Purchase a copy for yourself here! In 1990’s England, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines a dystopian alternate reality—a boarding school beset with human clones. This school, Hailsham, is the setting of Ishiguro’s 2005 novel, Never Let Me Go. The novel is constructed as a sort of memoir, narrated by Kathy, an adult female “carer” (the meaning of… Continue reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Tag: books
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Purchase a copy for yourself here! The community of Shaker Heights, Ohio was the first fully planned community to spring up in America. The Shakers built a town beholden to strict aesthetic and moral codes, laying out residential streets, schools, and businesses according to rigorous family-friendly standards. This suburban oasis is the setting for Celeste… Continue reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
In the Land of Men by Adrienne Miller
Purchase a copy for yourself here! In 1997, Adrienne Miller became the first female literary editor of the venerable Esquire magazine at the early age of 25. By this time Esquire had published fiction from some of America’s most distinguished literary voices, including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Norman Mailer. In her new memoir,… Continue reading In the Land of Men by Adrienne Miller
The Immortals of Tehran by Ali Araghi
Purchase a copy for yourself here! Few nations experienced as much political turmoil as Iran did in the twentieth century. Colonialist interests and corrupt government robbed the country of its main natural resource and profit generator, oil, sparking years of unrest and bloody conflict. For a brief history lesson: after the Second World War, Iran… Continue reading The Immortals of Tehran by Ali Araghi
Super Pumped by Mike Isaac
Purchase a copy for yourself here! The “cult of the founder” is a widely discussed Silicon Valley phenomenon that has circulated in recent years is an integral part of understanding various missteps made by tech corporations. The “cult of the founder” describes a company culture in which the founder (usually also serving as CEO), is… Continue reading Super Pumped by Mike Isaac
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Purchase a copy for yourself here! For the title of her fourth novel, Long Bright River, Liz Moore borrowed a phrase from an Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, which describes a race of people who, “Sow the seed, and reap the harvest with enduring toil,Storing yearly little dues of wheat, and wine and oil;Till they perish… Continue reading Long Bright River by Liz Moore
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Purchase a copy for yourself here! Literary criticism in the modern age has been forced to confront the increasing democratization of the art space, as tools like the internet allow greater access to what was previously considered “high art”, reserved for only the most sophisticated intellectuals. As the distinction between highbrow and lowbrow entertainment has… Continue reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
Purchase a copy for yourself here! The Female Persuasion is Meg Wolitzer’s eleventh novel, and feels in many ways like a response to the #MeToo movement and the reemergence of feminism in the cultural conversation. The novel focuses on women of different generations coming to terms with the ways that the world works, offering and… Continue reading The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Purchase a copy for yourself here! Marlon James’ 2015 Man Booker Prize-winning novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is virtually impossible to summarize in any meaningful way. The novel is a sprawling epic said amid a time of political chaos in Jamaica during the 1960s and 70s, featuring fifteen narrators, each with unique dialects… Continue reading A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Purchase a copy for yourself here! In this current era of burgeoning global populist movements, it can feel like democracy is threatened under attack like never before. But for the nations torn apart by colonial occupation, radical populist movements and militaristic governments have been the norm for decades. Occupying governments and local freedom fighting groups… Continue reading Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe