Profs’ Picks
Peter Ibbetson
Dudley Andrew Professor of Comparative Literature, Co-Chair & DGS of the Film Studies Program I’m such a follower when it comes to “free range reading.” It was Dick Brodhead– as…
Peter Ibbetson
Homosexuality and Civilization book by Louis Crompton reviewed by Margaret Fox
Last summer, the Reverend Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church. Though surrounded by a swirl of controversy, Bishop Robinson’s confirmation is remarkable in light…
You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination book by Katherine Harmon reviewed by Allie Stielau
The twentieth-century illustrator John Held, Jr., perhaps most famous for his depictions of the Jazz Age, was also a talented maker of imaginative maps. On his 1928 Map of Americana,…
Dark Tide book by Stephen Puleo reviewed by Jonathan Sherman-Presser
“World’s Largest Metaphor Hits Iceberg,” reads a headline of the satirical newspaper The Onion’s coverage of the sinking of the Titanic. Other articles on the page include “Stewards Kindly Ask…
Goya book by Robert Hughes reviewed by Katya Poltorak
While lying in a coma for five weeks, his disjointed, crushed bones held together by metal screws, Robert Hughes was haunted by Goya. After reading his biography of the artist,…
Living to Tell the Tale book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez reviewed by Meredith Garagiola
Review provided by Soccer ABC. Over lunch with his father, a twenty something Gabriel García Márquez was discussing the difficulty many writers have in writing their memoirs when they can…
Party of the People book by Jules Whitcover Grand Old Party book by Lewis L. Gould reviewed by David Noyola
When the tenor of politics is inflamed, partisan bickering precludes historical perspective. As attacks and recriminations pile up, politicians and pundits focus on the contests at hand and resort to…
Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear book by Jim Steinmeyer reviewed by Kirsti Potter
From time to time, magic and its modern practitioners still steal into the spotlight—even without counting the wily tricks of Sly Saddam, Baffling Bin Laden, or Presto the President. Sometimes…
The Crazed book by Ha Jin reviewed by Sophie Pinkham
Ha Jin’s new book, The Crazed, addresses a wide range of philosophical, moral, political, and historical issues, while maintaining a tight plot, lyrical style, and convincing, engaging characters. Jin uses…
The Autograph Man book by Zadie Smith reviewed by Benita Singh
In her second novel, The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith tells the story of a man infatuated with fame. Alex-Li Tandem is a collector of autographs, the timeless signatures of individuals…