Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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“A Single Wand of Rusted Quince”: On the Visionary Poetry of Bohuslav Reynek
Michael Tate peers into “The Well at Morning: Selected Poems, 1925–1971” by Bohuslav Reynek, translated by Justin Quinn.
Michael TateJan 15, 2018
- Around the World
- Poetry
Press Versus Privacy: Does the Right to Be Left Alone Override the Public’s Right to Know?
On "Newsworthy: The Supreme Court Battle Over Privacy and Press Freedom."
Stephen RohdeJan 15, 2018
- History
- Law
On the Brink
Before he made the most important disclosure of the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg saw inside the United States’s nuclear empire — and it terrified him.
Daniel BessnerJan 14, 2018
- Politics
The Hasidic Question
On "Hasidism: A New History," recently released by Princeton University Press.
George ProchnikJan 14, 2018
- History
- Religion
The Re-Re-Rewriter: Octavia E. Butler and the MAYBE Book
A new book on Octavia Butler and her lost manuscripts.
Rebecca J. HoldenJan 13, 2018
Thinking Weirdly with China Miéville
On two recent books dissecting the works of China Miéville.
Zak BronsonJan 13, 2018
- Literary Criticism
- SF
So Much to Take In
On Jeffrey J. Kripal's "Secret Body: Erotic and Esoteric Currents in the History of Religions."
Christine M. SkolnikJan 12, 2018
- Religion
Means of Escape: César Vallejo’s “Scales”
David S. Wallace reviews César Vallejo’s “Scales.”
David Schurman WallaceJan 11, 2018
- Around the World
- Poetry
Tiny Betrayals and Naughty Poeticism: Jenny Diski’s “The Vanishing Princess”
Taylor Larsen applauds the reissue of Jenny Diski’s 1995 story collection “The Vanishing Princess.”
Taylor LarsenJan 10, 2018
- Fiction
More Speech or Enforced Silence? Stephen Rohde Reviews Two Recent Books on the Subject of Free Speech on Campus
How to protect free speech on campus.
Stephen RohdeJan 9, 2018
To and from the Linguistic Shore of Ismail Kadare’s “A Girl in Exile”
Michael Valinsky appreciates the self-reflexive beauty of Ismail Kadare’s “A Girl in Exile.”
Michael ValinskyJan 9, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
The Acceptance of Certain Mysteries: Peter Taylor’s “Complete Stories”
Eric Gudas finds Peter Taylor’s two-volume “Complete Stories” transformative.
Eric GudasJan 8, 2018
- Fiction
How the Unlikely Becomes Inevitable in Hermione Hoby’s “Neon in Daylight”
Bradley Babendir finds Hermione Hoby’s debut novel “Neon in Daylight” luminous and wonderful.
Bradley BabendirJan 7, 2018
- Fiction
Life in the Fast Lane
Charles L. Ponce de Leon reviews “Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine” by Joe Hagan.
Charles L. Ponce De LeonJan 7, 2018
- Biography & Autobiography
- Music
The Neoliberal Feminist Subject
How neoliberalism is co-opting and undermining feminism.
Catherine RottenbergJan 7, 2018
Is Government a Protection Racket? How Wheat and Taxes Built the Ancient States
The foundation of the state isn’t warfare; it’s actually the tribute that a strongman would demand from your garden.
Antonio GilmanJan 6, 2018