Books & the Arts

What We Can Learn From Harm Reduction’s Defeats

What We Can Learn From Harm Reduction’s Defeats What We Can Learn From Harm Reduction’s Defeats

The history of the movement, as told in Maia Szalavitz’s recent book, is one of unlikely success. But what can we learn from embattled experiments like prescribed heroin? 

Feb 15, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Sessi Kuwabara Blanchard

The Immortal Influence of Greg Tate

The Immortal Influence of Greg Tate The Immortal Influence of Greg Tate

His writing will be a touchstone for generations of critics to come.

Feb 14, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism

Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism Manthia Diawara in the Archive of Postcolonialism

His films put into practice the history of radical Black thought by placing generations of thinkers in conversation.

Feb 10, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques

Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety?

Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety? Is “The Matrix Resurrections” About Authorial Anxiety?

At times myopic and contrarian, the latest entry in the series feels more like a copyright renewal than a narrative.

Feb 9, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

The Haunted World of Edith Wharton

The Haunted World of Edith Wharton The Haunted World of Edith Wharton

Whether exploring the dread of everyday life or the horrors of the occult, her ghost tales documented an America haunted by the specters of isolation, class, and despair. 

Feb 8, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Krithika Varagur

Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink?

Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink? Has the Pandemic Pushed Universities to the Brink?

Covid has turned the gap between universities and colleges serving mainly privileged students and those serving needy ones into a chasm and it is unclear if the latter will be able...

Feb 7, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Delbanco

In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig

In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig In Search of Self-Destruction on an Oil Rig

Tabitha Lasley’s Sea State is an intimate and blistering memoir of a writer’s life amidst the UK’s offshore natural gas industry.

Feb 3, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Jess Bergman

Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled

Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled Norman Mailer Wasn’t Canceled

What’s most striking about the Mailer contretemps is how it embodies so many aspects of the current discourse around cancel culture and free speech.

Feb 2, 2022 / Books & the Arts / David Klion

The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically

The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically The Limits of Understanding the Pandemic Philosophically

Byung-Chul Han’s The Palliative Society tries to contextualize the emotional and cultural ramifications of Covid-19 without ever addressing its material consequences.

Feb 1, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Clinton Williamson

Theater Kids and the End Times in “Station Eleven”

Theater Kids and the End Times in “Station Eleven” Theater Kids and the End Times in “Station Eleven”

The HBO adaptation of Emily St. Mandel’s postapocalyptic pandemic novel examines, with mixed results, the endurance of art after society collapses.

Jan 31, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

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