Book Review: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens An anonymous woman stumbles into a village about seventy-five miles from London, heavily pregnant and with her shoes in tatters. She collapses in the street, and is taken to the parochial workhouse. There, she gives birth to a boy and then perishes, seemingly leaving no clue to who… Continue reading Book Review: Oliver Twist
Tag: poverty
Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki This is the final volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s history of Japan and his personal life during the Showa Era. It mixes events that affected the entire country with stories of his struggles as a man and an artist. As noted in the introduction by… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Comic Book Review: Alexander Hamilton
Comic Book Review: Alexander Hamilton written by Jonathan Hennessey, art by Justin Greenwood. Alexander Hamilton (1757?-1804) was born in the West Indies, immigrated to the mainland American colonies in his teens, fought in the American Revolution, and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. He was killed in a duel with… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Alexander Hamilton
Book Review: The Pavilion
Book Review: The Pavilion by Hilda Lawrence (also published as “The Pavilion of Death”) When Regan Carr’s mother passes away from illness, the young woman is hard-pressed. Her part-time job as a small town librarian for $25 a week (roughly equivalent to an $8/hr job in 2017) is not sufficient to cover the doctor’s bills… Continue reading Book Review: The Pavilion
Book Review: Ready Player One
Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Wade Watts is a gunter. That’s short for “Easter egg hunter,” which has nothing to do with the holiday. Born into grinding poverty as the child of refugees in the energy-starved dystopian future, Wade was orphaned at an early age and put into the hands of a neglectful… Continue reading Book Review: Ready Player One
Book Review: Classic American Short Stories
Book Review: Classic American Short Stories compiled by Michael Kelahan This book is more or less exactly what it says in the title, a compilation of short(ish) stories written by American authors, most of which are acknowledged as classics by American Lit professors. The stories are arranged by author in roughly chronological order from the… Continue reading Book Review: Classic American Short Stories
Book Review: Rad Women Worldwide
Book Review: Rad Women Worldwide by Kate Schatz Right up front, I have to say that the title is the most annoying thing about this book. Did anyone ever use “rad” as an adjective unironically? That said, “radical” is not an unfair term to apply to many of the women whose short biographies are… Continue reading Book Review: Rad Women Worldwide
Open Thread: Relocation Update
Open Thread: Relocation Update As mentioned previously, the new management of the apartment building I have been living in for the last three decades has decided to close the entire complex for renovations. Thus all the tenants had to be out by the end of September. As a low-paid temp worker with no car, my… Continue reading Open Thread: Relocation Update
Comic Book Review: Superman Adventures Volume 1
Comic Book Review: Superman Adventures Volume 1 edited by Mike McAvennie After the success of the Batman animated series of the 1990s, the DC Animated Universe became a “universe” with the release of the Superman animated show that shared the same continuity. While perhaps not quite as brilliant as its predecessor, the Superman animated series… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Superman Adventures Volume 1
Book Review: Behind the Forgotten Front, a WWII Novel
Book Review: Behind the Forgotten Front, a WWII Novel by Barbara Hawkins Like many red-blooded American men after Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Harry Flynn joined the Army to fight the enemy directly. But the Army has a lot of jobs to fill, and his excellent handwriting gets Harry posted as a supply officer in a backwater… Continue reading Book Review: Behind the Forgotten Front, a WWII Novel