Reviews
Arts & Culture, History, Reviews
Straight Line Crazy by David Hare
Thomas Walker-Werth June 7, 2022
Despite some faults, Straight Line Crazy does an excellent job of bringing to modern audiences the harsh reality of how governments, even in wealthy, developed countries, can ride roughshod over people’s rights, rich and poor alike.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Stories in Paint by Luc Travers and Windows on Humanity: A History of How Art Reflects Our Ideas about Our Lives and World by Sandra Shaw
Timothy Sandefur June 4, 2022
By giving us doorways into a wider world of art and ideas—and doing so without the backing of any major publishing houses—Luc Travers and Sandra Shaw have not only done us all a great service but have testified to the enormous value of art in all our lives.
Arts & Culture, History, Reviews
The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired a Masterpiece by Kevin Birmingham
Timothy Sandefur March 24, 2022
Despite occasional oversights, Kevin Birmingham's The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired a Masterpiece offers a dramatic and enlightening introduction to the complicated context in which one of literature’s greatest and most horrifying novels was created.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
3 Idiots, Written and Directed by Rajkumar Hirani
Clytze Sun March 11, 2022
3 Idiots (2009), a Hindi-language coming-of-age film, follows the story of three engineering students at one of the top engineering universities in India. It focuses on the happiness a man can achieve when he lives for himself.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
The Book of Boba Fett, Created by Jon Favreau
Thomas Walker-Werth February 18, 2022
Star Wars is great for two principal reasons: A clear, moving story about good triumphing over evil; and likable, interesting characters. Unfortunately, The Book of Boba Fett falls short in both regards.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Louis Sullivan’s Idea by Tim Samuelson and Chris Ware
Timothy Sandefur December 16, 2021
Louis H. Sullivan's buildings are the remaining monuments to a genius who gave voice, as no artist had ever done before, to the distinctive achievement of the modern age: the skyscraper. Hopefully, books such as this will help ensure that this master builder is never forgotten.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Law of the Land, by Elmer Kelton
Timothy Sandefur November 26, 2021
One reason critics often ignored Elmer Kelton was that his novels celebrate the virtues of integrity, honor, hard work, and bravery, with none of the nihilism or mournfulness that mark other Western authors. “Critics don’t read a Western unless the book is contemptuous of its subject matter,” Kelton once said.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Lucifer, Written by Tom Kapinos and Joe Henderson
Clytze Sun November 26, 2021
If you like a romantic story with heartwarming friendships, thought-provoking questions, and a side of dark comedy, check out Lucifer. You might just become possessed by the devil himself.
Economics, History, Reviews
The Financial Programs of Alexander Hamilton, by a Farmer’s Daughter by Dianne L. Durante
Raymond C. Niles October 22, 2021
Despite some of Hamilton’s surprising errors, such as his support for mercantilism, his programs prevented the new republic from floundering, as Dianne Durante has shown. Hamilton is worthy of our admiration, and so is Dr. Durante for having done such a fine job of bringing Hamilton and his policies to life.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Andreea Mincu September 24, 2021
By explaining how one can create good art via hard work and rational processes, “Art & Fear” dispels myths of inborn talent and mystical inspiration, and it encourages artists to cultivate skills, just as in any other profession.