Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

The Michael Jackson Songbook
After "Leaving Neverland," what can Michael Jackson's lyrics tell us?
Laurie WinerMay 24, 2019
- Music
Life, Liberty, and Advanced Placement for All
AP tests are overdetermined by liberal ideology that dates back to the 18th century, much of which doesn't meet the diverse needs of 21st-century students.
Annie AbramsMay 23, 2019
- Education
Lost and Found
Charles Taylor marvels over "Amazing Grace."
Charles TaylorMay 22, 2019
Time Regained: Reading Józef Czapski in Billings, Montana
Louise Steinman finds solace and inspiration by reading Józef Czapski on Marcel Proust in Billings, Montana.
Louise SteinmanMay 21, 2019
- Memoir & Essay
- Nonfiction
Game of Thrones: Season 8, "The Iron Throne"
For Dear Television, Aaron Bady and Sarah Mesle consider the new occupant of the Iron Throne and what got them there and ask, "But why, though?"
Aaron Bady, Sarah MesleMay 20, 2019
- Dear Television
This Is Why We Cry: From “Sad by Design: On Platform Nihilism”
LARB presents an excerpt from “Sad by Design: On Platform Nihilism” by Geert Lovink.
Geert LovinkMay 20, 2019
- Cultural Studies
- Science & Technology
Whose Eyes Are These?
The Gypsy Girl, however, is nothing but eyes. No part of her makes her foreign or insists on her difference. She is whatever you would like her to be.
Ayşegül SavaşMay 18, 2019
- Around the World
- Art & Architecture
Fans with Feels: Game of Thrones as Soap Opera
Kristen Warner is here to tell you that Game of Thrones is a soap opera, that you are soap opera fans, and that it's okay.
Kristen WarnerMay 18, 2019
- Television
The Hills Are Alive: “Pet Sematary” and the Horror of Indigenous Sovereignty and Black Freedom
Dixa Ramírez D’Oleo digs up Mary Lambert’s original 1989 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel “Pet Sematary.”
Dixa Ramírez D’OleoMay 17, 2019
- Film
Gay Noir Pioneer
Michael Nava surveys the career of gay crime novelist Joseph Hansen.
Michael NavaMay 16, 2019
- Gender & Sexuality
- Noir
The Party of Utopia: A Report from the 43rd Annual Society for Utopian Studies Conference
Bonnie Johnson reports from the 43rd annual Society for Utopian Studies Conference.
Bonnie JohnsonMay 15, 2019
- Cultural Studies
Game of Thrones: Season 8, "The Bells"
For Dear Television, Aaron Bady, Sarah Mesle, and Phil Maciak consider the relative madness of the queen(s) on Game of Thrones.
Aaron Bady, Phillip Maciak, Sarah MesleMay 13, 2019
- Dear Television
“There Is Too Much Feminism”: On the Rise of the Mauritian Alt-Right
Ariel Saramandi chronicles the rise of the Mauritian alt-right.
Ariel SaramandiMay 11, 2019
Scientific Rebirth
“Genesis 2.0” is a panoramic master class in the strange unmodernity of modern science.
James DelbourgoMay 10, 2019
More Poems Left in My Chest: A Portrait of the Poet Laureate of Kurdish Jihad
Mohammed Fatih Mohammed considers the legacy of Khider Kosari, the “poet laureate of Kurdish jihad.”
Mohammed Fatih MohammedMay 8, 2019
Game of Thrones: Season 8, "The Last of the Starks"
For Dear Television, Aaron Bady and Sarah Mesle check in with the last of the Starks on the day after the long night in Westeros.
Aaron Bady, Sarah MesleMay 6, 2019
- Dear Television