Books

393 results
Page 18
Not so dreamy: Carmen Maria Machado takes a nuanced approach to complicated realities. (Image courtesy of Graywolf Press.)

‘In the Dream House’ by Carmen Maria Machado

Memoir reinvented
Carmen Maria Machado’s innovative memoir, ‘In the Dream House,’ examines an abusive relationship from numerous angles, fighting the silence about domestic violence within queer communities. Cass Lewis reviews.
Cass Lewis

Cass Lewis

Articles 3 minute read
A book to create systemic change? (Image courtesy of the Free Library.)

2020's One Book, One Philadelphia kickoff drew a huge crowd for author Tommy Orange

Exposing buried truths
The launch of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s 2020 One Book, One Philadelphia program drew a crowd to hear Tommy Orange talk about his debut novel, ‘There There.’ Margaret Darby was there.
Margaret Darby

Margaret Darby

Articles 2 minute read
This novel follows a young person with a complex identity on a journey across the country and into her own self. (Image courtesy of Dial Books.)

‘Juliet Takes a Breath’ by Gabby Rivera

Identity in all directions
In Gabby Rivera’s young adult novel ‘Juliet Takes a Breath,’ a young, queer Latina from the Bronx blazes her own trail to Portland, Oregon, learning that identity never has a single trajectory. Olivia J. B. Baxter reviews.
Olivia J. B. Baxter

Olivia J. B. Baxter

Articles 3 minute read
What is, and what might be: a new book documents Philly’s Monument Lab. (Image courtesy of Temple University Press.)

‘Monument Lab: Creative Speculations for Philadelphia,’ edited by Paul M. Farber and Ken Lum

Monumental truths
More than two years ago, Philadelphia came together with Monument Lab to examine what our city's monuments show, what they don’t, and what we could do about it. A new book looks back. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 5 minute read
The cover of “Little Italy in the Great War” shows an Evening Public Ledger photo of the 1916 “Italian Brigade,” Company A of the Third Regiment of the PA National Guard, which had many Italian service members. (Image courtesy of Temple University Press.)

‘Little Italy in the Great War’ by Richard N. Juliani

Philly’s first WWI home front
Richard N. Juliani’s new book reveals troves of immigrant stories preserved in Philly’s early 19th-century newspapers and pieces together an often-forgotten segment of the American home front in WWI. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 5 minute read
Maeve is the star of the family, but not for her own sake. (Cover art by Noah Saterstrom; image courtesy of Harper.)

‘The Dutch House’ by Ann Patchett

At home in Elkins Park
Ann Patchett’s latest novel brings the ingredients of a 20th-century fairy tale to the Philly suburb of Elkins Park. Michelle Nugent reviews.
Michelle Nugent

Michelle Nugent

Articles 3 minute read
The story behind the story: Ronan Farrow’s ‘Catch and Kill.’ (Image courtesy of Little Brown.)

‘Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators’ by Ronan Farrow

The rise of Ronan
Ronan Farrow, one of the leading journalists of the #MeToo movement, has written ‘Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators,’ a gloriously cinematic narrative of his reporting and the obstacles it faced. He stopped at the Free Library in November. Stephen Silver was there.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Articles 5 minute read
‘The History Teacher’ opens with a pair of murders on a familiar-sounding Delaware estate. (Image courtesy of Porter Street Press.)

‘The History Teacher’ by Susan Bacon

A posthumous family reunion
Philly-area and Delaware readers may catch echoes of our own industrial post-war days in Susan Bacon’s ‘The History Teacher.’ Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Articles 3 minute read
Part memoir, part interrogation: ‘Even If Your Heart Would Listen.’ (Image courtesy of SparkPress.)

‘Even If Your Heart Would Listen,’ by Elise Schiller

Writing from wounds
‘Even If Your Heart Would Listen,’ exploring the loss of an adult child to addiction, is both memoir and an indictment of how our healthcare system is failing us. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Articles 4 minute read
It isn’t a bad word. (Image courtesy of Abrams Books.)

‘The (Other) F Word,’ edited by Angie Manfredi

Beautiful, accomplished, happy, and fat
‘The (Other) F Word,’ a new collection from editor Angie Manfredi, finds the joy in fatness with contributions from writers of all identities who claim their right to their own bodies. Michelle Nugent reviews.
Michelle Nugent

Michelle Nugent

Articles 3 minute read