reviews

Essays are for cowards... Author:  David Foster Wallace I’ll never read Infinite Jest. Although I consider myself a David Foster Wallace fan, I am certain that I’ll never be brave enough to crack open his magnum opus. The novel – published in 1996 and clocking in at a hefty 1100 pages – has achieved the distinction of being both despised by some and anointed as one of the greatest works of the 20th century by others. But despite my literary cowardice I’m still intrigued by the late author’s creative approach to the written word. Thankfully, the man left behind more [...]

Cotton, Crimes and Capitalism... Author:  Edward E. Baptist From the very beginning, historian Edward E. Baptist makes an interesting choice in his history of slavery in the United States. He repeatedly refers to the “enslaved people” who form the core of his narrative, never once calling them slaves. And lest you think this is a trivial distinction, I think his choice clearly makes the point that words truly matter. It’s much easier to treat people as subhuman beasts if you call them something else, denying their actual humanity.   It also serves as a clue that The Half Has Never Been [...]

From mugging mollusks to comical crabs... Author:  Susan Middleton Maybe you don’t think that slugs, worms and crabs sound like the most promising subjects for a book of nature photography. I suspect it’s likely that the inclusion of jellyfish, barnacles and sea cucumbers doesn’t change your mind. But I gently encourage you to withhold judgment and consider that acclaimed photographer Susan Middleton may be on to something with her almost obsessive fascination with the world of marine invertebrates. Gathered together into an exquisite collection of more than 150 images, Spineless is a remarkably fascinating achievement that displays much of the [...]