Archive

A Storied Path: On Mark Plotkin’s “The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know”
Gary Paul Nabhan delights in the stories gathered in conservationist Mark J. Plotkin’s new book.
Gary Paul NabhanJan 3, 2021
- Around the World
- Science & Technology
A Man and His Persona: On “Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise”
A revealing biography of an iconic Hollywood star.
Chris YogerstJan 3, 2021
- Biography & Autobiography
- Film
Korean Provocateur: the Harrowing Films of Kim Ki-duk (1960-2020)
For this week's Korea Blog, Colin Marshall remembers director Kim Ki-duk.
Colin MarshallJan 3, 2021
How “Such a Fun Age” Came to Be: An Interview with Kiley Reid
Jabeen Akhtar talks to author Kiley Reid about her debut novel, “Such a Fun Age.”
Jabeen AkhtarJan 2, 2021
- Fiction
The Life Ironic: The Pricks of Science and Art
A Wes Anderson devotee reminds the author of his young self and the sorts of sensibilities (science- and art-related) for which others have to pay.
Joshua RoebkeJan 2, 2021
I Spy Louise Fitzhugh: A Conversation with Leslie Brody
A chat with the author of a new biography of the creator of Harriet the Spy.
Kelly BlewettJan 2, 2021
- Young Adult & Children’s Literature
“Between All of Us Living and All of Us Dead”: On Mark Bibbins’s “13th Balloon”
L. A. Johnson reviews “13th Balloon” by Mark Bibbins.
L. A. JohnsonJan 1, 2021
- Poetry
An America That Could Explain: On Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land”
Barack Obama’s new memoir is a book hiding within a book.
Jan 1, 2021
The Monthly Digest: January 2021
As we say goodbye and good riddance to 2020, we honor LARB’s annual tradition: our own version of the People’s Choice Awards.
Jan 1, 2021
Putting America to the Test
A treasure trove of great American essays, from Cotton Mather to Joan Didion.
David MikicsJan 1, 2021
- Memoir & Essay
Unmaking California’s Central Valley
Water piped in from elsewhere has performed a peculiar kind of magic in California’s Central Valley, writes Sayd Randle. That magic is now dimming.
Sayd RandleDec 31, 2020
Haunted by the Past: The Nostalgic Future of “Cyberpunk 2077”
“CP77” is a large franchise-oriented product of nostalgia, but ultimately not the innovation that cyberpunk could be.
Lars SchmeinkDec 31, 2020
- SF
The Black College Experience: On Jelani M. Favors’s “Shelter in a Time of Storm”
Elwood Watson reviews Jelani M. Favors's new book, "Shelter in a Time of Storm: How Black Colleges Fostered Generations of Leadership and Activism."
Elwood WatsonDec 31, 2020
- History
- Politics
A Sprawling Study Tracks the Global State of LGBT People
Michael Nava reviews Mark Gevisser’s “The Pink Line,” a study of LGBTQ struggles for civil rights across the world.
Michael NavaDec 30, 2020
War-Making and Crime-Fighting in a Punitive Society
Paul M. Renfro examines "The Punitive Turn in American Life," the new book by Michael S. Sherry.
Paul M. RenfroDec 30, 2020
- History
- Politics
This Should Be a Movie: “American Utopia,” the Concert Film, and Extending a Terrific Moment
Sara Black McCulloch considers the nature of the concert film — its scope, its liveness, and its political commitments.
Sara Black McCullochDec 30, 2020