Followers of Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, and other Frankfurt School luminaries do not typically associate Naples with Critical Theory or any part of its genesis. But as Mittelmeier shows, “that sulfurous, chaotic [and] exhausting city,” along with the neighboring island of Capri, likely played a far greater role both in the intellectual formation of Frankfurt […]
In “The Contagion,” the Dreiyer family’s annual road trip includes a stop at a bed-and-breakfast—that’s where 7-year-old Sylvia peeks into a trunk of dolls, one of which, she swears, moves on its own. Decades later, when looking for inspiration for a TV show she’s working on, she returns to the inn and makes a startling […]
In this short, somewhat whimsical tale, two very different men meet in a ward for patients with mental illness: a short Jewish man named Josh with a brown beard, and Nick,a big-bellied fellow with white whiskers. Josh was just committed by paramedics because he was found wandering in traffic after breaking up with his boyfriend; […]
At a point in ancient history “before time,” a nameless young girl travels to the ruins of a great sphinx. She arrives in this place somewhat magically, “as if the wind had carried her from a golden palace far away.” The girl does not behave like a child. She appears to have wisdom that is […]
Veteran film writer McBride clearly esteems Cukor’s “rich, multifaceted, deeply personal” worldview as expressed in his oeuvre. He ascribes Cukor’s masterful conveyance of nuance in human behavior, of subtext, to the director’s own “double life”—Cukor’s outsider status as a “partially closeted” gay man, a son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. McBride appraises Cukor’s craft throughout his […]
Linden High student athletes must follow a strict code of conduct or face being benched or suspended. Varsity volleyball player Macy has been on the starting lineup all season, but after she injured her ankle, the coach moved new student Alliyah into the starting spot for the playoff matches. One evening after a game, Alliyah […]
Tan returns to her Celestial Kingdom in this standalone romantic fantasy. The Lord of Tianxia serves the immortal Queen Caihong of the Golden Desert faithfully until he is forced to choose between her and Liyen, his granddaughter and heir. Liyen has been poisoned by the waters of death in the Wangchuan River in the Netherworld […]
Pope Francis’ Life: My Story Through History (2024) acted as a basic set of memoirs, but this newest work is a more in-depth look at the life of the pontiff. Francis, born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, dives deep into his family story, memories of his youth, years of struggle and conflict in Argentina as a church […]
Those in London society who have met Miss Lydia Hope-Wallace know her only as a painfully shy, absurdly wealthy spinster. That’s because almost no one knows that she’s also responsible for the radical pamphlets published by her anonymous alter ego, “H,” on topics like universal suffrage and the right to divorce—not even the Earl of […]
Dawg’s got a great life—as all “dawgs” deserve—but today, as he waits impatiently to be walked, leash in mouth, tail wagging, no one’s paying attention. Dad’s making pizza for dinner, Mom’s at her computer, Bro’s playing guitar, and Sis is on her phone. Everyone tells Dawg to ask someone else to walk him. Finally, Dawg […]