This book is a work of fiction inspired by real events and real people.” So writes James McBride in an author’s note that precedes the text. He continues: “It draws upon the individual and collective experiences of black soldiers who served in the Serchio Valley and Apuane Alps...
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My father’s parents emigrated to the United States in 1901 with the three oldest of their eight children. I was led to believe they were survivors of a pogrom in the Russian Empire, but they wouldn’t talk about the experience—or anything at all about their lives in the Old Country. At...
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On August 25, 1939, MGM’s make-or-break production of The Wizard of Oz premiered at Grauman’s Theater in Los Angeles. The picture represented the pinnacle of all that Louis B. Mayer aspired to project for the company. It was a wholesome film, a picture for the whole family, a...
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So, you think you know a little Yiddish? Well, unless you speak the language, you’ll learn a lot of it from Michael Chabon’s award-winning speculative novel, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. Maybe you already know words like ganef (thief), macher (big shot), and shlemiel (sad sack...
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This is a comical Vietnam War novel. But that doesn’t mean to suggest that Of Rice and Men is a funny story about men killing and being killed. There’s far too much of that already. This is, instead, a novel about a company of American soldiers in Vietnam who specialize in what is...
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Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review,
with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review,
with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review, with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.