Full-voiced takedown of a song of the south, written by a man who barely left the north, but did leave his wife, became an alcoholic, and died young and penniless. Bingham disdains the canonization of Stephen Foster, and despairs that his richly melodic tune's lyrics have disquieted racial harmony. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare
With shocking immediacy, Gilman delves into the deepest dungeons of a mind coming unglued. The narrator's misplaced fidelity to her husband and her increased isolation create a brittle tension that make her panicked descent into madness as inevitable as it is unforgettable. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare
Nearing the end of her life, Chodron offers profound insight to assist our own passage. The benefits of accepting the release from ego, the interconnectedness of all forms of life, and the inevitability of change are lucidly, and lovingly, expressed. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare
Searing, brutally honest account of Almojera's experience as a Brooklyn paramedic in the first year of Covid. Almojera reveals the frequent horror of his job, and his anger at the stifling political and bureaucratic apparatus that made his work even more challenging. Yet, his book is a testament to the valor of those on the front lines,and a memorial to those who perished. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare
Impeccably crafted stories of characters striving, with varying success, to form a valid connection with family, strangers, the world at large, or themselves. Even the gruesomely realistic and strange science fiction tales are laced with humor, and with his precise language, Saunders again proves his mastery of the short story. ~ Reviewed by Mike Hare
