond My Control: Forbidden Fantasies in an [...]
“The need for accurate reporting on the situation in Iraq continues as the world’s major media shift their focus to the “other” U.S. occupation in Afghanistan. Courageous independent journalists have shed light on many of the major events and turning-points under-reported or entirely ignored by big media outlets. Yet the day to day reality of [...]
“Not only is Radiohead the most innovative and influential rock band—it’s also the most philosophically and culturally relevant. Since the 1993 breakthrough hit ‘Creep,’ the band keeps on making waves, with its view of the Bush presidency (Hail to the Thief), its anti-corporatism, its ecologically conscious road tours, its videos, and its decision to sell [...]
“Simply put, Family Affair answers the question, “What does it means to be black in America today?” Through personal stories and essays, Family Affair cleaves through the physical, social, political and historical characteristics that have come to define the African-American community in the 21st century.
“Unless you live in a haunted house, the eyes on your paintings probably don’t follow you around. However, with a couple of motion sensors, two motors, a few transistors, resistors, diodes, and wires you can convert a Van Gogh print into a macabre masterpiece with a mind of its own. Haywired proves that science can [...]
“‘Nobody sings like Melba, and nobody ever will,’ proclaimed the impresario Oscar Hammerstein in 1908. Like many others of his time, he considered her the world’s greatest singer. The wild acclaim showered on her by American fans led to the coining of the word ‘Melbamania.’ Year after year she toured America on the ‘Melba’ train, [...]
“What fans don’t love to relive the good times of their favorite team? Likewise, in a twisted sort of way, what fans can really resist a self-pitying look back on some of those times that tested their allegiance? Those disastrous games, seasons, and plays that made the good times even better?
“When a self-proclaimed “lazy scholar” embarks on a trip through his life’s influences–as diverse as girl-group doo-wop, Yeats, and Van Gogh–readers are in for an illuminating ride. This collection of essays from cultural critic Di Piero veers from his early years as the son of immigrants in Philadelphia to his working life in art, film, [...]
“Each year writers and editors submit over three thousand grammar and style questions to the Q&A page at The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Some are arcane, some simply hilarious—and one editor, Carol Fisher Saller, reads every single one of them. All too often she notes a classic author-editor standoff, wherein both parties refuse to [...]