Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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From Pariahs to the Privileged: On Keri Leigh Merritt’s “Masterless Men”
"As poor whites began to enjoy more of the privileges of whiteness, symbols of the slaveholders’ crusade came to represent general whiteness."
Steven WhiteAug 19, 2017
- History
- Politics
Gazing at Wholeness: Jacqueline Woodson’s “Another Brooklyn”
Jon Lewis-Katz reviews Jacqueline Woodson's "Another Brooklyn."
Jon Lewis-KatzAug 18, 2017
- Fiction
The Last Bastion of Free America?: Meagan Day’s “Maximum Sunlight”
Olivia Durif reviews Meaghan Day’s book about Tonopah, Nevada.
Olivia DurifAug 18, 2017
- Cultural Studies
- Memoir & Essay
Impotent Rage: Eka Kurniawan’s “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash”
Eka Kurniawan’s “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash” is a deeply ambitious book that can’t help but be funny.
Bradley BabendirAug 16, 2017
- Around the World
- Fiction
Red House: The Rise and Fall of Bolshevism Under One Roof
Max Holleran reviews “The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution” by Yuri Slezkine.
Max HolleranAug 16, 2017
The Marikana Massacre: Five Years Later
Alex Lichtenstein reviews two new books on the Marikana Massacre.
Alex LichtensteinAug 15, 2017
- Around the World
- Politics
Her Stoic Ferocity
Désirée Zamorano reviews “Murder on the Red River” by Marcie R. Rendon.
Désirée ZamoranoAug 14, 2017
- Noir
The Newark Rebellion at 50, and the Ghost of Ron Porambo
On the 50th anniversary of the Newark riots, our reviewer remembers the most important book to come out of the event that you’ve never heard of.
Eric NelsonAug 14, 2017
- History
- Politics
Writing the Female Mind: On Madeleine Bourdouxhe’s “La Femme de Gilles”
Tess McNulty reviews Madeleine Bourdouxhe's "La Femme de Gilles," recently republished by Melville House.
Tess McNultyAug 13, 2017
Stumbling Through Pixel Blizzards: Recent Books on Post-Cinema
Holly Willis surveys three new books about what it means to be post-cinema.
Holly WillisAug 13, 2017
- Film
Demystifying the Contents of the Universe: A New Look at Mina Loy
Jacquelyn Ardam reviews a new critical study of cryptic modernist poet Mina Loy.
Jacquelyn ArdamAug 13, 2017
- Education
- Literary Criticism
Foreshadowing the Weird: “Shadows and Tall Trees 7”
“Shadows and Tall Trees” has become one of the go-to venues for keeping abreast of the renaissance of weird fiction.
Paul StJohn MackintoshAug 12, 2017
- SF
The Popularity of Near-Death Experience
Michael Cholbi reviews “Near-Death Experiences: Understanding Visions of the Afterlife.”
Michael CholbiAug 11, 2017
- Philosophy & Religion
- Religion
The Feminist Uses of Narrative Fiction: Jill Filipovic’s “The H-Spot” and the Search for Women’s Happiness
Jill Filipovic’s latest rehearses the arguments we’ve heard before, but the stories of the women she interviews show the real power of feminist imagination.
Alexandra VeriniAug 10, 2017
- Gender & Sexuality
- Politics
The Gateway Drug: On “Triptych: Three Studies of Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible”
Matthew Boswell reviews “Triptych: Three Studies of Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible” and looks back on his own teenage obsession with the band.
Matthew BoswellAug 10, 2017
- Music
A Silent Storm: Art, Obsession, Death, and Marcel Marceau
Melynda Fuller appreciates “A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause,” an extended essay on Marcel Marceau by Shawn Wen.
Melynda FullerAug 9, 2017