Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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Our Deplorable Selves: Alan Alda’s Improv Antidote
K. C. Cole looks at Alan Alda's "If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?"
K. C. ColeJun 9, 2017
- Memoir & Essay
- Science & Technology
Facing Facts, Facing Reality: On Deborah Nelson’s “Tough Enough”
Deborah Nelson’s “Tough Enough” examines how intellectual powerhouses including Hannah Arendt, Susan Sontag, and Diane Arbus face reality head on.
Jacquelyn ArdamJun 8, 2017
- Gender & Sexuality
- Literary Criticism
“The Things That Scare You”: Dominique Goblet’s “Pretending Is Lying”
Tahneer Oksman on the images that can override images in Dominique Goblet's graphic memoir "Pretending Is Lying."
Tahneer OksmanJun 8, 2017
- Comics
- Memoir & Essay
“The Emotion-Recollected-in-Tranquility Racket”: On J. D. Daniels’s “The Correspondence: Essays”
Houman Barekat journeys through “The Correspondence: Essays” by J. D. Daniels.
Houman BarekatJun 7, 2017
- Memoir & Essay
Facing the Feminist in the Mirror: On Sara Ahmed’s “Living a Feminist Life”
In all the messiness of Sara Ahmed's "Living a Feminist Life," it offers more than a healthy start.
Mariam RahmaniJun 6, 2017
“Great Man, Finish ‘Les Misérables’”: David Bellos’s “The Novel of the Century”
Henrik Bering explores “The Novel of the Century” by David Bellos.
Henrik BeringJun 4, 2017
- History
Up from the Gutter: A Memoir by Joe Orton’s Sister
Leonie Orton, sister of controversial playwright Joe Orton, discusses her memoir with Charles Casillo.
Charles CasilloJun 4, 2017
- Memoir & Essay
The Shipwreck of History: Bertolt Brecht’s “War Primer”
Roy Scranton reviews Bertolt Brecht’s “War Primer.”
Roy ScrantonJun 4, 2017
- History
- Poetry
The Facts Must Matter: On “The Trouble with Reality”
Brooke Gladstone’s confidence that the facts will eventually assert themselves is galvanizing, but the book can’t tell us when, or how, or why.
Bradley BabendirJun 3, 2017
- Politics
The Groves of Academe: On “Keep the Damned Women Out”
Andrew Seal on Nancy Weiss Malkiel's "'Keep the Damned Women Out': The Struggle for Coeducation."
Andrew SealJun 3, 2017
Razor-Thin Boundaries: A Review of “Homesick for Another World” by Ottessa Moshfegh
W. S. Lyon reviews Ottessa Moshfegh's recent short story collection.
W. S. LyonJun 2, 2017
- Fiction
No Answers at All: The Futility of Love in Catherine Lacey’s “The Answers”
Joshua James Amberson reviews Catherine Lacey's "The Answers."
Joshua James AmbersonJun 2, 2017
- Fiction
Blurring the Boundaries: The Poetry of Michel Houellebecq
Russell Williams reviews Michel Houellebecq’s poetry collection “Unreconciled.”
Russell WilliamsJun 1, 2017
- Poetry
Macho-Centric: Denise Mina Takes on Classic Noir
Glenn Harper reviews “The Long Drop” by Denise Mina.
Glenn HarperJun 1, 2017
- Noir
A Sorority of Suffering
Karen Brissette reviews “Into the Water” by Paula Hawkins.
Karen BrissetteMay 31, 2017
- Noir
I Speak Therefore I Am: On Daniel Heller-Roazen’s “No One’s Ways”
Chris Townsend follows the path of “No One’s Ways: An Essay on Infinite Naming” by Daniel Heller-Roazen.
Chris TownsendMay 31, 2017
- Philosophy & Religion