Bloomsbury Review by Brian Tanguay A fundamental political question lies at the heart of Billionaire Backlash by Pepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee: who makes the rules? Is it individual billionaires…
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The ABCs of California’s Native Bees by Krystle Hickman
Heyday Review by Brian Tanguay I always enjoy learning new facts about my home state. Prior to reading The ABCs of California’s Native Bees, I had no idea that California…
Being Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History by Andrew Burstein
Bloomsbury Review by Brian Tanguay It’s fair to say that Thomas Jefferson fascinates historians. The sheer number of biographies of America’s third president is staggering, and one might wonder what…
News and Notes
All the latest, from our editors and contributors 3/20/26: Read editor David Starkey’s interview with artist and poet Linda Saccoccio in the Santa Barbara Independent. 3/19/26: Read editor Brian Tanguay’s…
California Rewritten: A Journey Through the Golden State’s New Literature by John Freeman
Heyday Review by David Starkey When we at the California Review of Books heard there was a new collection of book reviews about California writers, we were interested in learning…
A Ribbon for Your Hair: Loss. More Loss. And How We (Sort of) Went On by Stephen Policoff
Heliotrope Review by Lisa Del Rosso A Ribbon for Your Hair: Loss. More Loss. And How We (Sort of) Went On by Stephen Policoff, is a memoir about the loss of…
Mexico Between Feast and Famine: Food, Corporate Power, and Inequality by Enrique C. Ochoa
University of Arizona Press Review by Brian Tanguay Mexico has a well-earned reputation for culinary excellence, and foodies all over the world recognize its local and regional food cultures. But…
A Place in the World by Bill Gaythwaite
Pittsburgh Review by David Starkey The most recent winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, one of the premier awards for excellence in the short story, is Bill Gaythwaite, a…
Time Traveling by Kate Deimling
Cornerstone Review by Paul Willis Kate Deimling’s debut collection of poetry travels through the reader’s mind like a stray clock, chiming the hours past, present, and future in a harmony…
The Coroner’s Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence by Terence Keel
Beacon Press Review by Brian Tanguay When I think of people who died while in state custody the first name that comes to mind is Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old Black…