reviews

A Close-Up of a Religion About Aliens and Suicide Author: Benjamin E. Zeller In March 1997, thirty-nine people ritualistically killed themselves to board a spaceship and become aliens. This was the result of a cult two decades in the making, a mix of Protestantism, New Age philosophy, Ancient Astronaut theory, conspiracy theories, and science-fiction fandom. The cult, or new religion as Benjamin E. Zeller terms it, most often called Heaven’s Gate, now remains, living in our pop culture and collective memories. But what does it say about our uniquely American culture, our inability to separate fact from fiction, and our religious cherry-picking? [...]

Viral Dating Apps, Desperate Gigolos, and Murder Author: Cleo Coyle Going viral is the latest trend for the Blend – unfortunately, this sudden fame is tied to a swipe-to-meet app, a gun toting customer with an axe to grind, and an audience with the itch to press record. As the Internet eats up the video of romance gone bad, Clare worries about the PR for her coffeehouse while also starting to look more closely at the phone dating culture that is surrounding her. Clare has little to like about this new dating app, since everyone from her philandering ex to [...]

Straight to the Hart... Author:  Holly Lorka “Awkward” or “Shame” would have been good titles for this book.  But either of those titles would have been a downer.  The chosen title of Handsome provides a much more positive and accurate vibe, as well as some levity when it’s contrasted with the book’s cover image:  the author in her circa-1970s fifth-grade (or so) school picture.  But while author Holly Lorka is undoubtedly handsome as an adult, she’s spent much of her life feeling awkward and ashamed.  This collection of loosely-connected autobiographical essays presents her inspiring story of triumph over these painful [...]