Melvin Backman

Melvin Backman is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn.

“Harlem WPA Street Dance,” by Elizabeth Olds, ca.1935–43.

Reading “Mumbo Jumbo” in the Post-Covid Age Reading “Mumbo Jumbo”" "in the Post-Covid Age

Ishmael Reed's novel depicts an American government dedicated to public health as long as its efforts keep hierarchy and the status quo in place.

Dec 20, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Melvin Backman

Mall of America, 1992.

The Rise and Fall of the Mall The Rise and Fall of the Mall

Alexandra Lange's Meet Me by the Fountain recovers the forgotten past and the still hopeful future of the American shopping mall.

Dec 12, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Melvin Backman

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