The Contract With God Trilogy was not the first graphic novel to use that phrase, but it was one of the groundbreaking creations that helped to found the graphic novel genre. Author Will Eisner draws upon real-life experiences and memories to create the fictional Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of the 1930s. The first …
Though it has taken me quite awhile to get through “Consumed,” it has proved a fascinating read. Barber analyzes the evolution of consumer capitalism and how individuals become consumers first rather than citizens. What I like about Barber’s argument is that even though he makes some big claims about the adverse effects consumption and markets …
Burning Chrome is a selection of short stories by esteemed science fiction author William Gibson. Most people see science fiction as some sort of “lesser” genre that deals only with robots, space travel, and aliens; has no real literary value, and appeals primarily to geeks and Star Trek fans, but Gibson’s work is nothing like …
Hollywood Italians is a fantastic book about the portrayal of Italian Americans in film all the way from silent black and white movies up until the present day HBO hit The Sopranos. The book is separated into chapters dealing with common Italian American stereotypical roles such as boxers, mafiosi, and Romeos. The book also deals …
A New Earth is an easy read with valuable information for me on how I want to live my life—in the present, without ego or attachments. In doing so, releasing judgment, fear, anger, and ego allows me to truly and authentically be me and experience life each day, not just go through it. To also …
I had a blissful experience in graduate school reading Anna Karenina. So why has it taken me so long to get to Tolstoy’s other big book? A new translation came out last fall, and for last Christmas I received not one but two copies of War and Peace. But I also got a new puppy …
Regardless of whether or not the reader has an interest in birds, The Life of the Skies is a read for all. Part science and part philosophy, this novel is a travelogue and testament to Rosen’s and others’ love for birding. Rosen outlines a history of this activity, musing over our interest in birds and …
I am currently reading a book by historian Gordon Wood titled “Revolutionary Characters”. In it, Wood attempts to uncover what made the Founders great and argues that this “self-consciously self-made” group of men’s greatness lay in their character. This book has, for the most part, been very enjoying to read. Wood has a gifted ability …
As I was born in the middle of the 20th century (!) when gourmet food meant toasted breadcrumbs on top of macaroni and cheese, garlic was completely edgy, and zucchini was an exotic vegetable, I was intrigued by this humorous and fascinating look at the culinary evolution/revolution of the past sixty years. Celebrity chefs, artisanal …
David Anthony tells the story of the origin of Proto-Indo-European language—the “mother tongue” of English, Spanish, Greek, Sanskrit, and Slavic languages spoken by billions of people today. Drawing on his own archaeological field work in the Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan, Anthony argues that horses were domesticated as early as 4800 BC, not for transportation but …