Living as a Twenty-First Century Mother in “The Year of the Horses” – Chicago Review of Books

Living as a Twenty-First Century Mother in “The Year of the Horses” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Courtney Maum’s new memoir, The Year of the Horses, uses her story of falling in love with horses and playing polo as an adult to reckon with how to exist not only as a mother, but also as a human. Maum, a writer propelled by deadlines and busyness, wrestles with the all-consuming question of … Read more

Vauhini Vara on the Dystopian Aspects of Technology, Capitalism and Privilege in “The Immortal King Rao” – Chicago Review of Books

Vauhini Vara on the Dystopian Aspects of Technology, Capitalism and Privilege in “The Immortal King Rao” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Journalist Vauhini Vara’s debut novel, The Immortal King Rao, takes us to a dark future where humans are “Shareholders” governed by a global corporation. Decisions are made not by human heads of state, but through a master algorithm called Algo. There is no longer a need for currency, as Shareholders’ labor is evaluated by … Read more

Dennis Hopper’s Gilded Days in “Everybody Thought We Were Crazy” – Chicago Review of Books

Dennis Hopper’s Gilded Days in “Everybody Thought We Were Crazy” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Brooke Hayward describes her years married to Dennis Hopper as “the most wonderful and awful of my life.” In Mark Rozzo’s hands, this goes double for the 1960s, a decade their marriage almost perfectly spanned. His new book Everybody Thought We Were Crazy is an exhaustively researched portrait of Hopper and Hayward’s marriage as … Read more

The Mechanics of Visibility in “All the Secrets of the World” – Chicago Review of Books

The Mechanics of Visibility in “All the Secrets of the World” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Steve Almond fans have waited long and hard for his debut novel and crustaceous hell does it deliver. All the Secrets of the World is a masterful, nervy, complex and confrontational work that flays the white beasts of power, excoriates the American dream, and serves up a ferocious indictment of the Fourth Estate, all … Read more

The Shape of Grief in “We Do What We Do In The Dark” – Chicago Review of Books

The Shape of Grief in “We Do What We Do In The Dark” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Narrative structure impacts when we take in information, and how we read a story. Doubtful Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go would have the same impact if we knew from page one what was happening, and surely Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony wouldn’t be as masterful if narrated linearly. In the same way, Michelle Hart’s … Read more

An Interview with Jennifer Saint – Chicago Review of Books

An Interview with Jennifer Saint – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Jennifer Saint’s 2021 debut novel Ariadne, a Sunday Times bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Month released in the US by Flatiron, brought fascinating women from Greek myth to life. She now turns her attention to the famous House of Atreus and the women of the Trojan War in Elektra, sharing the intertwined stories … Read more

The Price of Success in “Pure Life” – Chicago Review of Books

The Price of Success in “Pure Life” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Success is difficult to define. In the modern American landscape, it’s a term that’s become more or less synonymous with wealth rather than any sort of achievement. In the podcast The Relentless Picnic, the hosts remarked on the seeming absurdity that one could be considered a born-success. Fortunately, that’s not a problem for Nineteen, … Read more

Champions and their Complaints in “Nettle & Bone” – Chicago Review of Books

Champions and their Complaints in “Nettle & Bone” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] T. Kingfisher’s most recent novel, Nettle & Bone, is a fairy tale, replete with the usual archetypes: a kind-hearted and naïve protagonist, magical companions, difficult siblings—even a villainous tyrant. The narrative follows the adventures of Marra, a thirty-year-old princess who must save her sister from an evil prince. But T. Kingfisher’s stories are rarely … Read more

Fusing Creativity and Crisis in “Emergency” – Chicago Review of Books

Fusing Creativity and Crisis in “Emergency” – Chicago Review of Books

[ad_1] Climate change has broken time. Geological processes that normally unfold over millennia are now a matter of urgency, and the rhythms that structure our lives have fallen out of sync. Some changes, like biosphere collapse and the thawing of ice caps, are happening much too quickly; others, like popular uprisings and economic shifts, are … Read more

Heartstopper has landed on Netflix, and we’ve got your ultimate character book match!

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[ad_1] If your heart stopped while watching Heartstopper on Netflix, we’re here to help you recover! Like leaves from a cool fall breeze, Heartstopper swept us off our feet with its themes of friendship, queer joy, mental health awareness, and found family. Welcome to your Ultimate Character Book Match for what we think the main characters … Read more