Books

393 results
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Class, colonialism, and mysticism enfold the lives of those living and vacationing in Madagascar’s Naratrany in Andrea Lee’s novel ‘Red Island House.’ (Image courtesy of Scribner.)

‘Red Island House’ by Andrea Lea

The country that claims you
Andrea Lee’s latest novel follows a family over 20 years as they visit their vacation home in Madagascar and witness and participate in the luxury, intrigue, and exploitation of the island and its residents. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Reviews 3 minute read
In their latest poetry collection, Kayleb Rae Candrili explores the joyful possibilities of trans embodiment. (Image courtesy of Copper Canyon Press.)

‘Water I Won’t Touch’ by Kayleb Rae Candrilli

Liberation in the trans experience
Kayleb Rae Candrilli’s newest poetry collection, ‘Water I Won’t Touch,’ explores what it means to live amidst crisis—ecological crisis, addiction crisis, and the crisis of endemic transphobia. Matthew John Phillips reviews.
Matthew John Phillips

Matthew John Phillips

Reviews 5 minute read
Quiara Alegría Hudes’s new memoir details the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright’s coming of age in Philadelphia. (Image courtesy of Penguin Random House.)

‘My Broken Language’ by Quiara Alegría Hudes

Beauty in brokenness
In her new memoir, playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes writes about coming of age as part of a large Puerto Rican family in North Philadelphia. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Reviews 4 minute read
Notes of Thoreau and Emerson, with contemporary caution: Grant Clauser’s ‘Muddy Dragon.’ (Image courtesy of Codhill Press.)

‘Muddy Dragon on the Road to Heaven’ by Grant Clauser

A home for fish and stars
‘Muddy Dragon on the Road to Heaven,’ a new collection from Pennsylvania poet Grant Clauser, evokes the hope of searching for home in a broken world. Kelly Conrad reviews.
Kelly Conrad

Kelly Conrad

Reviews 5 minute read
The latest volume of ‘Travel by Haiku’ offers switchback dashes of poetry and prose. (Image courtesy of A Freedom Books.)

‘Travel by Haiku’ by Marshall Deerfield

Take a ride down Route 575
‘Travel by Haiku, volumes 6–10: Far Out on the Road with Friends’ offers free spirits a back seat in a collaborative road trip across the American West. Helen Walsh reviews.
Helen Walsh

Helen Walsh

Reviews 3 minute read
A necessary, radical, and groundbreaking education. (Image via Penguin Random House.)

‘Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning’ by Cathy Park Hong

Open demands for justice
Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong’s ‘Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning’ explores Asian American consciousness and tackles the truth about anti-Asian hate. Christina Anthony considers.
Christina Anthony

Christina Anthony

Reviews 6 minute read
Patrick Shields's debut novel is autobiographical fiction set at a boarding school in early 1990s Philadelphia. (Image courtesy of the author.)

‘Pinball’ by Patrick Shields

Graduation games
In Patrick Shields’s debut autobiographical novel, ‘Pinball,’ set in the early 1990s, we follow a senior at a North Philadelphia boarding academy as he reckons with his past, present, and future two weeks before graduation. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Reviews 3 minute read
A deeply poignant read in its own right, as well as a reminder of what we’re missing because of COVID. (Image courtesy of Bazillion Points.)

‘I’m Not Holding Your Coat’ by Nancy Barile

A valentine to the pre-internet punk scene
Since the pandemic has left us longing for live music, Nancy Barile’s new punk-scene memoir, ‘I’m Not Holding Your Coat,’ is an especially welcome window on a bygone musical era. Chelsea Spear reviews.
Chelsea Spear

Chelsea Spear

Reviews 5 minute read
Te-Ping Chen's debut story collection is both intimate and epic in its depiction of contemporary China. (Image courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.)

‘Land of Big Numbers’ by Te-Ping Chen

Paths of purpose
Te-Ping Chen’s debut story collection, ‘Land of Big Numbers,’ casts a wide net to explore contemporary China and its diaspora. Kirsten Bowen reviews.
Kirsten Bowen

Kirsten Bowen

Reviews 3 minute read
Did Stan Lee look down on the medium that made him famous? (Image courtesy of Crown.)

‘True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee’ by Abraham Riesman

Knocking down Marvel myths
Journalist Abraham Riesman has authored a definitive biography of the famed Marvel creator Stan Lee, uncovering truths that may make Lee's fans uncomfortable. Stephen Silver reviews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Reviews 3 minute read