I did not grow up in a large family—I count among my relations one sibling and a handful of cousins—and certainly not in a blended […]
The Unflinching Testimony of WWII Veterans: Scott Davis’ Oral History Reveals Brutal Realities
Maps and arrows have long been the principal focus in military histories, detailing army movements and technical descriptions. In contrast, Scott Davis’ The Last of […]
Auden’s Hidden Legacy: The Poet Who Mastered Modernity
Wystan Hugh Auden, an English schoolmaster in his youth, began crafting a series of remarkable poems during the mid-1930s. His work included rollicking ballads, tender […]
The Unseen Engine of Control: How China’s CCP Shapes Art and Literature in Nolan’s Interview
Much as Helen’s face is said to have launched a thousand ships, Christopher Nolan’s new movie depicting Odysseus’ return from the Trojan War has launched […]
Cape Cod Summer: A Canadian Director’s Quiet Masterpiece
There is a Canadian director no one has ever heard of who has made three of the most interesting and unexpected pictures in recent years. […]
The Forgotten Legacy of 1986: Why Two High School Films Still Haunt Us
Were you a Ferris or a Lucas? Did you have it all figured out in high school, like the eponymous trickster from 40 summers ago? […]
Beverly Gage’s U.S. History Book Omits LGBTQ+ Figures Despite Promises of Inclusion
The review of Beverly Gage’s This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History notes that before the 2015 Charleston church shooting, which […]
Misery and Death: The Hidden Consequences of China-Iran Ties
In the United States, democratic socialists and Hamas sympathizers often march arm in arm. Abroad, news that China is exporting surface-to-air missiles to Iran reveals […]
The Speaker’s Peril: How Kevin McCarthy’s Struggle with the House Freedom Caucus Almost Broke Congress
If the parties fight each other to a draw in the gerrymandering wars, who wins? Democrats can probably carve about as many safe congressional seats […]