Join us for the fourth annual BSR Book Week, May 17-23
Celebrate books with the BSR team and top Philly authors!
If you love books, stay tuned. From May 17-23, we're celebrating our fourth annual BSR Book Week with reviews, giveaways, a virtual panel of bestselling authors, and staff recommendations.
Previews
2 minute read
Mother Tongue: A Memoir, by Sara Nović
“Language is love code”
Philly author Sara Nović, whose 2024 novel True Biz was a One Book, One Philadelphia pick, is back with a singular memoir exploring the world of deafness, parenting, adoption, disability, and more. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Fat Swim, by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Living in a human body is like living in Philadelphia
A highly anticipated short-story collection from bestselling Philly author Emma Copley Eisenberg makes a splash for anyone who knows the messy, exuberant challenges and joys of having a body. Jordan Cameron reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Parent Trip: Unexpected Roads to Form a Family, by Anndee Hochman
The beloved Inquirer column about Philly families is now a book
For nine years, writer Anndee Hochman told unexpected stories about how families came to be in her popular Inquirer column, The Parent Trip. Now many of those pieces are collected in a new book. Jill Brooke reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Partly Strong, Partly Broken, by Nathaniel Popkin
A house divided
In the weeks leading up to October 7th, 2023, a progressive Rabbi struggles to keep her congregation together in Nathaniel Popkin’s Partly Strong, Partly Broken. Elisa Shoenberger reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Purity Culture Recovery Guide: The Shame-Free Sex Education You Deserve, by Erica Smith
Reassuring support for a sex-positive pledge
Philly-based sex educator Erica Smith brings her passion for shame-free knowledge to her new book, The Purity Culture Recovery Guide, building on her popular platform for those recovering from high-control religion. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Three Times a Mourner: Personal Essays on Grief and Healing, by Fredricka R. Maister
The transformations of mourning
As she explores three losses at different times in her life, memoirist Fredricka R. Maister reflects on the messy yet transformative power of facing grief in Three Times a Mourner: Personal Essays on Grief and Healing. Olivia J. Baxter reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Hidden River, by Sara Lippmann
The silent traumas that determine the flow of our lives
A new novel from Sara Lippman follows a young woman who grows up in the Philly burbs, and then faces the secrets of her teenage years 20 years later. Emma Riverso reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Funeral of Lies, by A.E.S. O’Neill
In Philly politics, everyone gets their hands dirty
Philly novelist A.E.S. O’Neill’s latest thriller dives into the world of Philly politics. A bitter New York PR executive with a loose relationship to the truth comes home to manage his naïve and charismatic uncle’s mayoral run. Rob Laymon reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
And the Ancestors Sing, by Radha Lin Chaddah
A Philly physician-turned-author explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China
In her debut novel And the Ancestors Sing, Philly author Radha Lin Chaddah tackles a sweeping multigenerational tale set in China after the Cultural Revolution, including the plasma economy and its role in an HIV epidemic. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Werewolf Movie, by Stephen St. Francis Decky
An engaging horror novella set in South Jersey and Philadelphia
Local author Stephen S. Francis Decky combines hallucinatory haunting with a fable about Philly-area musicians who meet a supernatural monster disguised as a smooth record-label exec. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philadelphia Quakers and the American Revolution, by Jeffrey A. Denman
Exploring the courage of pacifists and their complex Philadelphia legacy
Revolutionary-era Quakers, spurned by both loyalists and patriots, had to find their own way in 18th-century Philadelphia. A new book dives into their legacy. Rob Laymon reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre present Chaz T. Martin’s Class C
A timely world premiere about the loss of civil rights
A culture of distrust, fear, and dehumanization reaches a boiling point this timely world premiere production of Chaz T. Martin’s Class C. nat čermák reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
Also on BSR
Lantern Theater Company presents Lloyd Suh’s Franklinland
A founding father’s flawed family
The Lantern celebrates 250 with the Philly premiere of Lloyd Suh’s Franklinland, about the fraught relationship between the famous founding father and his son William. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The BSR Podcast: Talking with Davóne Tines about The Black Clown at Opera Philadelphia
Going behind the scenes of an important Philly premiere celebrating Langston Hughes
Darnelle sits down with groundbreaking performer and creator Davóne Tines, pulling back the curtain on his career and his new production of The Black Clown at Opera Philadelphia.
Podcast
1 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 14-20, 2026
Reading the Revolution, spring laughs, and the Philly Jewish Music Fest
A new music festival debuts, Laurie Halse Anderson pays a visit to Philly, a photography workshop in Germantown, and more this week. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Opera Philadelphia and Davóne Tines present Langston Hughes’ The Black Clown
Evergreen poetry on stage
An incredibly resonant, and nearly 100-year-old, text is brought to life in this weekend-long production. An Nichols previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Your guide to Philly Memorial Day Weekend events honoring America’s 250th
Flags, festivals, parades, public art, and more for Memorial Day
Planning Memorial Day Weekend outings? We’re rounding up festivals, parades, and notable public art with a 250th theme, from Germantown to North Philadelphia to Old City to the waterfront. Dive in with Walt Maguire.
Previews
5 minute read
Performance Garage presents Charles Askegard’s Live, Life, Love
Going beyond dancing
Charles Askegard brings a life in dance to his choreographic residency at the Performance Garage. Camille Bacon-Smith profiles.
Profiles
3 minute read
Previewing Sara Nović’s Mother Tongue
Reflections on the deaf community
Mother Tongue, a new book from Philadelphia-based author Sara Nović, explores the deaf community in a blend of memoir, history, and cultural commentary. Kiran Pandey previews.
Previews
3 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, more in May 2026
Earthy tunes, ‘The Black Clown’, and music from Aaron Diehl
Music that reflects on the natural world through an Indigenous perspective, Steinway artist Aaron Diehl performs with the Orchestra, and commemorating the late Margaret Darby. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
3 minute read
The Festival of Many Colors on May 17 marks a new chapter for the Mummers
Opening new doors to the Mummers
The Mummers is a way of life for some Philadelphians, but they also have a history of painful exclusion. A multicultural festival on May 17 marks a new era of collaboration with grassroots cultural groups. Isa Segalovich looks closer.
Features
6 minute read
People’s Light presents Suli Holum’s The Woman Question
A “docu-fantasy” celebrating historic real-life med students in Philadelphia
A new show at People’s Light mixes the imagination of playwright Suli Holum with a documentary history of the world’s first medical school for women in 1890s Philadelphia. Emily Schilling reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read