Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

All Essays

Republicans and the Purple Crayon: How to Fix Partisan Gerrymandering in Wisconsin and Elsewhere
Tom Zoellner seeks a way forward from gerrymandering.
Tom ZoellnerFeb 22, 2023
- Politics
BTS: Permission to Desire
Rani Neutill discusses the euphoric affect of BTS for Gen-X women.
Rani NeutillFeb 17, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- Music
Love Labor: On Touring as an Independent Musician
Eli Winter details the material and psychological quirks of touring as an independent musician.
Eli WinterFeb 13, 2023
- Music
Going Klear: A Glass Onion Franchise in the Wild
J. D. Connor asks why Netflix spent $450 million to acquire the “Glass Onion” franchise.
J. D. ConnorFeb 9, 2023
- Film
Tell Me About Yourself: On Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Cure”
Greg Cwik reviews Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s film “Cure” on the occasion of its 25th anniversary last year.
Greg CwikFeb 8, 2023
- Film
Graphic Medicine: Comics Redraw Health Narratives
DW McKinney explores a recent spate of graphic-medicine narratives that deal with mental health and other medical issues.
DW McKinneyFeb 4, 2023
- Comics
Visions of Selves and Systems: Muslim Lives on American Television
Farah Bakaari reviews “Ramy,” “Mo,” and shows about Muslim life on American TV.
Farah BakaariFeb 3, 2023
- Television
Let the Knife Speak: On José Rizal
Gina Apostol explores the works and cultural meanings of the great Filipino rebel-poet José Rizal.
Gina ApostolJan 30, 2023
- Fiction
- History
The Half-Century in Bullshit: On Peter Bogdanovich’s “Paper Moon” and Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power”
Paul Thompson examines the metabolization of bullshit into our lives, by way of analyzing Peter Bogdanovich’s film “Paper Moon” and Robert Greene’s book “The 48 Laws of Power.”
Paul ThompsonJan 28, 2023
- Film
- Literary Criticism
Eat, Pray, Know When to Hold ’Em: A Profile of Annie Duke
LARB’s editor-in-chief, Michelle Chihara, profiles the elusive pokergenius–turned-author Annie Duke.
Michelle ChiharaJan 26, 2023
- Economics and Finance
Dancing on the World’s Thin Crust: On the MIT Press’s Radium Age Series
Niall Harrison reviews three early-20th-century science fiction novels published as part of the MIT Press’s Radium Age series.
Niall HarrisonJan 21, 2023
- SF
The Water’s Edge: On Laura Aguilar’s Photography
Rosa Boshier González on Laura Aguilar’s Los Angeles from The LARB Quarterly, no. 36: “Are you content?”
Rosa Boshier GonzálezJan 18, 2023
- Art & Architecture
- LARB Lit
Good Evening, We Are from Ukraine: The Subversive Radicalism of a Viral Wartime Slogan
Maria Sonevytsky explores how a simple phrase became a slogan invoked by Ukrainian politicians, soldiers, intellectuals, and keyboard warriors.
Maria SonevytskyJan 17, 2023
How to Swim Against the Stream: On Diogenes
Costica Bradatan considers the lessons of the famous Cynic Diogenes.
Costica BradatanJan 14, 2023
- Philosophy & Religion
- Politics
C. L. R. James: Renaissance Revolutionary
Alan Warhaftig recalls his encounters with C. L. R. James, one of the finest public intellectuals of the 20th century.
Alan WarhaftigJan 12, 2023
Fuck the Poetry Police: On the Index of Major Literary Prizes in the United States
Dan Sinykin breaks down the Post45 Data Collective set on literary awards compiled by Stephanie Young and Juliana Spahr.
Dan SinykinJan 9, 2023