Reviews Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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The Great Slovenian Novel
Zack Hatfield on Lojze Kovačič "Newcomers: Book One".
Zack HatfieldAug 18, 2016
In Search of the “Real” Japan
A review of Donald Richie’s classic book about Japan, “The Inland Sea”.
Colin MarshallAug 18, 2016
- Around the World
- Cultural Studies
Hope in the Ruins of Homs: Architecture and the Syrian Civil War
Frederick Deknatel reviews “The Battle for Home: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria” by Marwa al-Sabouni.
Frederick DeknatelAug 17, 2016
An Extraordinary Person
Shirin Ebadi’s autobiographical “Until We Are Free” describes her struggle to erect human rights law in Iran after winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ameena Mirza QaziAug 17, 2016
Putting Japan on the Map
“Cartographic Japan” gives a history of the mapping of Japan.
Miriam KingsbergAug 17, 2016
- History
Recuperating Exile: Ocean Vuong’s “Night Sky With Exit Wounds”
“Night Sky With Exit Wounds” is a debut collection of poetry by Ocean Vuong that explores identity, the immigrant experience, and the impact of exile.
Dan LópezAug 16, 2016
- Poetry
When the Hurlyburly’s Done: Roy Scranton’s “War Porn”
Roy Scranton’s new novel “War Porn” calls into question mindsets rampant on both sides of the Iraq War.
Sarah HoenickeAug 16, 2016
- Fiction
Teffi Who? The Rediscovery of One of Russia’s Greatest Writers
Maria Bloshteyn reviews two recent translations of Teffi (1872–1952), a Russian literary superstar who is finally getting her due in the West.
Maria BloshteynAug 16, 2016
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
Act Naturally: Pretentiousness, Coolness, and Culture
Barrett Swanson reads two new books on the presentation of the self.
Barrett SwansonAug 15, 2016
- Literary Criticism
- Philosophy & Religion
Cloudy With a Chance of Dystopia: Tung-Hui Hu’s “A Prehistory of the Cloud”
Kevin Driscoll on Tung-Hui Hu's "A Prehistory of the Cloud".
Kevin DriscollAug 14, 2016
He Gets Us, He Really Gets Us: Jay McInerney’s “Bright, Precious Days” and the Sighs of the One Percent
The latest installment in Jay McInerney’s Manhattan Trilogy, a dutifully documented, tender-hearted take on The Way Manhattan’s Elite Live Now.
Cornel BoncaAug 13, 2016
- Fiction
The Fresh Air of the Modern World
Leslie M. M. Blume proves that Hemingway matters after all.
Shehryar FazliAug 13, 2016
- Biography & Autobiography
- Nonfiction
A Trickster Imagination
Helen Oyeyemi’s dazzling technique in “What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours” engages the reader’s mind; the heart is undisturbed.
Ilana TeitelbaumAug 12, 2016
- Fiction
- SF
A Tornado of Causes
Bridey Heing reviews Larry Tye's "Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon".
Bridey HeingAug 12, 2016
- Biography & Autobiography
- Politics
Why Do We Still Buy Oil From Thugs?
On Leif Wenar's "Blood Oil", the West’s problematic reality of oil trading, and how we can improve its morality.
Justin HughesAug 11, 2016
- Around the World
- Politics
Reorienting the Axis: On “When Watched”
A self-awareness that can't be grasped, a sincere attempt at interpersonal connection even as it fumbles away, drives Leopoldine Core’s "When Watched".
Brandon WilliamsAug 10, 2016
- Fiction