Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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How to Find God (on YouTube)
A new book on “network Christianity” might include some clues to the rise of Donald Trump.
James K. A. SmithFeb 5, 2018
- Religion
Make This a Different Future: Reproductive Futurism and Its (Dis)contents
On Rebekah Sheldon's "The Child to Come: Life after the Human Catastrophe."
Veronica HollingerFeb 3, 2018
- Literary Criticism
- SF
Violence and Glamour in Eileen Chang’s “Little Reunions”
Melynda Fuller reviews Eileen Chang's "Little Reunions," recently rereleased by NYRB Classics.
Melynda FullerFeb 3, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
An American Tragedy by Way of France
Translating a famous American crime into a French fiction.
Sara KippurFeb 2, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
White Collars and White Hoods: On “The Second Coming of the KKK”
"When the Klan was not underground, but sitting in the mayor’s chair." Robert A. Slayton reads Linda Gordon's history of the Ku Klux Klan.
Robert SlaytonFeb 1, 2018
- History
- Politics
The Grasp of the Real
Stephen Greenblatt’s "The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve" tells a gripping story of storytelling, a tale spun by the fortunes of one of the greatest stories.
Paul A. KottmanFeb 1, 2018
- Philosophy & Religion
- Religion
Untranslatable Voices: Vickie Vértiz Writes Los Ángeles in “Palm Frond with Its Throat Cut”
Isabel Gómez on Vickie Vértiz’s “Palm Frond with Its Throat Cut” and the radical work of translinguality as decolonial practice.
Isabel GómezJan 31, 2018
- Poetry
Keeping the Darwinian Faith
A review of Michael Ruse’s book on the religion of scientism.
Charles LaPorte, Joseph LaPorteJan 30, 2018
Identifying and Identifying with the Thin White Duke: Darryl Bullock’s “David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music”
Morgan Woolsey on Darryl Bullock’s “David Bowie Made Me Gay” and the difficulties identifying exactly what “gay music” is.
Morgan WoolseyJan 29, 2018
The Triumph of Memory: On Daša Drndić’s “Belladonna”
Eileen Battersby is ravished by “Belladonna,” a new novel by Croatian writer Daša Drndić, translated by Celia Hawkesworth.
Eileen BattersbyJan 29, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
A Spark Neglected Burns the House: On “The Future Is History”
"The Future Is History" is not just a journalistic account of Russia's national collapse. It’s also a profoundly novelistic account.
Nicholas CannariatoJan 28, 2018
The Language of Bees: On Colin Winnette’s “The Job of the Wasp”
Michael Valinsky on the uncanny nature of Winnette's "The Job of the Wasp."
Michael ValinskyJan 27, 2018
- Fiction
Let Me Take a Selfie: Possibility, Performativity, and Politics in Alicia Eler’s “The Selfie Generation”
Alicia Eler’s “The Selfie Generation” dilates on perhaps the seminal photographic genre of our time to think about its possibilities and pitfalls.
Hollis GriffinJan 26, 2018
Democracy Versus Liberalism
Roslyn Fuller considers Josiah Ober's "Demopolis: Democracy before Liberalism in Theory and Practice."
Roslyn FullerJan 26, 2018
Natural Philosopher: Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “Winter”
Is Karl Ove Knausgaard’s literary sincerity a balm for those dealing with democratic turmoil?
Frederick WasserJan 25, 2018
- Around the World
- Memoir & Essay
Living in the Present: On Kieran Setiya’s “Midlife: A Philosophical Guide”
Karl Schafer contemplates “Midlife: A Philosophical Guide” by Kieran Setiya.
Karl SchaferJan 25, 2018
- Philosophy & Religion