Nonfiction

The Kid Stays Out of the Picture: On Paul Williams’s “Harvard, Hollywood, Hitmen, and Holy Men”
Martin Woessner reviews Paul W. Williams’s complex work “Harvard, Hollywood, Hitmen, and Holy Men.”...
Martin WoessnerJan 22
- Nonfiction
Psychic Frictions: On Donald Moss’s “Psychoanalysis in a Plague Year” and Sharon Kivland’s “Abécédaire”
Ed Luker reviews Sharon Kivland’s “Abécédaire” and Donald Moss’s “Psychoanalysis in a Plague Year.”...
Ed LukerJan 19
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
Somewhat Nebulous Contours: On Sasha Senderovich’s “How the Soviet Jew Was Made”
Yelena Furman reviews Sasha Senderovich’s “How the Soviet Jew Was Made.”...
Yelena FurmanJan 15
C. L. R. James: Renaissance Revolutionary
Alan Warhaftig recalls his encounters with C. L. R. James, one of the finest public intellectuals of the 20th century....
Alan WarhaftigJan 12
Don’t Be Afraid of Going Wrong: Conversations with C. L. R. James
Alan Warhaftig talks with C. L. R. James about revolutionary politics, the ethics of cricket, and his novel “Minty Alley.”...
Alan WarhaftigJan 12
A Giant Peak Called “The Doors”: A Conversation with John Densmore
James Penner interviews John Densmore, drummer for the Doors....
James PennerJan 7
Abolition After the George Floyd Rebellion: On Jarrod Shanahan and Zhandarka Kurti’s “States of Incarceration”
Jason E. Smith reviews Zhandarka Kurti and Jarrod Shanahan’s “States of Incarceration: Rebellion, Reform, and America’s Punishment System.”...
Jason E. SmithJan 4
Is Stealing Redwoods Sometimes Okay?: On Lyndsie Bourgon’s “Tree Thieves”
Jeff Wheelwright reviews Lyndsie Bourgon’s “Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods.”...
Jeff WheelwrightDec 30, 2022
A Diary Is a Place for Dreaming: A Conversation with Amina Cain
Natalie Dunn speaks with Amina Cain about her new book “A Horse at Night: On Writing.”...
Natalie DunnDec 30, 2022
- Memoir
- Nonfiction
Breaking and Remaking the Trans Memoir: On Cecilia Gentili’s “Faltas”
Hugh Ryan reviews Cecilia Gentili’s searing new memoir, “Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist.”...
Hugh RyanDec 15, 2022
- Memoir
- Nonfiction
Digging in the Dirt: On Jennifer West’s “Media Archaeology”
David Matorin reviews Jennifer West’s debut artist monograph, “Media Archaeology.”...
David MatorinDec 14, 2022
Write Stuff: A Conversation with Kavita Das
Anjali Enjeti talks with Kavita Das about her new essay collection, “Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues.”...
Anjali EnjetiDec 12, 2022
- Memoir
- Nonfiction
A Down-and-Out but Amusing Character: On Alex Harvey’s “Song Noir”
Dec Ryan reviews Alex Harvey’s “Song Noir: Tom Waits and the Spirit of Los Angeles.”...
Declan RyanDec 9, 2022
Hollywood on Hollywood: On Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson’s Oral History “Hollywood”
Chris Yogerst reviews Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson’s “Hollywood: The Oral History.”...
Chris YogerstDec 5, 2022
Naming Names: On A. N. Wilson’s “Confessions”
Timothy Larsen reviews A. N. Wilson’s “Confessions: A Life of Failed Promises.”...
Timothy LarsenDec 4, 2022
The Masks of Xi Jinping: On Alfred L. Chan’s “Xi Jinping” and Joseph Torigian’s “Prestige, Manipulation, and Coercion”
Who is Xi Jinping and what comes after? Martin Laflamme reviews Alfred L. Chan’s biography of Xi Jinping and Joseph Torigian’s study of power struggles in the Soviet Union and the PRC....
Martin LaflammeDec 2, 2022
California, Coming Home: On Julia Scheeres and Allison Gilbert’s “Listen, World!”
Lauren Arrington considers a biography of influential newspaper columnist Elsie Robinson, “Listen, World! How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman” by Julia Scheeres and Allison Gilbert....
Lauren ArringtonNov 28, 2022
Nada Que Ver: On Julián Cardona and Alice Leora Briggs’s “Abecedario de Juárez”
José Luis Benavides reviews “Abecedario de Juárez: An Illustrated Lexicon” by Julián Cardona and Alice Leora Briggs, with translations by Alice L. Driver....
José Luis BenavidesNov 21, 2022
The Legacy of a Caged Bird: On Gene Andrew Jarrett’s “Paul Laurence Dunbar”
Vesper North considers Gene Andrew Jarrett’s updated biography, “Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird.”...
Vesper NorthNov 17, 2022
Going Coastal: On Some Recent Books About the Ecology and History of Beaches
Daniela Blei explores the paradoxes constituted by “the beach” — an allegedly natural place of leisure and fun since the Industrial Revolution, and now the site of our species’ myopia....
Daniela BleiNov 16, 2022
Bookhood: On Emma Smith’s “Portable Magic”
Daniel Blank reviews Emma Smith’s “Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers.”...
Daniel BlankNov 15, 2022
- History
- Nonfiction
The Mandates of Magic: On Timeka N. Tounsel’s “Branding Black Womanhood”
What are the mandates of Black Girl Magic? Leigh-Michil George looks at the history of “Essence” magazine and the complicated personal politics of representation in an essay about Timeka N. Tounsel’s “Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic.”...
Leigh-Michil GeorgeNov 10, 2022
- Cultural Studies
- Nonfiction
Identity Is a Flexible Category: A Conversation with Sorayya Khan
Torsa Ghosal talks with Sorayya Khan about her new memoir, “We Take Our Cities with Us.”...
Torsa GhosalNov 7, 2022
- Memoir
- Nonfiction
The Dreariness of Book Club Discussions
Book clubs are wildly popular, but, Naomi Kanakia asks, what use are they, really?...
Naomi KanakiaNov 2, 2022
- Memoir
- Nonfiction