That Devil Rum
Recounting a truly bizarre period of American history in “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.”
Robert Birnbaum
When the Dancing Stopped
Platform shoes, pounding beat, and sex—was that disco? Alice Echols reviews the recent past.
My Way
Bush’s Brain, aka Karl Rove, tells all. Really?
Michiko and Martin
An article of sorts in a British newspaper (sort of) spawns some cogitation.
Our Brave, Stupid New World
Is the internet making us stupid? Birkets and Carr get to pondering.
Who Is Leslie Jamison?
Leslie Jamison has the makings of a terrific novelist—even though she went to Harvard, Iowa, and Yale.
Attention Must Be Paid #55
Gilbert Sorentino’s new novel proves writers can be gone but not forgotten.
Stuffed
Case studies of when collecting becomes hoarding.
Inseminating the Elephant
Pulitzer Prize finalist Lucia Perillo laces her poetry with tragicomedy.
Cagey Men
The Battle of the Little Bighorn actually represents two last stands, says Nathaniel Philbrick.