At the New York Journal of Books I review The Confidence Trap: A History of Democracy in Crisis from World War I to the Present, by David Runciman, a challenging, confounding, but ultimately rewarding political analysis democracy’s ability to weather crises and occasionally get blindsided by the next crisis. Continue reading The Confidence Trap, by David Runciman @ NYJB
This week Karl Wolff continues his essay series, The NSFW Files, with “Ada, or Ardor: a Family Chronicle,” by Vladimir Nabokov, an erotic tale of incest set in an alternate historical timeline. Continue reading The NSFW Files: Ada, or Ardor: a Family Chronicle, by Vladimir Nabokov
Over at the New York Journal of Books, I review Calder Walton’s fascinating Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire, all about the UK’s precarious position and its nefarious intelligence practices during the Cold War. Continue reading Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire, by Calder Walton @ NYJB
This week at the New York Journal of Books, I review Tales of Two Cities: Paris, London, and the Birth of the Modern City, by Jonathan Conlin, which is “. . . an entertaining account that strings together fascinating factoids into a tapestry of urban history and cultural anthropology.” Continue reading Tales of Two Cities: Paris, London, and the Birth of the Modern City, by Jonathan Conlin @ NYRB
This week at CCLaP Karl Wolff reviews “Pervert,” by Mr. If, a confrontational erotic memoir of sorts that hocks a gobbet of spit at everything proper and polite in the United Kingdom. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Pervert, by Mr. If
At NYJB, I review Happy Mutant Baby Pills, by Jerry Stahl, “. . . a comical descent into the carefully choreographed madness of contemporary American culture.” Continue reading Happy Mutant Baby Pills, by Jerry Stahl @ NYJB
My Crazy Century, by Ivan Klima, is a memoir about the famous author’s Czech childhood and adulthood under Nazi and Communist occupations, shot through with wit and rage. Continue reading My Crazy Century: a memoir, by Ivan Klima @ NYJB
This week at CCLaP, I review Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin, by Catherine Merridale, about the history of Moscow’s most iconic structure. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin, by Catherine Merridale
Over at the New York Journal of Books, I review Jonathan Franzen’s new translation of Karl Kraus essays called The Kraus Project. Continue reading The Kraus Project, by Jonathan Franzen @ NYRB
This week Karl Wolff reviews “Bitter Orange,” by Marshall Moore, about a gay man coming to terms with his superpower to turn invisible. Does that make him a hero or a villain? Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Bitter Orange, by Marshall Moore
The Driftless Area Review 