Author: stevenowad

Remember when this one came out? The Donald was halfway through his term and rattling sabers with North Korea’s “Little Kim” Jong-un. Wolff’s portrayal of intrigue and dysfunction within Trump’s inner circle was accepted as generally accurate but perhaps lurid with the details. Fly-on-the-wall snapshots …

In honor of last week’s Amazon Prime release of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, we present the literary accompaniment to the first Borat flick from back in 2006. This book is a bathroom read of the highest order, with outrageous stereotypes, X-rated gags and a sometimes-insightful zest …

The end of humanity might be nigh. People are turning into automaton “sleepwalkers” drawn by a need to walk the highways toward some mysterious destination. They’re still human, but they no longer need food or sleep. How does the rest of the world respond? Fans …

This play is a fast and nourishing read. It will comfort you if you’re afflicted and make you want to be kinder if you aren’t. The story follows Margie Walsh, a down-and-nearly-out dollar-store worker in South Boston who seeks salvation through an old boyfriend who …

A memoir about growing up in a survivalist Mormon family, where isolation and a father’s harsh fundamentalism conspire to destroy a budding spirit of curiosity. Despite the challenges, the determined Westover transcends her lot in life, steps into a classroom for the first time at …

Polish historian Grynberg gives us an up-close view of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. The 29 letters and diary entries from various ghetto inhabitants combine to present a disturbingly clear view of what it was like to be at the mercy …

A biographical account of an infantryman’s Vietnam experiences—from getting drafted to mustering out after a year of spilling “certain blood for uncertain reasons.” A book about morality and courage and patriotism and everything in between. Plato and Socrates have thought-provoking cameos. The mixture of objective …

Charlie Kaufman’s latest movie equates redundant mood metaphors with illumination. The mind-bending story is intentionally opaque, symbolically overwrought and vexingly long. Don’t look for plot. The only thing constant: a sense of doubt and melancholy. The acting is great, and there is much sadness and …

In Irving’s twelfth novel, he sets his storytelling sights on loggers at a remote camp in 1950s New Hampshire. There’s a 12-year-old boy and his stoic father and a moment of grotesque violence that turns the pair into fugitives. Like many of Irving’s other novels, …

A fascinating graphic novel by a high-school friend of Jeffrey Dahmer. Backderf paints a disturbing picture not only of a future serial killer, but of life in suburban Ohio in the late 1970s. A constant refrain throughout this responsibly told story: While Dahmer is clearly …