This Stuff:This is a survey of the history of women in America following European colonization until the end of the 1960s. It is broad, covering some four hundred years, and seeks foremost to cover the everyday life of women from all strata of society. What was childbirth like in colonial New England? How did oneContinue reading “Review of “America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines” by Gail Collins”
Category Archives: book review
Review of “A Fever in the Heartland” by Timothy Egan
The Stuff: This is a nonfiction book about the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s in the Midwest. Their traditional center of power was the South, the states of the former Confederacy. Most of the events it covers transpire from roughly 1921 to 1925, reflecting a rapid rise and a even moreContinue reading “Review of “A Fever in the Heartland” by Timothy Egan”
Review of “The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells A Celebration of Unusual Lives” Edited by Marvin Siegel
The Stuff: This book is a collection of approximately 90 obituaries and write-ups from the New York Times Magazine. The focus is on interesting lives, regardless of whether the person was famous or lived an everyday life. Not all are saints. One is a reputed gangster, whom one acquaintance referred to as “a nice man.”Continue reading “Review of “The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells A Celebration of Unusual Lives” Edited by Marvin Siegel”
Review of “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
The Stuff: This book consists of short, interrelated essays and anecdotes on writing and being a writer—being a human—grouped around larger themes. The parts are 1) Writing, 2) The Writing Frame of Mind, 3) Help Along the Way, 4) Publication and Other Reasons to Write, and 5) The Last Class. One of the essays inContinue reading “Review of “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott”
Review of “The Frontiersman: The Real Life and Many Legends of Davy Crockett” by Mark Derr
The Stuff: This is a non-sensationalized biography of early American Davy Crockett (1786-1836), frontiersman and congressman, written by a distant relative. Author Mark Derr seeks to wade through the many myths and find the person behind the stories. He adopts a more-or-less neutral tone, neither excoriating nor lionizing the book’s subject. He openly admits, forContinue reading “Review of “The Frontiersman: The Real Life and Many Legends of Davy Crockett” by Mark Derr”
Review of “The Roman Way” by Edith Hamilton
The Stuff: The author wishes to portray Roman culture and character based on the writings of Roman poets and playwrights. Despite her awareness that this strategy leaves out vast swaths of the Roman world, including women, slaves, artisans, and the disadvantaged, she confines her study to the lettered, leisured male. Proceeding roughly chronologically, she beginsContinue reading “Review of “The Roman Way” by Edith Hamilton”
Review of ““And So It Goes”: Adventures in Television” by Linda Ellerbee
The Stuff: This is a memoir/autobiography by American journalist Linda Ellerbee, covering her years in television up till the mid-80s. She describes her times as a Washington correspondent for NBC and an anchor on a late-news magazine program called Overnight, among other things. She discusses little of her private life but focuses on the professional.Continue reading “Review of ““And So It Goes”: Adventures in Television” by Linda Ellerbee”
Review of “Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter”
The Stuff:This is a biography of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a boxer who was wrongfully convicted along with his friend, John Artis, of a 1966 triple homicide in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. Carter and Artis were convicted twice and finally exonerated in 1985 in a federal court. The book follows not only his legalContinue reading “Review of “Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter””
Review of “Reading Like a Writer” by Francine Prose
In discussing writing workshops and classes, author Francine Prose writes, “But that class, as helpful as it was, was not where I learned to write. Like most—maybe all—writers, I learned to write by writing and by example, by reading books.” (p .2) But using what the author calls “close reading,” a writer can learn variousContinue reading “Review of “Reading Like a Writer” by Francine Prose”
Review of “Banned Books: The World’s Most Controversial Books, Past and Present”
The Stuff This is a survey of approximately one hundred books that have been banned or challenged, beginning with the fourteenth-century work, The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, and ending with the 2021 book by Chinese author Ai Weiwei, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. The entries are arranged chronologically. One or two pages are dedicatedContinue reading “Review of “Banned Books: The World’s Most Controversial Books, Past and Present””
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 