Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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To Be, or Not to Be, Misunderstood
The most famous line in literature doesn’t mean what ‘Hamnet’ thinks it means.
Robert N. WatsonMar 13
- Film
- Literary Criticism
Prestige Fiction Is Dead
Evan Brier’s recent book conducts a depressing literary autopsy, complete with case studies.
Dennis Wilson WiseMar 12
Big Men and Little People
Two recent books on Idi Amin’s Uganda present an African mirror for Trump’s United States to see itself.
Samuel Fury Childs DalyMar 12
- History
- Politics
The Eagle and the Lion
An exhibition charts the ties between East Asia and Latin America, from the colonial era to the new Cold War.
Tim BrinkhofMar 10
Mad Ones with Trust Funds
Andrew Martin’s new novel is a chronicle of the overeducated and underachieving stumbling through a post-pandemic haze.
Adam StrausMar 10
- Fiction
Time-Wasting, Truth-Wasting Exercises
Samuel Cohen’s anthology on book banning diagnoses a recent swell in censorship that’s problematic for more reasons than you’d think.
John Downes-AngusMar 9
- Education
- Politics
Perhaps You’re Not Yourself, But Her
German director Mascha Schilinski’s visually evocative 2025 film suggests the influence of Francesca Woodman’s photographic work.
Marya E. GatesMar 7
- Film
Doing Someone Else’s Crossword
The Francis Crick of Matthew Cobb’s new biography was both the consummate insider and a scientific outlier.
Angela N. H. CreagerMar 6
- Science & Technology
- Biography & Autobiography
Moving Through the World with Eyes Open
In her latest short story collection, Ayşegül Savaş considers lives lived apart.
Angelica HankinsMar 5
- Fiction
Open Rehearsal
Keith S. Wilson’s visually experimental poetry examines the ‘asymmetries of risk’ and repetition to expose ‘how violence enters the body as habit.’
Jeffrey LevineMar 5
- Poetry
Sadism as Psychotherapy
Jon Stock’s recent book examines the deplorable career of prominent psychiatrist Willam Sargant and his brand of bio-therapeutics.
Andrew ScullMar 4
- Science & Technology
- History
Let Down by Understatement
Scott Broker’s debut novel is like ‘Scenes from a (Gay) Marriage’ with undertones of Stephen King.
Gideon LeekMar 3
- Fiction
World Cup Nausea
With the World Cup looming in North America this summer, Simon Kuper offers a compelling—and depressing—history of this unique tournament.
Dan FriedmanMar 3
- Sports
- Politics
Can the Internet Be Saved?
After troubleshooting Tim Berners-Lee’s memoir, it becomes clear that the internet’s flaws were there from the start.
Nicholas CarrFeb 28
- Science & Technology
- History
Davos Mann
A new book on ‘The Magic Mountain’ grapples with the contradictions of history.
Anthony Curtis AdlerFeb 26
- Philosophy & Religion
- Literary Criticism
Bill Callahan’s Vita Nuova
On his latest album, the singer-songwriter explores themes of fatherhood, time, and forgiveness.
Sebastian LangdellFeb 26
- Music