The Monthly Digest: December 2020

In November, as the people of the United States chose their new President and local representatives, LARB reaffirmed its commitment to covering both global and national politics from a wide variety of angles. The pieces below delve deeply into both recent and distant political history in the US and the around the world, and consider new possibilities for the future. — LARB Editorial

Henry Wallace and the Road Not Taken
The Democrats’ turn away from New Deal economic radicalism toward corporate soft power began in 1944 with the dumping of an influential vice president.
Sammy FeldblumNov 27, 2020
- History
- Politics
The Way We Speak Now: On David Bromwich’s “Writing Politics”
The American talent for wordplay can reinvigorate ideas and bring transformative politics.
Sam SackeroffNov 27, 2020
- Politics
Life Isn’t a Narrative: A Conversation with JoAnn Wypijewski
The author of “What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About #MeToo” discusses the irrationality of sex panics.
M. BunaNov 26, 2020
- Gender & Sexuality
- Politics
What Should I Do with Such a Man?: On “Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture”
A new biography does the seemingly impossible: it casts new light on the much-studied founding father of Haiti.
Adolf AlzupharNov 26, 2020
Reading Mike Davis in Toronto: Police Violence and the Global City
David Helps on the city where “City of Quartz” was written.
David HelpsNov 22, 2020
- History
- Politics
Moving on Up — and Out: On L. Benjamin Rolsky’s “The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left”
John Compton reviews L. Benjamin Rolsky's recently published book, "The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left."
John ComptonNov 22, 2020
Broader Histories: On Susan Briante’s “Defacing the Monument”
Marie Scarles considers “Defacing the Monument” by Susan Briante.
Marie ScarlesNov 20, 2020
- Poetry
We Have Always Lived in the Castle: One Month of "The Queen's Gambit"
For Dear Television, Aaron Bady remembers what it was like to watch the soothing counterfactuals of The Queen's Gambit all the way back in October 2020.
Aaron BadyNov 20, 2020
- Dear Television
Race Consciousness: Fascism and Frank Herbert’s “Dune”
Jordan S. Carroll on the alt-right's love of Frank Herbert's "Dune" series.
Jordan S. CarrollNov 19, 2020
- Politics
- SF
Heresies of “Dune”
Are there any liberals on Arrakis? Daniel Immerwahr considers the backstory and political impact of Frank Herbert's "Dune."
Daniel ImmerwahrNov 19, 2020
- SF
Wagging the Dog, Avant-Garde Style: How the Russian Non-Parliamentary Opposition Influenced Putin’s Kremlin
Andrei Rogatchevski delves into “It Will Be Fun and Terrifying: Nationalism and Protest in Post-Soviet Russia,” by Fabrizio Fenghi.
Andrei RogatchevskiNov 18, 2020
“Art Is So Scary”: Yulia Tsvetkova and the Suppression of Dissent in Putin’s Russia
Lillian Avedian examines the campaign of persecution against an outspoken Russian artist and activist.
Lillian AvedianNov 18, 2020
Making Art “Bad” Again: Shock, Protest, and Visual Art in the Age of Trump
The problem of obviousness in today’s protest art.
Sophie HaigneyNov 16, 2020
- Art & Architecture
- Politics
Real Life Rock Top 10: November 2020: Special Election Edition!
LARB presents the special election installment of “Real Life Rock Top 10,” a monthly column by cultural critic Greil Marcus.
Greil MarcusNov 16, 2020
- Fiction
- Politics
Trump Derangement Syndrome, or How I Learned to Love America: On Ayad Akhtar’s “Homeland Elegies”
Jordan Elgrably reviews "Homeland Elegies," the new book from Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar.
Jordan ElgrablyNov 10, 2020
- Fiction
Histories of Violence: The Revolutionary Potential of Pacifism
Brad Evans speaks with Richard Jackson, the director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS).
Brad EvansNov 9, 2020
- Histories of Violence
The Heart of It All: On David Giffels’s “Barnstorming Ohio: To Understand America”
A journalist travels his native Ohio to understand the rest of the country.
Liz SkalkaNov 5, 2020
- Nonfiction
- Politics
You’re Tearing Me Apart: On William L. Barney’s “Rebels in the Making: The Secession Crisis and the Birth of the Confederacy”
Bill Thompson reviews “Rebels in the Making,” the new Civil War history by William L. Barney.
Bill ThompsonNov 4, 2020
- History
- Politics
For a More Perfect Fascism: On Victoria de Grazia’s “The Perfect Fascist”
Aliza Wong reviews "The Perfect Fascist," the new biography by Victoria de Grazia.
Aliza WongNov 3, 2020
The Trumper with a Thousand Faces
Mark Oprea reviews John Hibbing’s “The Securitarian Personality: What Really Motivates Trump’s Base and Why It Matters for the Post-Trump Era.”
Mark OpreaNov 2, 2020
- Politics
The Paesano of Shame: Trump’s Italian American Consiglieres
Christine Grimaldi on the political history of Italian Americans, including those who love Trump.
Christine GrimaldiNov 2, 2020
- History
- Politics
John Yoo Tortures History and Law to Defend Donald Trump
Stephen Rohde reviews John Yoo's "Defender in Chief: Donald Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power."
Stephen RohdeNov 1, 2020