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Nerve Book Review

Eva Holland
I'm not much one for pop science or psychology books, but this was a refreshing introduction to the workings of fear. Eva Holland weaves personal, societal, and physiological explanations for the ways we deal with being afraid, and what happens when we try to tame the feeling. She makes new concepts approachable, and pairs that skill with evocative memoir writing.

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Paper is perfect

My most pleasurable reading experience of the past year has been Robin Sloan's Year of the Meteor newsletter. Every Sunday, I was comforted to see that new email message nestle into my inbox. Sometimes I would read it right away. Sometimes I would let it linger there for weeks before I got around …

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Dietland Book Review

Sarai Walker
This novel is most impressive for its form, jumping between different narrative voices in a way I've never seen. In some chapters, footnotes are used as a kind of flashback. Font choices denote the transition between first-person narrative, correspondence, diary-writing, news reporting, or a dream sequence. The story itself is dark and fun, pinning the reader down in discomfort.

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Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest Book Review

Hanif Abdurraqib
In his signature style, blending deeply personal essays with pop culture analysis, Hanif guides us on a tour through rap's history. It's not an exhaustive dive into every corner of the genre, focusing instead on everything in A Tribe Called Quest's orbit. Which is a hugely influential one! They were central to the way rap music evolved especially in the early 90s. More than facts, though, this book treats each of Tribe's members with tenderness, allowing space for the reader to get to know them as individuals, and as a group, and as a cultural force, and as a political moment.

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