“Stormtrooper Families” offers a much-needed historical reckoning against commonly held falsehoods, bringing lucid scholarship to a neglected area in the history of the Nazi regime. Continue reading Stormtrooper Families, by Andrew Wackerfuss @ NYJB
I continue my essay series, American Odd, with a look at the history of the American roadside attraction in Jim Heimann’s classic California Crazy and Beyond: Roadside Vernacular Architecture. Continue reading American Odd: California Crazy and Beyond: Roadside Vernacular Architecture, by Jim Heimann
This week I review a dictionary of political speak, a primer for what passes as political discourse in this country. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech, by Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark
Milwaukee has become a foodie haven and is known for its food and beverages. Milwaukee is home to not only beer but spirits. And really good spirits at that. Continue reading The Spirits of Milwaukee: Great Lakes Distillery and Central Standard Craft Distillery
What’s the best cure for a man who hates the mountains? Send him to the mountains. What’s the best cure for a misanthrope? Send him to live with other people. Thus begins “Twenty-One Days of a Neurasthenic” by Octave Mirbeau (1848–1917). Continue reading Twenty-One Days of a Neurasthenic, by Octave Mirbeau @ NYJB
As part of American Odd, my new themed essay series over at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, I wrote an essay on the cult classic book Kooks: A Guide to the Outer Limits of Human Belief, by Donna Kossy. In this interview, Donna Kossy and I discuss Kooks, kooks, and the educational importance of strange belief systems. Continue reading The Donna Kossy Interview
I continue my CCLaP essay series “American Odd” with “The Manson File,” by Nikolas Schreck, an anthology of poetry, prose, and art by Charles Manson. Continue reading American Odd: The Manson File, by Nikolas Schreck
his week I review Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution, by Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz, a sober look at the Roberts Court and how recent rulings have shaped modern law. Continue reading Mondays with the Supremes/CCLaP Fridays Crossover: Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution, by Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz
“Understanding the full scope of The Familiar is akin to counting the raindrops.” Continue reading The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May, by Mark I. Danielewski @ NYJB
For Jennifer Birkett, Emeritus Professor of French Studies at the University of Birmingham, Samuel Beckett thought “life was a matter of doing time, while writing was a way of undoing it.” Continue reading Undoing Time: The Life and Work of Samuel Beckett, by Jennifer Birkett @ NYJB
The Driftless Area Review 