Book reviews and more!

Posts tagged with ‘Social and Cultural Commentary’

PLAYING DEAD: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF DEATH FRAUD by Elizabeth Greenwood

November 30, 2016

FAKING YOUR OWN DEATH? Interviews with people who have tried, and with experts in the field. Fascinating!

Grade: B PLUS

PLAYING DEAD: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF DEATH FRAUD
Simon & Schuster
2016

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THE TASTEMAKERS by David Sax

June 3, 2014

FROM CUPCAKES TO SUPERFOODS, an engaging look at how consumers, chefs, corporations, media shape food trends. B PLUS

Grade: B PLUS

THE TASTEMAKERS: WHY WE'RE CRAZY FOR CUPCAKES BUT FED UP WITH FONDUE
Public Affairs
2014

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HEMP BOUND by Doug Fine

May 19, 2014

CHATTY TOUR OF WORLDWIDE industrial hemp production points to future opportunities for US farmers, factories. SOLID B

Grade: SOLID B

HEMP BOUND: DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES OF THE NEXT AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
Chelsea Green
2014

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SPENT by Antonia Crane

May 18, 2014

THOUGHTFUL, ELOQUENT MEMOIR of a writer’s day jobs in sex work and in human services work. Stunning, raw! B PLUS

Grade: B PLUS

SPENT: A MEMOIR
Rare Bird Books
2014

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HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA, by Kiese Laymon

December 31, 2013

RAW, BRILLIANT ESSAYS by Kiese Laymon (with notes from family and friends) unfold a black American experience. B PLUS

Grade: B PLUS

HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA
Agate Bolden
2013

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CONFESSIONS OF A FAST FOOD WORKER (PART 1), by George Dwight

December 29, 2013

A SAVVY AND SLY memoir of life in the trenches at a big-city fast food restaurant. Not always appetizing!  SOLID B

Grade: SOLID B

CONFESSIONS OF A FAST FOOD WORKER (PART 1)
George Dwight
2013

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SEX AND THE CITADEL by Shereen El Feki

December 23, 2013

SEXUAL POLITICS IN the Arab world, presented in depth (via years of interviews), with compassion, with wit. B PLUS

SEX AND THE CITADEL
Pantheon
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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NINETY PERCENT OF EVERYTHING, by Rose George

December 19, 2013

INSIDE THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY, from midocean boredom to pirate watch to shipwreck. Great, engaging reporting! B PLUS

NINETY PERCENT OF EVERYTHING
Metropolitan Books
2013

Grade: B PLUS

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WHY I FARM: RISKING IT ALL FOR A LIFE ON THE LAND, by Gary Romano

November 17, 2013

A FARMER’S MEMOIR AND MANIFESTO: a nice mix of common sense, family history, and heritage farming techniques.

Grade: B PLUS

WHY I FARM: RISKING IT ALL FOR A LIFE ON THE LAND
Bona Fide Books
2013

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SEARCHING FOR ZION, by Emily Raboteau

May 24, 2013

SEEKING A “PROMISED LAND” in Israel, Africa, and the US South, a writer looks compellingly at race and faith.

Grade: B PLUS

SEARCHING FOR ZION: THE QUEST FOR HOME IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Grove/Atlantic
2013

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