Books
421 results
Page 29
'Philadelphia Noir,' edited by Carlin Romano
Real and imagined crimes
This overlooked 2010 collection of Philadelphia neighborhood-based noir fiction contains plenty of surprises, literary flourishes, and a crazy Biddle.
Rick Soissonand Illustration by Mike Jackson
Articles
4 minute read
Peter Kurt Woerner's 'Odyssey,' a visual diary
The road goes on
American Institute of Architects fellow Peter Kurt Woerner uses memories and line drawings to chronicle his Odyssey. Bob Levin remembers him from Friends Central's class of 1960.
An open letter to Harper Lee
Mockingbird America, then and now
Racial ignorance and fear have retreated since To Kill A Mockingbird first appeared; its often maligned author deserves some of the credit.
Articles
6 minute read
Richard Burgin’s 'Don’t Think’
Childhood confusion, grownup fantasies
Richard Burgin’s latest story collection again shows an American master — part Cheever, part Poe — at the height of his form.
Articles
5 minute read
Daniel James Brown’s ‘Boys in the Boat’
The kids who (sort of) beat Hitler
Did an American crew really thrill the world by whipping Hitler’s elite rowers in 1936? Daniel James Brown’s account is long on metaphors and hype but short on persuasive research.
Dave Barry’s 'Live Right and Find Happiness'
High silliness
The temptation is to simply fill up my review of Dave Barry's new book with quotations, but I won’t, even though he is perhaps the only living writer who can make me laugh so hard I weep.
Articles
3 minute read
Theresa Rebeck's ‘I'm Glad About You’
The complicated pursuit of dreams
In I'm Glad about You, Theresa Rebeck isn't so glad about the TV and movie businesses, trashing Lalaland in an engaging new novel about dreamers challenged by harsh realities.
Articles
3 minute read
Harlan Coben’s ‘The Stranger’
Dirty big secrets
In his latest thriller, Harlan Coben builds a taut meditation on privilege, control, and facades. All three concepts revolve around the notion that, even if you feel safe, human things fall apart.
Articles
3 minute read
Jill Leovy's 'Ghettoside'
The killing fields
From Bryant Tennellle’s murder through the trial of his accused killers, Ghettoside unwinds as a superior police procedural. The author's recommendations for solving the epidemic of black-on-black murder, however, are questionable.
'Stan Levey: Jazz Heavyweight' by Frank R. Hayde
Biography of a Philly-born jazz great
Frank R. Hayde’s Stan Levey: Jazz Heavyweight is a sometimes engaging and sometimes colorful account of Levey’s extraordinary career as a drummer, recording artist, studio musician, boxer, and photographer.
Articles
2 minute read