The Best of Los Angeles Review of Books
10+ most popular Los Angeles Review of Books articles, as voted by our community.
A multimedia literary and cultural arts magazine with an enduring commitment to the written word.
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Creating Art in the Face of War Crimes: On John Freedman’s “A Dictionary of Emotions in a…
Ada Wordsworth reviews John Freedman’s anthology of works by Ukrainian playwrights, “A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War.”...
Los Angeles Review of Books on Books
Fuck the Poetry Police: On the Index of Major Literary Prizes in the United States
Dan Sinykin breaks down the Post45 Data Collective set on literary awards compiled by Stephanie Young and Juliana Spahr....
The Work of the Audiobook
Alexander Manshel, Laura B. McGrath, and J. D. Porter discuss the economics and aesthetics of audiobooks....
Los Angeles Review of Books on California
“Sir, You Do Realize I Am 9-1-1?”: On the Lives and Afterlives of California’s Firefighters
Jaime Lowe reports on the neglect and exploitation coursing through the civilian fire infrastructure revealed after the release of her book “Breathing Fire,” which investigated Shawna Jones’s life and…
Los Angeles Review of Books on Culture
Zeal, Wit, and Fury: The Queer Black Modernism of Claude McKay
Gary Edward Holcomb considers the suppressed legacy of Claude McKay’s two “lost” novels, “Amiable with Big Teeth” and “Romance in Marseille.”...
Los Angeles Review of Books on Humanities
Where the Humanities Are Not in Crisis
Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera discusses the systemic inequities in who gets to define the “crisis” in literary studies....
Los Angeles Review of Books on Music
Misunderstood Musical Genius: On Harvey Sachs’s “Schoenberg”
Musicologist Judith Finell reviews Harvey Sachs’s new biography of the influential and misunderstood 20th-century musical genius Arnold Schoenberg, titled “Schoenberg: Why He Matters.”...
BTS: Permission to Desire
Rani Neutill discusses the euphoric affect of BTS for Gen-X women....
Los Angeles Review of Books on Storytelling
In Praise of Failure and Storytelling: A Conversation with Costica Bradatan
Costica Bradatan speaks with Julien Crockett about his new book “In Praise of Failure: Four Lessons in Humility.”...
Los Angeles Review of Books on TV
On “Mission: Impossible” and Unaccountable Government
With its seventh installment looming, Pat Cassels details the way the “Mission: Impossible” franchise became an unlikely chronicler of American intelligence sprawl....
Who Owns Dungeons & Dragons?
Emily C. Friedman discusses the long, robust history of third-party Dungeons & Dragons storytelling, and the recent threats to that independence....
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The Philosophy of Shittiness: On Kieran Setiya’s “Life Is Hard”
Helena de Bres reviews Kieran Setiya’s new book, “Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way.”...
How to Read English in India
Akshya Saxena tells us why English in India is A Good Thing to Have.
Breaking into English
Lily Meyer on the hard work of translators and editors that brings international literature to English-language readers....
The Internet Is a Crime Against Humanity
Justin E. H. Smith’s new book, “The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is,” shows how the human dream of telecommunication has been twisted into a nightmare....
The Storykeeper: A Conversation with Svetlana Alexievich
José Vergara and his students ask Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich about how war has shaped her work, as well as about her writing process and Chornobyl’s legacy.
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