Category Archives: Criticism

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius

Posted on April 21, 2013 by

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius, by A. Scott Berg, arrived in my mailbox from a friend I know only from the Internet, because life is strange these days, with the intersections of the real and the virtual constantly confusing those of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Criticism, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A New Year Every Day

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

I paid more attention than usual this year to people’s New Year’s resolutions and to the obligatory articles in the media about the most common resolutions and how long people keep them. Unsurprisingly, people want to improve their health, financial … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

We Don’t Need Books to Free. We Need Them to be Brilliant.

Posted on January 1, 2013 by

When I’m meeting people for the first time, some of them want to confess: “Bless me, Librarian, for I have sinned. It has been four years since I last read a book.” People tell me this sheepishly (and quite unbidden. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Libraries, Criticism, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

An Angel Packs a Suitcase

Posted on December 15, 2012 by

Politicians and business leaders demand that schools prepare students for the future, but the future is notoriously difficult to predict. Which future shall we prepare them for? Star Trek  or The Hunger Games? How can we responsibly prepare students for whatever the … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

“The Circus of Dreams”

Posted on November 5, 2012 by

If you love magic, slipstream, history and romance, you’ll probably love Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus. Here’s an excerpt of my review of it on the Magnificent Nose. Click over to Neil’s place if you’d like to read … Continue reading →

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“One Lovely Blog”

Posted on October 27, 2012 by

The lovely Canadian blogger Fransi Weinstein nominated Perfect Whole for something called the “One Lovely Blog” award. I looked into it, and the award is really more like a magnanimous game than an award, as such. There will be, sadly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Writing | Tagged , | 6 Comments

The Anti-Debate

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

If you like to get drunk, Presidential debate drinking games will never let you down. You can’t possibly lose. Candidates portion out their stump speeches into 2-minute chunks, answer the questions they feel like answering rather than the ones they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Volta | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Against Positive Attitudes

Posted on August 15, 2012 by

A few days ago, I lost someone I cherish, my mother-in-law of seventeen years, Marjorie Feldman Springer, who died of an extremely aggressive form of leukemia. Marge was a vivacious, energetic, athletic person, who biked, hiked, swam, played a devastating … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Volta | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

“Cromwell’s Long Game”

Posted on August 1, 2012 by

Neil Fein has decided to add book reviews to the regular fare at Magnificent Nose, his wonderfully eclectic blog about writing, music, editing, and cycling, among many other things. I am honored to help inaugurate this new feature today with … Continue reading →

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Permission Slip

Posted on August 1, 2012 by

Today’s post contains a gift for readers who already know which candidate they intend to vote for in the American Presidential election this November. If you’ve been following the campaign since the Tim Pawlenty days and are sickened by the stupidity, disgusted … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments