The Mouthwatering Charm of “Crying in H Mart” – Chicago Review of Books

The Mouthwatering Charm of “Crying in H Mart” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] While Michelle Zauner may be best known by her musical project, Japanese Breakfast, she writes with an equivalent passion. As someone relatively unfamiliar with her music, it is in writing that I knew her first. I came across the essay “Crying in H Mart” years ago in The New Yorker. It resonated with me, … Read more

Nearly Eighty Years Later, Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Lived Underground” Emerges – Chicago Review of Books

Nearly Eighty Years Later, Richard Wright’s “The Man Who Lived Underground” Emerges – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Before Ralph Ellison’s unnamed narrator took residence beneath the surface of the world in Invisible Man, there was Fred Daniels—the protagonist of Richard Wright’s long-awaited novel, The Man Who Lived Underground. The tragic tale of Daniels was borne from a lifetime of experiences, which Wright explains in the accompanying essay, “Memories of My Grandmother.” … Read more

Hidden Pain in “Terminal Boredom” – Chicago Review of Books

Hidden Pain in “Terminal Boredom” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Science fiction dystopias are often deployed as a means of examining politics, ideology, or technology, but for Izumi Suzuki, the medium serves an intimate exploration of anxiety, pain, and sadness. The translated stories collected in Terminal Boredom depend on science fiction dystopias, but focus on characters who are broken and seeking their own personal … Read more

Language as Abstraction in “Horses Dream of Money” – Chicago Review of Books

Language as Abstraction in “Horses Dream of Money” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] I have known Angela Buck for sometime. We went to graduate school together at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where I knew her to be funny, thoughtful, and incredibly talented. Her new story collection, Horses Dream of Money, exemplifies all of those qualities. The collection blurs horror and humor, fantasy and realism. It highlights the … Read more

5 Things We Can’t Wait to See in the Shadow and Bone Netflix Series

5 Things We Can't Wait to See in the Shadow and Bone Netflix Series

[ad_1] Onward to Ravka, my dear Grisha. We couldn’t be more excited that the TV adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s unforgettable Shadow and Bone trilogy is magicking its way onto Netflix this Friday, April 23rd. It’s finally time to see Alina, Mal, Genya, Zoya, the Darkling, and many others of our favorite Grishaverse characters take their … Read more

Arson, Old Age, and Life’s Unsolvable Mysteries in “Aviary” – Chicago Review of Books

Arson, Old Age, and Life’s Unsolvable Mysteries in “Aviary” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Montana is often called “Big Sky Country,” but you wouldn’t necessarily know it from the people inhabiting Deirdre McNamer’s Aviary. Set in an elderly housing facility called Pheasant Run, the novel is a tender and evocative portrait of life in its late stages, when confinement might be physical but the memory can still roam … Read more

An Interview With Gina Frangello – Chicago Review of Books

An Interview With Gina Frangello – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] The title of Gina Frangello’s debut memoir, Blow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason, can be read as an imperative: to destroy with the body a space created, inhabited, and processed by the self. This idea invites a certain scrutiny: why would anyone be moved to create such a rupture … Read more

The Unique Dialogue Between Present and Past in “Low Country” – Chicago Review of Books

The Unique Dialogue Between Present and Past in “Low Country” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] In January 2013, J. Nicole Jones penned the essay “Why’s everyone so down on memoir?” In this piece, she examines the criteria for why writers perceive memoir as beneath the novel form. Within her investigation she grapples with Lorrie Moore’s claims that the faultiness of memory shows how memoir cannot convey the deeper meaning … Read more

Books About Self-Care and Mental Health to Ease Your Anxiety

Books About Self-Care and Mental Health to Ease Your Anxiety

[ad_1] With the beginning of spring, warmer weather, and longer days, we’re looking forward to spending more time outside and really focusing on our mental health. These books already helped get us through the long winter, and now we can’t wait to read, journal, and color somewhere other than our couches. If you’re also looking … Read more