Bret Easton Ellis
While the publishing world freaks out over false memoirs, who better to speak about truth in writing than an author with the same name as his protagonist?
Robert Birnbaum
Truthdig.com
A handful of journalists continue the honorable tradition of investigative reporter IF Stone, airing out the information that scoundrels in government and business work tirelessly to bury. Robert Scheer has been fighting the good fight for nearly 40 years, auspiciously beginning with How the U.S. Got Involved in Vietnam.
George Packer
Tens of thousands of American soldiers are in Iraq, but only a handful of U.S. journalists are covering the story from the inside. One of them, George Packer, talks about bravery, ideology, and changing opinions.
French Market coffee
Those $150-per-gallon fancy-schmancy coffees have nothing on French Market coffee, whose motto is: "The essence of New Orleans in a cup." Chicory gives it a strong nutty taste, and also offers numerous health benefits, according to the American Coffee Co. Hey, I've been
Cream
Eric Clapton, arguably the greatest white guitar player of his generation and still going strong, rose to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the band Cream. Bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker completed this power trio, which pumped out chart-dominating hits from 1966 to 1968 and
Barbara Ehrenreich
American business has preserved the conformity of the '50s but ditched the job security--what happened? A conversation about the terror of applying for jobs when experience doesn't matter.
Masters of American Comics
The eponymously named tome that serves as the catalog for the Masters of American Comics exhibition at U.C.L.A.'s Hammer Museum and Los Angeles's MoCA contains work by familiar names such as R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Gary Panter, and Chris Ware, as well as
Why New Orleans Matters
Writer and musicologist Tom Piazza weighs in on his adopted city with the poignant Why New Orleans Matters. This book is a bittersweet paean to what is, arguably, the most joyous metropolis in North America and, ironically, the product of the kind of racial and cultural mongrelizing that America has
Rick Moody
When novelists are listed among our most despicable citizens, can America claim to love literature? Our man up north talks to author Rick Moody about how we're all on the same team when we're reading.
Philips HE 592 earbuds
For the cost of the iPod, one should be able to expect near perfection. Odd, then, that the distinctive white earbuds--which make one a target for envy (and in some precincts, much worse)--don't block out ambient sound. Not to worry; you can replace them for half