Book Reviews

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine, by Janice P. Nimura

As 19th Century Females, Sisters In 'The Doctors Blackwell' Achieve Many Firsts

3:00pm January 21, 2021

by Martha Anne Toll

Historian Janice P. Nimura tells the story of America's first and third certified women doctors and the role these sisters played in building medical institutions.

Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman speaks at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Books
Arts

A Different Day: A 2021 Poetry Preview, Part 2

10:00am January 21, 2021

Poetry helps us express feelings that don't fit neatly into sentences; confusion and fear but also hope and joy. Here's the second installment of our look ahead at the most exciting poetry of 2021.

White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea, by Tyler Stovall

'White Freedom' Examines The Tandem Development Of The Concepts Of Freedom And Race

10:58am January 20, 2021

by Ilana Masad

Tyler Stovall writes white freedom is "the belief (and practice) that freedom is central to white racial identity, and that only white people can or should be free" — noting nations were built on it.

Books
Arts

In 'Remote Control,' Drones Fly Over The Yam Fields Of A Near-Future Africa

10:00am January 20, 2021

by Jason Heller

Nnedi Okorafor's multi-faceted new novella follows a young girl in a near-future version of Ghana who becomes the Adopted Daughter of Death — but she can't quite figure out how that happened.

The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus

Books
Arts

The 'Uncollected Stories' Show Allan Gurganus At His Finest

7:00am January 19, 2021

by Michael Schaub

This is Gurganus's first book since 2013, and it's worth the wait. These stories are funny, compassionate, and marked by the author's amazing ability to reflect both light and dark in his characters.

Nadia Owusu is a Brooklyn-based writer and urban planner.

Books

'Aftershocks' Is A Powerful Memoir Of A Life Upended — Then Pieced Back Together

9:00am January 18, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

When Nadia Owusu was 4 years old, her Armenian American mother disappeared from her life. When she was 13, her Ghanaian father died. Owusu reflects the losses and her biracial identity in her memoir.

Books
Arts

There's Pain And Tragedy In 'Yellow Wife' — But Also Great Joy

11:07am January 17, 2021

by Denny S. Bryce

Sadeqa Johnson's novel — inspired by a real historical figure — pulls no punches in its tale of an enslaved woman trying to survive and make a life for herself and her family.

Books
Arts

The History In 'Angel Of Greenwood' Could Not Be More Timely

7:00am January 16, 2021

by Caitlyn Paxson

Randi Pink's new novel follows a young couple, Angel and Isaiah, whose budding love is set against the backdrop of historical tragedy: the Tulsa race massacre of 1921.

Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, by Dr. Carl L. Hart

'Drug Use For Grown-Ups' Serves As An Argument For Personal Choice

8:27am January 15, 2021

by Nicholas Cannariato

Dr. Carl Hart's positions on drug use and availability may seem quite extreme to some — but are thoughtful and data-driven. He asserts that racism is a major factor in the negative image drugs carry.

Books
Arts

The Clouds And Downpours Of 'Summerwater' Set The Scene For Human Drama

7:00am January 15, 2021

by Annalisa Quinn

Sarah Moss's new novel takes place over a single, unrelentingly rainy day at a vacation site in Scotland, where families complain about each other and mounting dread builds to catastrophe at the end.