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Allison Epstein's 'Fagin the Thief' gives a Charles Dickens character a second chance
Author Allison Epstein says when she read Oliver Twist, she found Charles Dickens' portrayal of Fagin, the novel's central scoundrel, to be stereotyp…
1 year, 3 months ago
A former Meta executive characterizes company leadership as "careless" in new memoir
Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former Meta executive, is now barred from discussing her criticism of the company. But before Meta gained an injunction agains…
1 year, 3 months ago
In two noir novels, crime lurks beneath small town life in Norway and New England
In their new noir novels, authors Joseph Finder and Jo Nesbø choose small towns as the settings for dark plotlines. First, Finder's The Oligarch's Da…
1 year, 3 months ago
A new biography tells the story of a South Asian Hollywood star who passed as white
In 1936, Merle Oberon became the first Asian woman–and person of color–to receive an Oscar nomination for best actress. She was nominated for her rol…
1 year, 3 months ago
'I'm That Girl' follows gymnast Jordan Chiles' road to the Olympics
In a new memoir, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles describes moments of deep uncertainty in her storied career. For example, there was a time in her mid-…
1 year, 3 months ago
The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins was inspired by Greek myths and reality TV
The first book in the The Hunger Games series was published more than a decade ago, ultimately launching a hugely popular film franchise, iconic char…
1 year, 3 months ago
A new novel from Karen Russell is a sprawling story set during the Dust Bowl
The Antidote opens on what seems like an ordinary Sunday in a fictional town in 1930s Nebraska. But by 3 p.m., apocalyptic clouds cover the sun and m…
1 year, 3 months ago
Books by critic Kenneth Turan and actor Rupert Everett show two sides of Hollywood
Two books set in Hollywood show different sides of the film business, from industry-shaping success to the personal frustration of rejection. First, …
1 year, 3 months ago
Jennifer Finney Boylan's latest memoir 'Cleavage' is a reflection on transgender life
Jennifer Finney Boylan's 2003 memoir She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders was about her new life as a woman. Since then, Boylan has become a promin…
1 year, 3 months ago
In 'Death Takes Me,' men are the victims of violence usually inflicted on women
La muerte me da, a novel published in Spanish in 2007 by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cristina Rivera Garza, is now available to English readers. De…
1 year, 4 months ago