Review by David Starkey In order to truly appreciate Emily St. John Mandel’s new novel, a reader should be familiar with her two previous efforts: the groundbreaking pre-Covid pandemic novel,…
Tag: California Review of Books
Fire Island: A Century in the Life of an American Paradise by Jack Parlett
Review Essay by Walter Cummins Jack Parlett made his initial visit to the gay village of Cherry Grove on Fire Island in 2017 with his friend Celine by walking a…
The Unwritten Book: An Investigation by Samantha Hunt
Review by Walter Cummins Samantha Hunt subtitles The Unwritten Book an “Investigation.” The connotation of that word suggests a systematic analysis of clues. But what Hunt has really produced is…
Anthem by Noah Hawley
Review by David Starkey Noah Hawley’s new novel Anthem is set in a near, scarcely alternative future. The United States is riven by partisan divide, with the Alt Right on…
Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape by Cal Flynn
Review by Linda Lappin Combining exquisite lyrical prose, a gripping travel narrative, and meticulous scientific research in the fields of botany, biology, chemistry, genetics – investigative journalist, Cal Flynn, takes…
Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire & Revolution in the Borderlands by Kelly Lytle Hernandez
Review by Brian Tanguay On July 4, 1915, a band of armed and mounted Mexicans crossed the border and murdered three white men in southern Texas. For the next five…
Rooting Interests: A Roger Angell Appreciation
By George Yatchisin I can be assured I’ve been reading Roger Angell for nearly 45 years, as my copy of his Five Seasons, is inscribed 1978 and “Merry Christmas” from…
The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society by William Deresiewicz
Review by Brian Tanguay After reading Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, I was hooked on William Deresiewicz. The next book…
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
Review by Brian Tanguay I began reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree by the late theologian James H. Cone the week before a white gunman murdered ten black people…