Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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A Man of Little Consequence
On “Six Four” by Hideo Yokoyama.
Nick OwcharDec 13, 2017
- Around the World
- Noir
Flash and Lumber: Elizabeth Hardwick’s Essays
Morten Høi Jensen is swayed but not blinded by the flash of Elizabeth Hardwick’s inimitable essays.
Morten Høi JensenDec 13, 2017
- Literary Criticism
- Memoir & Essay
Class Acts
A new memoir about refugee teenagers in a Denver high school.
Bob BlaisdellDec 12, 2017
- Education
- Memoir & Essay
Reza Aslan’s Human God
Randy Rosenthal considers Reza Aslan's "God: A Human History," his history of the religious impulse.
Randy RosenthalDec 12, 2017
- History
- Religion
Louise Erdrich’s Dystopian Dreams in “Future Home of the Living God”
Anita Felicelli finds flaw and favor in Louise Erdrich’s dystopian novel “Future Home of the Living God.”
Anita FelicelliDec 12, 2017
- Fiction
- SF
Other People’s Children, Part 3, or Ghost Touches: Myriam Gurba’s “Mean” and Sexual Violence
Jonathan Alexander on the hauntology of sexual violence in Myriam Gurba’s difficult but impactful new memoir/true crime tale, “Mean.”
Jonathan AlexanderDec 11, 2017
- Gender & Sexuality
- Memoir & Essay
The Legacy of Eric Garner: Policing Still Going Wrong
The killing of Eric Garner gets a nuanced treatment from one of the left’s most polarizing stylists.
Shehryar FazliDec 11, 2017
- Politics
Second Chances: The Essays of Martin J. Smith
Barbara DeMarco-Barrett reviews a volume of essays by Martin J. Smith.
Barbara DeMarco-BarrettDec 10, 2017
- Memoir & Essay
Acquisition and Empire: On James Delbourgo’s “Collecting the World”
On the origins of the British Museum.
Suzanne FischerDec 10, 2017
A Recipe for Coping in Trump’s America
Two books on the Trump era offer a mixed blessing. Yes, he’s out of control. But the kitchen may be your best place of refuge.
Randle BrowningDec 10, 2017
- Food & Drink
- Politics
Permanent Precarity for American Millennials
Reece Rogers is rallied by “Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials” by Malcolm Harris.
Reece RogersDec 9, 2017
Books Fall Apart: On Nancy Perloff’s “Explodity: Sound, Image, and Word in Russian Futurist Book Art”
Eugene Ostashevsky explores “Explodity: Sound, Image, and Word in Russian Futurist Book Art” by Nancy Perloff.
Eugene OstashevskyDec 9, 2017
- Around the World
- Art & Architecture
The Surprising Evolution of “Beren and Lúthien”
Brian Kenna on J. R. R. Tolkien's recently released "Beren and Lúthien."
Brian KennaDec 9, 2017
- SF
Other People’s Children, Part 2: Stories in the Aftermath, or “The Hate U Give”
Angie Thomas’s debut novel tackles the traumas of race in contemporary America.
Jonathan AlexanderDec 8, 2017
- Young Adult & Children’s Literature
How the Environment Topples Empires: On Kyle Harper’s “The Fate of Rome”
Ellie Robins outlines the lessons of “The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire” by Kyle Harper.
Ellie RobinsDec 7, 2017
- History
The Politics of the Ostrich: On Pascal Bruckner’s “Un racisme imaginaire: La querelle de l’islamophobie et culpabilité”
Reza Zia-Ebrahimi exposes the real danger of “Un racisme imaginaire” by Pascal Bruckner.
Reza Zia-EbrahimiDec 7, 2017