First, I must start this book review with full disclosure. I know Emile DeWeaver. We both worked at the prisoner-run San Quentin News. We were also … [Read more...]
Book reveals matrix of the prison-industrial complex
Readers of "The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits" might arrive at the impression that the book presented carceral institutions as shadowy … [Read more...]
Tragic and dark: The Brothers Karamazov
Reading translated literature originating from the pens of a variety of translators could mean reading radically different versions that might … [Read more...]
Life impacted by trauma and abuse leads to humor
From drug-addled, would-be college artist to unscrupulous ne’er-do-well, David Sedaris has made a successful career feasting on his own dysfunction. … [Read more...]
Book Review: Robinson Crusoe
Most of us have seen one of the diverse movie versions of the book Robinson Crusoe, the story about a malcontent castaway who is seemingly impatient … [Read more...]
Book Review: Thicker than Water
Kerry Washington’s memoir reveals complications from childhood to Hollywood My first acquaintance with Kerry Washington happened almost three … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Deeper the Roots
Entrenched in poverty and marginalized, a mother’s love is all that shielded him from the expected outcomes of a poor black boy in America. The Deeper … [Read more...]
Book Review: Chronicles of San Quentin
Knocking down one of the nation’s oldest prison walls leaves behind more than a mountain of rubble. This massive pile of stone and steel is just as … [Read more...]
Book Review: “From Bounced Checks to Private Jets”
From Bounced Checks to Private Jets: The Master of Miracles tells the story of Hazel Ortega, educational psychologist and owner of several … [Read more...]
It takes one to know one: A book review of Emma Cline’s ‘The Guest’
Con-artists have always made fascinating characters for stories. In 1986, David Mamet’s play “House of Games” set the standard for depiction of … [Read more...]