Hussey has been kind to the reader by slicing his novel into bed-time-reading sized chapters. But unless you like your nightmares to be as ‘jittery as a dog full of fleas’ then read Through a Glass Darkly on a bright summer’s day.
A review of Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon and the journey of a generation by Sheila Weller
As a longtime admirer of all three of these artists, I was rivetted by Weller’s narrative and impressed by her analysis of their lives and legacies. But this is not just a book strictly for the fans of the music – anyone who is interested in womens’ role in society and the period that saw the rise of feminism and the ‘gender wars’ will find much to mull over here.
A review of The New Angel by Ali Alizadeh
Bahram’s is the voice of the newly-arrived immigrant, misunderstood and always alien, at home neither in the country he has come from nor the one he now inhabits. Such people are becoming increasingly common in our globalised society, and their outsider voices need to be heard and heeded if the notion of a ‘global village’ is to ever become a reality.
A review of The OK Team by Nick Place
The varying narrative, slightly otherworldly Gotham city setting, and the overall positive messages makes this a good choice for young boys – particularly those who are struggling to enjoy the world of books. That it also involves a fair amount of wish fulfillment also adds to this books charm for children.
Intelligence is Bliss: Vampire Weekend and the Beatles’ Rubber Soul
By Daniel Garrett Vampire Weekend (featuring “Mansard Roof” and “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”) Produced by Rostam Batmanglij XL Recordings, 2008 The Beatles, Rubber Soul Produced by George Martin EMI, 1965 (for Paul Zakrzewski, Rebecca Terner, Keith Hudson and Alfredo Garcia)…
A review of Composition by Linda Lavid
While you might need a few more reference books on your journey from a person who dreams of being an author to someone who has a book of his or her own to sign and sell, this is nevertheless a useful starting point and a reference you’ll find yourself going back to along the way.
Revelations: Notes on Music, Criticism, and Society; on Nelson George’s book Where Did Our Love Go? and Stanley Crouch’s book Considering Genius
George, someone whose work I used to read in Manhattan’s Village Voice, documents the beautiful and brutal reality that was Motown, a company and a creative period, the 1960s through the 1970s, that I think of as a highlight of African-American and American history, as important as (if not more important than) the Harlem Renaissance, giving us sounds and substance, giving us ideas, images, and individuals, of great value.
A review of Tumbuktu by Paul Auster
The overriding desire for meaning beyond this short life is one which infuses the book, but Auster never allows a human narrative voice to interfere with Mr Bones’ perspective. Clever, funny, lighthearted and serious all at the same time, this is a stylistic departure for Paul Auster which nonetheless makes full use of his gifts.
A review of Syncopations: Beats, New Yorkers, and Writers in the Dark by James Campbell
Campbell is very good on Capote and it is the slightly gossipy air of his writing that makes these studies especially interesting. He is even better on James Baldwin, subject of one of his books. He demonstrates how the FBI persecuted Baldwin, drove him into exile, and hampered his life so that after leaving the United States Baldwin’s best years as a writer were over. It would be pleasant to believe that such things are no longer possible, pleasant but, alas, unfortunately naive.
Excitements and Examinations: An Internet Interview with Music Scholar Walter Everett
This is an interview with musician, teacher, and writer Walter Everett in which discussed are his own work, academic standards, the roles of artist and critic and other social actors, particular essays investigating music, the differences between academic and popular responses to culture, the world wide web, distinguished and enjoyable musicians such as Radiohead and Gnarls Barkley and Nirvana and Patti Smith, and music as a political force. Everett says, “It has been amazing to follow the changes in popular styles and artistry, alongside the changing notion of how and why people listen to music.”