Carlin Romano's "America the Philosophical'

Who you calling a meliorist? Or: Romano contemplates the bust of Socrates

What's a former philosophy major to do when his favorite literary critic writes a 688-page book denigrating Socrates as an authoritarian wuss? Carlin Romano's America the Philosophical is a ragged grab-bag of ideas. But what enlightening disorder!

Aug 07, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Tubes': Andrew Blum travels the Internet

That cloud is expensive!

So you think Internet service should be free? Andrew Blum's cyber-travelogue demonstrates just how much time, effort, expertise and costly material our brave new cyberworld requires.

Tom Purdom

Jul 10, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

A life lesson from Ray Bradbury (3rd tribute)

The novelist who loved theater: How Ray Bradbury changed my life

The late author Ray Bradbury— best known for his novels, children's books and TV scripts— appreciated above all the irreplaceable value of live theater. A chance meeting more than 20 years ago led to a lifelong friendship that inspired me to launch and nurture my own theater company.

Tom Quinn

Jun 30, 2012 · Articles · 7 minute read

Ray Bradbury: science fiction writer (2nd tribute)

Can a serious writer contemplate the future?

Literary pundits embraced Ray Bradbury because they mistakenly saw him as someone who shared their distaste for technology. On the contrary, he was a science fiction writer to the core, captivated by technology and its implications for humanity's future.

Tom Purdom

Jun 24, 2012 · Articles · 5 minute read

Robert Caro's Lyndon Johnson

Be careful what you wish for: Lyndon Johnson assumes power

Just below the surface of Robert Caro's praise for Lyndon Johnson's assumption of the presidency in 1963 lurks an underlying, fundamental belief that LBJ's demons outnumbered his angels.

Armen Pandola

Jun 19, 2012 · Articles · 10 minute read

A Ray Bradbury remembrance (1st tribute)

My summer on the tongue with Ray Bradbury

After years of reading the late Ray Bradbury's work, I heard his voice: a genuine melody of words and images tumbling in mid-air until they hit the ear just as they hit the page.

Kathleen L. Erlich

Jun 11, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

E.L. James's "Fifty Shades of Grey'

Not the whips and chains again!, or: Fifty Shades meets the voice of experience

Just what the world needs: another romance novel about a blushing virgin who's ravished by a wealthy, attractive and powerful sadomasochist. As an older woman who has known genuine pain and loss, I have a better idea.

Terri Kirby Erickson

May 22, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Carlos Fuentes as I remember him

The writer who bit his own tail

The magical but realistic novels of Carlos Fuentes are compendiums of pulsating narratives and capacious realms of knowledge. He wrote in a genre that raises questions at a time when all forms of story are suspect and knowledge is represented as what anyone can locate on the Internet.

AJ Sabatini

May 19, 2012 · Articles · 7 minute read

Three noir novels by Manchette

Abandon all hope, ye who seek rational explanations

In Jean-Patrick Manchette's short, jazzy, ultra-violent thrillers, chaos reigns and moral codes count for very little.

Andrew Mangravite

May 08, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

J. M. Ledgard's "Submergence'

The novel as metaphor

Part international thriller, part philosophical romance, J. M. Ledgard's Submergence is that rare postmodern fiction, a work whose disparate parts cohere finally into an unexpected whole. It also suggests that our hyperintelligent species may be too clever to survive. Submergence. By J.M. Ledgard. Jonathan Cape, 2011. 191 pages. www.amazon.com.

Robert Zaller

Apr 21, 2012 · Articles · 7 minute read