Books & the Arts

Cast of Argentina, 1985

“Argentina, 1985” Is a Political Tale for Our Time “Argentina, 1985” Is a Political Tale for Our Time

Argentina’s nominee for Best Foreign Film offers an urgent warning to democracies in Latin America and across the West.

Feb 27, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jacob Sugarman

Jay Jackson’s Audacious Comics

Jay Jackson’s Audacious Comics Jay Jackson’s Audacious Comics

Written during World War II, Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos offered its readers a science-fiction epic that imagined a future liberated from racism and inequality.

Feb 23, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jeet Heer

The Black Panthers’ Liberation School

Why the United States Needs a New Reconstruction Why the United States Needs a New Reconstruction

In The Third Reconstruction, historian Peniel Joseph examines how how the broken promises of racial equality in the past might be fulfilled in the future.

Feb 22, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Robert Greene II

Is This the End of Literary Studies?

Is This the End of Literary Studies? Is This the End of Literary Studies?

John Guillory’s Professing Criticism offers a sobering look at the uncertain future of criticism inside and outside the academy.

Feb 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Nicholas Dames

Janet Malcolm.

Janet Malcolm, Reluctant Memoirist Janet Malcolm, Reluctant Memoirist

Why was one of the most gifted nonfiction writers of her generation so uncomfortable writing about herself?

Feb 20, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vivian Gornick

James Bridle’s Dream of a Cybernetic Forest

James Bridle’s Dream of a Cybernetic Forest James Bridle’s Dream of a Cybernetic Forest

The British writer and artist explores the growing confluence of nature and technology, examining how each might be used to create a more equitable world. 

Feb 16, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Lewis Gordon

The Forgotten Poets of the Attica Uprising

The Forgotten Poets of the Attica Uprising The Forgotten Poets of the Attica Uprising

When the Smoke Clears documents poetry workshops held in the aftermath of the prison's occupation. The work produced by the inmates was visceral and heartrending.

Feb 15, 2023 / Books & the Arts / J. Howard Rosier

A scene from Women Talking

The Lessons of “Women Talking” The Lessons of “Women Talking”

A recent adaptation of the Miriam Toews novel asks a difficult question: What if the people we love are the people we fear?

Feb 14, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Larissa Pham

Sevgi Soysal’s Liberation of the Mind

Sevgi Soysal’s Liberation of the Mind Sevgi Soysal’s Liberation of the Mind

Her novel Dawn, which documents the discontents of the 20th century Turkish left, proposes that any account of historical upheaval requires equally radical artistic methods. 

Feb 13, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Shaj Mathew

The Beautiful and Useless Return of “Avatar”

The Beautiful and Useless Return of “Avatar” The Beautiful and Useless Return of “Avatar”

James Cameron has spent a fortune to bring audiences back to Pandora. Was it worth it?

Feb 8, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

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