In the post–Civil War era, writes law professor Green, a “freethought” movement swept across the United States. It was never quite coherent, with many strains of dissent advocating such causes as sexual liberation and militant atheism. Green’s account opens in 1887 with a New Jersey activist being hauled to court for blasphemy, “one skirmish in […]
When she was growing up, writes Machado, Venezuela regularly held elections with peaceful transfers of power and enjoyed a degree of prosperity greater than many of its Latin American neighbors, thanks to abundant oil. That changed when Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999. He “began by focusing on controlling the judicial system,” replacing longtime […]
Since its inception in 2015, says Peele, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, British TV’s Love Island UK and its 2019 American spinoff, Love Island USA, have captured massive audience attention with tropical island, luxury villa locations; attractive singles; and the contestant end-game goal of finding love. It’s an addictive combination and “interactive as a […]
Following an instructional introduction about how to navigate the winding panels of this graphic novel, readers assume the perspective of an infant in 1798 Nagoya, Japan. The baby’s father tells him to decide between two objects; humorously, both lead to a life devoted to revenge. Years pass, and the young boy must choose whether to […]
The story begins, “Suddenly the lights went out”—and readers are plunged into the dark of night. The first-person narrator gathers the courage to ask their girl companion questions: “Don’t you think there’s something really beautiful about people?” “What do you think can fit in a person’s heart?” The conversation between the two ebbs and flows, […]
It isn’t easy to create a Yuletide tale that stands out on the crowded holiday shelf, but Wilson has done just that by riffing on lyrics from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Her illustrations are detailed and expressive, like a mashup of Marla Frazee and Vera Brosgol, with a dash of Barbara McClintock for good measure. […]
In order for Luna Gold and Aoife Walsh to date, Luna must lift the Veil for Aoife, allowing her to perceive the existence of magic. Luna, a fat Black lesbian witch, must also cast a memory spell that will cause Aoife, a biracial (white and Black) bisexual mundane, to forget about her if the two […]
In their closing statements, the artists pose with favorite pooches, sometimes in childhood snapshots. Elliott’s accompanying comments, which range from two words for the Old English sheepdog (“Hair! / Everywhere!”) to affectionate rhymed or free verse sentiments, add further buoyant notes. Still, the illustrations steal the show—beginning with Ebony Glenn’s gallery of Labradors and their […]
On a snowy school night, a child narrator is picked up from his mom’s place. Daddy is there with his old, rusty car and telltale frayed black knit cap (“his crown”). The duo hop in the car together and head to Grandma’s house. The slightly somber car ride introduces some familial tension (“Don’t matter what […]
On the first page of Trabucco Zerán’s novel, the narrator, Estela García, offers a deal to the people who may or may not be on the other side of a mirrored glass pane: “I’m going to tell you a story, and when I get to the end, when I stop talking, you’re going to let […]