The Hazards of Good Breeding book by Jessica Shattuck reviewed by Allie Stielau
Peter Ibbetson
The English writer and literary critic G. K. Chesterton once said, “A child of seven is excited by being told that Tommy opened a door and saw a dragon. But…
Peter Ibbetson
Good Faith book by Jane Smiley reviewed by Tom Isler
You can learn a lot about the gay gene discourse from the title of Robert Alan Brookey’s new book. Specifically, two things deserve note: “invention” as the recurring process by…
Baudolino book by Umberto Eco reviewed by Jennifer Stock
In a time of disaster one can always revert to storytelling. At least that’s the tradition that Boccaccio hands down to us, and Umberto Eco, ever mindful of the past,…
Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia book by Orlando Figes reviewed by Katherine Poltorak
An exhibit at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg is called Dvoe, or “Twosome.” It pairs paintings and sculptures to suggest dualities in Russian art: East vs. West, peasant vs.…
Letter to an Undergraduate from Toni Dorfman
This issue’s contributor, Toni Dorfman, is a playwright and an associate professor of Theater Studies at Yale. Her plays include Family Wolf and Rounding Cassiopiea. Dear Student, Your heart is…
In Short
Mismatch: The Growing Gulf between Women and Men, by Andrew Hacker (Scribner; $25) Inequality in the boardroom and infidelity in the bedroom are complicating relationships between the sexes like never…
Profs’ Picks What’s on the nightstands of Yale’s Professors
Amy Bloom Lecturer, English Department My summer reading ranged from the minor (the Robert Tannenbaum mysteries—with Butch Karp, the DA with the soul of a Jewish mother and his sexy,…
After book by Francine Prose reviewed by David Lau
They say it’s for your protection. First, it’s the increase in metal detectors. Then, the search and seizures. Random drug tests. Censored books. After the tragedy, you hear that it’s…
Any Human Heart: The Intimate Journals of Logan Mounstuart book by Arthur Phillips reviewed by Christopher Grobe
Those familiar with William Boyd’s past antics cannot help but approach his latest work, Any Human Heart, in a lighthearted manner. After all, this latest novel is inextricably linked to…
The Da Vinci Code book by Dan Brown reviewed by Marissa Ain
The latest art history mystery by Dan Brown is a fast-paced book that is hard to put down. With deliciously short chapters that usually end in cliff-hangers, The Da Vinci…