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Open Letters Review

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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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August 11, 2023

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

August 11, 2023/ Tyler Altman
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

A review of Paul Murray’s big new Booker-longlisted novel.

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August 11, 2023/ Tyler Altman/
Literary Fiction
The Bee Sting, Paul Murray, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tyler Altman, 2023
August 09, 2023

Art Review: After Impressionism

August 09, 2023/ Kiran Gill
Art Review: After Impressionism

A review of the summer’s exhibit at London’s National Gallery.

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August 09, 2023/ Kiran Gill/
Art & Music
art history, art exhibition, Kiran Gill, 2023
August 05, 2023

The Individualists by Matt Zwolinski & John Tomasi

August 05, 2023/ David Murphy
The Individualists by Matt Zwolinski & John Tomasi

A, organized and engaging history of libertarianism.

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August 05, 2023/ David Murphy/
Politics & Economics
libertariansim, politics, radicalism, Matt Zwolinski, John Tomasi, David Murphy, 2023
August 03, 2023

The Visionaries by Wolfram Eilenberger

August 03, 2023/ Kevin Canfield
The Visionaries by Wolfram Eilenberger

A group biography of some early 20th century philosophers.

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August 03, 2023/ Kevin Canfield/
Biography/Memoir, Philosophy
The Visionaries, Hannah Arendt, Ayn Rand, Weil, philosophy, Shaun Whiteside, history, biography, Kevin Canfield, 2023
August 02, 2023

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

August 02, 2023/ Tom LeClair
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

A review of James McBride’s new novel.

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August 02, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, James McBride, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
July 31, 2023

The Parrot and the Igloo by David Lipsky

July 31, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Parrot and the Igloo by David Lipsky

A lively look at the many ways people have denied self-evident reality.

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July 31, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Science/Technology, Animals & Nature
The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial, David Lipsky, climate change, climate crisis, Steve Donoghue, 2023
July 27, 2023

The Undertow by Jeff Sharlet

July 27, 2023/ Lukas Killgore
The Undertow by Jeff Sharlet

A reporter’s dispatches from the front line of the culture wars.

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July 27, 2023/ Lukas Killgore/
Politics & Economics, Society & Culture, Religion
The Undertow, slow civil war, Jeff Sharlet, Trump, American culture, Lukas Killgore, 2023
July 25, 2023

Koch Tease: on Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick

July 25, 2023/ Michael Adams
Koch Tease: on Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style by Paul Rudnick

Paul Rudnick’s newest and best novel, a bittersweet rom-com, is equal parts fantasy and memoir.

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July 25, 2023/ Michael Adams/
Fiction-General, Fiction-LGBTQ
Paul Rudnick, Farrell Covington, Michael Adams, 2023
July 21, 2023

Console by Colin Channer

July 21, 2023/ Eric Bies
Console by Colin Channer

A new volume of poetry by Colin Channer.

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July 21, 2023/ Eric Bies/
Poetry
Colin Channer, Console, poetry, Eric Bies
July 18, 2023

Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson

July 18, 2023/ David Murphy
Power and Progress by Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson

A new history looks at how innovation helps - or doesn’t help - the disadvantaged.

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July 18, 2023/ David Murphy/
Science/Technology
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, Power and Progress, Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity, history, technology, techno-optimism, David Murphy, 2023
July 14, 2023

Into the Bright Sunshine by Samuel G. Freedman

July 14, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Into the Bright Sunshine by Samuel G. Freedman

A new history of Hubert Humphrey’s social crusading.

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July 14, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
History, Biography/Memoir
Into the Bright Sunshine, Samuel Freedman, Hubert Humphrey, American history, American biography, political biography, Steve Donoghue, 2023
July 12, 2023

The Nones by Ryan Burge

July 12, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Nones by Ryan Burge

A look at the growing segment of society that has no use for organized religion.

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July 12, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Religion, Society & Culture
The Nones, Ryan Burge, religion, atheism, Steve Donoghue, 2023, culture
July 10, 2023

The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell

July 10, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Boy in the Rain by Stephanie Cowell

A new novel about two young men falling in love in Edwardian England

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July 10, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Fiction
The Boy in the Rain, Stephanie Cowell, fiction, gay fiction, historical fiction, Steve Donoghue, 2023
July 08, 2023

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

July 08, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

Colson Whitehead’s follow-up to “Harlem Shuffle”.

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July 08, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Colson Whitehead, Crook Manifesto, American fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
July 06, 2023

Chaotic Good by Lee Klein

July 06, 2023/ Eric Bies
Chaotic Good by Lee Klein

Lee Klein’s new novel varies between the piquant and the pedestrian.

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July 06, 2023/ Eric Bies/
Literary Fiction
Lee Klein, Chaotic Good, fiction, contemporary fiction, Eric Bies, 2023
July 05, 2023

Yellowface by RF Kuang and The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

July 05, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Yellowface by RF Kuang and The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

A pair of much-discussed and much-reviewed new American novels.

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July 05, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Yellowface, RF Kuang, The Late Americans, Brandon Taylor, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
June 23, 2023

Palatine by Peter Stothard

June 23, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Palatine by Peter Stothard

A mesmerizing look at the Roman emperor Vitellius and the tumultuous times that produced him.

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June 23, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
History
Palatine, Peter Stothard, Aulus Vitellius, Vitellii, ancient Rome, Roman history, Roman emperors, the twelve Caesars, Steve Donoghue, 2023
June 22, 2023

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman

June 22, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman

The author of “The Genius of Birds” turns her attention to some of the most iconic of all birds.

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June 22, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Bird, nature, natural history, owls, birds, Jennifer Ackerman, Steve Donoghue, 2023
June 20, 2023

Chain-Gang All-Stars

June 20, 2023/ Tom LeClair
Chain-Gang All-Stars

A review of Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s new dystopian novel.

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June 20, 2023/ Tom LeClair/
Literary Fiction
Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, fiction, contemporary fiction, Tom LeClair, 2023
June 19, 2023

Goodbye, Eastern Europe by Jacob Mikanowski

June 19, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Goodbye, Eastern Europe by Jacob Mikanowski

A strange and compelling new look at the mosaic of Eastern European history.

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June 19, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Literary Criticism, History
Jacob Mikanowski, Goodbye, Goodbye Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, European history, history, Steve Donoghue, 2023
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
Britta Böhler
____________________

Eric Karl Anderson
Olive Fellows
Jack Hanson
Jennifer Helinek
Justin Hickey
Hannah Joyner
Zach Rabiroff
Jessica Tvordi

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