Books & the Arts

Perhat Tursun and the Plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang

Perhat Tursun and the Plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang Perhat Tursun and the Plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang

In The Backstreets, the novelist and poet documents the centuries of dislocation imposed on the Uyghur people

Jun 13, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Yangyang Cheng

The Enduring Grift of the Washington Operator

The Enduring Grift of the Washington Operator The Enduring Grift of the Washington Operator

A new book argues that D.C. became a swamp in the Trump years, but like any company town it has always been a hive of influence peddling, self-dealing, and graft.

Jun 12, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Chris Lehmann

A John Birch Society exhibit held at the Statler Hilton Hotel in Boston, 1972.

How the John Birch Society Won the Long Game How the John Birch Society Won the Long Game

The American right doesn’t need the John Birch Society these days, but that is because it’s adopted the Birchers’ extremism wholesale.

Jun 8, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nathan Robinson

Olaf Stapledon, 1946.

Olaf Stapledon’s Cosmology of Peace Olaf Stapledon’s Cosmology of Peace

In his science fiction classic Star Maker, he imagines a way to overcome fascism on a galactic scale.

Jun 7, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jaime Green

Nikki Giovanni standing by the lectern and woman singing during a performance at The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival., 1973.

How Black Women Writers Got It Done How Black Women Writers Got It Done

Claudia Tate’s 1983 collection of interviews is an important look into the trials writers like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou faced on their way to mainstream acceptance.

Jun 6, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Marina Magloire

A village in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey after an earthquake in 1983.

Ferit Edgü’s Prescient Fiction of a Turkey in Crisis Ferit Edgü’s Prescient Fiction of a Turkey in Crisis

His books, which examined the plight of eastern Turkey and the vanity of the Istanbul bourgeoise, take on new meaning after the February 6 earthquakes.

Jun 5, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Kaya Genç

Katherine Dunn’s Counterculture Parables

Katherine Dunn’s Counterculture Parables Katherine Dunn’s Counterculture Parables

Dunn’s books are often described as cult classics, which fits not only in the sense that they inspire devotion but also in the sense that cults of personality always appear in them...

Jun 1, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nora Caplan-Bricker

Jeremy Strong in the finale of “Succession.”

The Janus-Faced End of “Succession” The Janus-Faced End of “Succession”

At once cruel and compassionate, the finale of the much-loved HBO show revels in the space between tragedy and comedy.

May 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

Michelle Williams and Hong Chau in “Showing Up.”

Kelly Reichardt’s Cinema of Class Conflict Kelly Reichardt’s Cinema of Class Conflict

In her latest film, Showing Up, she continues a career-long project of examining the bitter resentments produced by inequality. 

May 31, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Alex Kong

George Lucas looks at the Death Star.

What Makes Special Effects Work? What Makes Special Effects Work?

In Empire of Effects, Julie Turnock examines how George Lucas and Industrial Light & Magic transformed the way we make and view movies.

May 30, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Malcolm Harris

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