This uncommonly common man, so ordinary, so invisible, carried himself in an unassuming way that spoke of strength. El Indio Jesus, the “uncommonly common man,” is introduced in scenes describing his activities during a typical week... Read More

They’d been driving through Texas on their way to visit family and she’d mentioned she wanted to stop at the next Dairy Queen they passed. He kept driving. ‘He doesn’t love me anymore,’ she thought. Irrational thoughts like... Read More

‘Everybody goes to Heaven, Eloise,’ he said.‘It’s just different for everybody.’ Ray’s story begins in his own heaven, which consists of a coveted spot in the Last Words group where everyone lies about their last words to... Read More

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,/Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,/Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,/Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Margolick’s book is a biography of this song, “Strange Fruit,”... Read More

Writers often need a distraction to alleviate writer’s block, but most would settle for something less than a double murder. That, however, is our hero’s unchosen antidote in this sequel to Weber’s Aluminum Hatch. After winning a... Read More

Frank Sinatra, Ethel Merman, Jimmy Stewart, Mickey Rooney, Goldie Hawn, and, of course, Dean Martin. These stars and others are included in this fond look behind the scenes of the successful variety show hosted by Dean Martin for a... Read More

A lot of kids pretend they are Superman and fantasize they can fly. Many of them even have a special Superman cape their mother made for them to aid in the games of fantasy. How many children, however, get themselves so worked up that... Read More

“This is a book about neighbors: not about who our neighbors are but about who we imagine them to be.” In his introduction to Mutual Impressions, Stavans points out that our social concepts revolve mainly around how different our... Read More