A Review of Night Night Fawn (One World 2026) by Jordy Rosenberg. Among many human beings it is customary—has been, for a long time, in all kinds of places—for the act of giving birth to convey upon the birther a combined legal standing, quasi-proprietary status, cultural role, and economic function known as “motherhood.” If . . .
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On March 24, 2026, as Argentinians prepare to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the coup d’etat that initiated the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional—the country’s bloodiest and most violent dictatorship in its history—I want to revisit La historia oficial [The Official Story] (1985), the award-winning film directed by Luis Puenzo which exposes the . . .
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“The Sahara,” articulates Maysa Abou-Youssef Hayward in her study of the desert in Arabic verse, “represents a location marked by fear, loss, exile, and emptiness, the result of destruction.” In Desert Imaginations: A History of Saharanism and Its Radical Consequences (University of California Press, 2025) Brahim El Guabli argues that this idea . . .
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A review of Uncanny Valley Girls: Essays on Horror, Survival, and Love (Harper Perennial 2025) by Zefyr Lisowski and Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980) (Atria 2025) by Eleanor Johnson. I used to think I didn’t like horror films, but then, thirteen years ago, I met . . .
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Where there’s ice, it’s cool for two. For two: so I let you come. A breath as of fire was around you— —Paul Celan When it’s cold, find some warmth by the fire.Pour . . .
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A review of Truth and Consequence: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope (Bloomsbury 2026) by Daniel Ellsberg From the time Daniel Ellsberg was barely more than a toddler, his mother—a domineering woman whose love was conditional on obedience to her wishes—was determined that Ellsberg would become a world-class concert pianist. Thus, instead . . .
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Review of Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed’s Media, Culture, and Decolonization: Re-righting the Subaltern Histories of Ghana (Rutgers University Press, 2025) Wunpini Fatimata Mohammed’s Media, Culture, and Decolonization: Re-righting the Subaltern Histories of Ghana is an exploration of the media landscape of Northern Ghana, specifically among the Dagbamba people. Mohammed presents to us a . . .
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Reviewing Joshua Colangelo-Bryan’s Through the Gates of Hell. American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay (Humanitas Media, 2025), 224 pp. I. Buddies When you pick up a book written by a lawyer for Guantanamo detainees, knowing that it will contain an account of his work representing those clients, the last thing you expect to . . .
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As the holidays are drawing nigh,And our dinners are richer: piled highWith the vegetables, meats,Cheese, and savory treats,And our bellies are full—then we spy Someone bringing a tray of desserts(One more bite and some tummies might hurt).Well, you know without questionBeer helps with digestion.So try some of these to insert 1.In your . . .
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A Review of J. Malcolm Garcia’s Alabama Village: Faith, Hope, and Survival in a Southern Town (Seven Stories, 2025) From the get-go, let it be clear: this will be a partisan review. Early on, during the four-year-plus project that became Alabama Village, Malcolm mentioned to me in an email what he was . . .
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