Books
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The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 21-27, 2026
Book Week recs from the BSR team
Three of the staff here at Broad Street Review offer their book recommendations in the spirit of the fourth annual BSR Book Week 2026.
Alaina Johns, Kyle V. Hiller, and Neil Bardhan
Previews
14 minute read
If the Owl Calls, by Sharon White
Building a mystery
Sharon White’s debut novel is a mystery set to the backdrop of 1979 Norway during a time of environmental resistance that asks big questions around culture and tradition. Chhaya Nayyar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Grief Shop and Other Stories from a Broken World, by Alex DiFrancesco
Laughing through the aftermath
Alex DiFrancesco’s forthcoming speculative short story collection offers a timely and cathartic escape. Cass Lewis reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Does Emerald Fennel’s “Wuthering Heights” misinterpret Brontë’s classic as a romance?
Romance deserves to be the site of serious criticism
Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel ignites passionate discourse: misunderstood in its own time, and ours too, even with more elastic modern interpretations of novels. A new film by Emerald Fennel highlights a problematic response. Chhaya Nayyar looks closer.
Essays
6 minute read
A Century of Music Under the Stars: A History of the Mann Center of the Performing Arts and Robin Hood Dell, by Jack McCarthy
A comprehensive history of one of Philly’s best music venues
The Robin Hood Dell, opened in 1930, was the start of the institution we know today as the Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts. A new book by Jack McCarthy charts the notable Philly venue’s history. Stephen Silver reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Hidden River, by Sara Lippmann
The silent traumas that determine the flow of our lives
A new novel from Sara Lippman follows a young woman who grows up in the Philly burbs, and then faces the secrets of her teenage years 20 years later. Emma Riverso reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Funeral of Lies, by A.E.S. O’Neill
In Philly politics, everyone gets their hands dirty
Philly novelist A.E.S. O’Neill’s latest thriller dives into the world of Philly politics. A bitter New York PR executive with a loose relationship to the truth comes home to manage his naïve and charismatic uncle’s mayoral run. Rob Laymon reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
And the Ancestors Sing, by Radha Lin Chaddah
A Philly physician-turned-author explores the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China
In her debut novel And the Ancestors Sing, Philly author Radha Lin Chaddah tackles a sweeping multigenerational tale set in China after the Cultural Revolution, including the plasma economy and its role in an HIV epidemic. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Purity Culture Recovery Guide: The Shame-Free Sex Education You Deserve, by Erica Smith
Reassuring support for a sex-positive pledge
Philly-based sex educator Erica Smith brings her passion for shame-free knowledge to her new book, The Purity Culture Recovery Guide, building on her popular platform for those recovering from high-control religion. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
Mother Tongue: A Memoir, by Sara Nović
“Language is love code”
Philly author Sara Nović, whose 2024 novel True Biz was a One Book, One Philadelphia pick, is back with a singular memoir exploring the world of deafness, parenting, adoption, disability, and more. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read