On the Case: On Simon Wiesenthal On the Case: On Simon Wiesenthal
As Tom Segev’s biography makes clear, in the entire pantheon of Jewish superheroes there is no more unlikely figure than Simon Wiesenthal.
Apr 6, 2011 / Books & the Arts / D.D. Guttenplan
A Minor Exception: On W.C. Minor and Noah Webster A Minor Exception: On W.C. Minor and Noah Webster
The career of W.C. Minor is a reminder that the legacy of Yale's lexicographers is no less noteworthy than that of its deconstructionists.
Mar 16, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Joshua Kendall
Risk the Game: On William James Risk the Game: On William James
For William James, all our certitudes depend on the pretense that there are no radical mysteries underlying them.
Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Marilynne Robinson
The Dirty Halo: On Sarah Bernhardt The Dirty Halo: On Sarah Bernhardt
Robert Gottlieb's vigorous biography of Sarah Bernhardt shows the actress in all her workaholic, passionate and unsentimental force.
Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Jana Prikryl
Burning Down the House: On Ed Koch Burning Down the House: On Ed Koch
Ed Koch rebuilt New York City by demolishing its long-running experiments in urban liberalism.
Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Zipp
Without Artifice: On William Brennan Without Artifice: On William Brennan
Justice William Brennan's watchword was human dignity, and to protect it he interpreted individual rights expansively.
Nov 17, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Michael O’Donnell
The Merry-Go-Round: On Jack Anderson The Merry-Go-Round: On Jack Anderson
Poisoning the Press tells the tale of Jack Anderson's fall from muckraking hero to blustering pundit.
Nov 17, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Diane Simon
The Group: On George Price The Group: On George Price
The enigma of George Price: He derived an equation for the evolution of altruism, yet he died believing himself a failed good Samaritan.
Sep 22, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Miriam Markowitz
Ardor and the Abyss Ardor and the Abyss
Emily Dickinson's reclusiveness was a way of protecting the world from herself.
Jun 16, 2010 / Books & the Arts / James Longenbach
In With Both Feet In With Both Feet
Like Charles Dickens's Gradgrind, Justice Louis Brandeis wanted facts.
May 26, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Michael O’Donnell