We are usually taught that World War I began, officially, on 28 July 1914 and […]
Music for Wartime: Stories, by Rebecca Makkai
Though Theodor Adorno once wrote, “To write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric,” art is one […]
Confession of the Lioness, by Mia Couto
Many of the books I read illustrate just how connected we are to each other. […]
The Big Green Tent, by Ludmila Ulitskaya
One of the reasons I read fiction is to learn history. Oh, I read historical […]
The Lie, by Helen Dunmore
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”—so says the […]
The Children’s Home, by Charles Lambert
There are many ways to react to finding a child on one’s doorstep. The most […]
The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell
Reading David Mitchell’s Slade House a couple months ago sent me back to the library to […]
Preparation for the Next Life, by Atticus Lish
The title of Atticus Lish’s Preparation for the Next Life was a question that stayed in my […]
The Ballad of Barnabas Pierkiel, by Magdalena Zyzak
Few books begin with a line or paragraph that perfectly captures the essence of the […]
Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher
I’ve worked in academia long enough to know how fraught it can be. In addition […]