Arts
The Arts

BOOK REVIEW: In ‘How Much Of These Hills Is Gold,’ This Land Is Not Your Land
C Pam Zhang’s debut novel follows a brother and sister, children of Chinese laborers, as the search the dusty hills of Gold Rush-era California for a place to bury their father’s body. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: In ‘How Much Of These Hills Is Gold,’ This Land Is Not Your Land

Fred And Ginger Cheered Us Up During The Depression. Might They Do It Again?
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers gave Americans a much-needed on-screen escape in the 1930s. You can find their dance numbers online, but critic Bob Mondello recommends you watch their films in full. Continue Reading Fred And Ginger Cheered Us Up During The Depression. Might They Do It Again?

Julia Alvarez: Literature Tells Us ‘We Can Make It Through’
Julia Alvarez returns to adult fiction with Afterlife, which she calls her first novel as an “elder.” It’s about a newly retired woman whose comfortable life is upended when her husband dies. Continue Reading Julia Alvarez: Literature Tells Us ‘We Can Make It Through’

A Broadway Star And #SunshineSongs Bring Canceled High School Musical Theater To Small Screens
High school musicals are canceled around the country over coronavirus concerns. Broadway star Laura Benanti asked disappointed high school singers for the next best thing: performance videos. Continue Reading A Broadway Star And #SunshineSongs Bring Canceled High School Musical Theater To Small Screens

Feisty. Ambitious. Lucky. Female Writers On The Words That Undermine Women
Pretty Bitches, a new essay collection edited by Lizzie Skurnick, explores how words that sound complimentary can actually be loaded with sexism. “These words are code,” Skurnick says. Continue Reading Feisty. Ambitious. Lucky. Female Writers On The Words That Undermine Women

Staying Inside A Lot? Some Food Thoughts
If you’re hunkered down, doing your part to flatten the curve…maybe food is on your mind. You may be feeding your family – or cooking to deal with cabin fever. Here are some suggestions from NWPB staff. Continue Reading Staying Inside A Lot? Some Food Thoughts

‘Ordinary People’ Books Can Help In This Extraordinary Time
Our kids’ books columnist Juanita Giles reports that, stuck at home with her family, she’s turned to a series by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos, for stories about relatable heroes. Continue Reading ‘Ordinary People’ Books Can Help In This Extraordinary Time

Dolly Parton Will Read Bedtime Stories To Kids Online Every Week
“Dolly hopes this series of stories will provide comfort and reassurance to coping kids and families during the shelter-in-place mandates,” the Imagination Library said. Continue Reading Dolly Parton Will Read Bedtime Stories To Kids Online Every Week

In ‘Unorthodox’ On Netflix, A Religious Woman Leaves Her Marriage And Her Past Behind
The new Netflix series was inspired by Deborah Feldman’s best-selling memoir about ending her arranged marriage. In the TV adaptation, the young woman leaves her home in Brooklyn and moves to Berlin. Continue Reading In ‘Unorthodox’ On Netflix, A Religious Woman Leaves Her Marriage And Her Past Behind

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Tigers, Not Daughters’ Is Haunting — With Or Without A Ghost
In Samantha Mabry’s new novel, three prickly sisters are haunted, maybe literally, by their fourth, who’s died in an accident. She has a message for them, but they may be too sunk in grief to hear it. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: ‘Tigers, Not Daughters’ Is Haunting — With Or Without A Ghost

Need Some Fresh Ideas? Family-Friendly Ways To Spend Your Days Inside
Parents have been circulating ideas for how to keep kids happy — or at least occupied — during this time of social isolation due to COVID-19. Our Arts Desk has some heart-felt suggestions to offer. Continue Reading Need Some Fresh Ideas? Family-Friendly Ways To Spend Your Days Inside

What Is Fact Hygiene And Why You Should Listen To Max Brooks
Max Brooks wrote the zombie apocalyptic horror novel World War Z, and is a lecturer at West Point’s Modern War Institute. He offers insight into pandemics and advice on what is fact hygiene. Continue Reading What Is Fact Hygiene And Why You Should Listen To Max Brooks