The Atlantic magazine recently published its list of “Great American Novels.” It is a great marketing tool for the magazine, no doubt designed to generate controversy and advertising revenue. For anyone interested, I’ve listed all of the 136 books on the list below. You can also access and download a spreadsheet version on my GoogleContinueContinue reading “List of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels (2024)”
Category Archives: Culture
What If I Thought of My Book as a Work of Art Rather Than a Commodity?
I have been told by more publishers than I can (or care to) count that there is no market for my book on American gun culture, Gun Curious: Understanding America’s Evolving Culture of Firearms. For some, there is no market for books on guns generally; for others, no market for my particular low-heat, balanced takeContinueContinue reading “What If I Thought of My Book as a Work of Art Rather Than a Commodity?”
Remembering Robert N. Bellah
I rarely blog here but I want to call attention to the uncorrected page proofs of a forthcoming book review I wrote of Matteo Bortolini’s biography of Robert Bellah, A Joyfully Serious Man. Anyone interested in Bellah’s work or life should read this book. page-proofs-for-review-of-bortolini-bellah-book-iss1158856-2-22-23-Download I conclude my review writing: “The truth Robert N. BellahContinueContinue reading “Remembering Robert N. Bellah”
Small Teaching Online Book Summary
Over the past three weeks I have participated in a Wake Forest Center for the Advancement of Teaching summer reading group led by Director of Educational Development Dr. Kristi Verbeke. Over 30 faculty (IIRC) read and discussed Small Teaching Online by Flower Darby and James Lang. What follows is my reading notes and reflections onContinueContinue reading “Small Teaching Online Book Summary”
Choosing Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places book by Greg Ellifritz
As one of Greg Ellifritz’s Patreon supporters, I received an electronic version of his new book Choose Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places as a benefit of patronage. But Greg was good enough also to send me a hard copy when it became available recently. At first glance, I am not the natural audience forContinueContinue reading “Choosing Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places book by Greg Ellifritz”
Additional Resources on Japanese-American Internment Camps During World War II
I began this series of posts talking about how little I knew about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, even when I was an upper-division college student at UC-Berkeley. At the same time I “discovered” the internment, I also discovered resistance within the internment camps. Almost 30 years later, now, and much moreContinueContinue reading “Additional Resources on Japanese-American Internment Camps During World War II”
Trying to Put My Writing on a Diet
Like many academics, I write alot. Books, book chapters, articles, book reviews, lectures and lesson plans, manuscript reviews, letters of recommendation, my blogs (this one less than my Gun Culture 2.0 blog), emails, and more. Like some academics, I enjoy writing. Although I enjoy writing, it is hard. Or perhaps, I enjoy writing because itContinueContinue reading “Trying to Put My Writing on a Diet”
My Love of Whisk(e)y and the Alcohol Epidemic in the United States
I love whisk(e)y. My love knows almost no boundaries. American, Canadian, Indian, Irish, Japanese, Scotch, Texas. Barley, corn, rye, wheat. Neat, rocks, mixed. To fuel my love I have been reading Reid Mitenbuler’s recent book, Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey. Early on, Mitenbuler introduces the first alcohol distiller among the BritishContinueContinue reading “My Love of Whisk(e)y and the Alcohol Epidemic in the United States”
William Butler Yeats on the Experience of Modernity
I have always invoked Marshall Berman invoking Karl Marx invoking Shakespeare (Prospero in “The Temptest”) to describe the experience of modernity: “All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned.” But I could equally well use Irish poet William Butler Yeats from “The Second Coming” (1919) via African novelist Chinua Achebe:ContinueContinue reading “William Butler Yeats on the Experience of Modernity”
Live Tweeting PBS Frontline Episode “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA”
Thanks to a recommendation from my fellow sociologist of guns, Jennifer Carlson, I was asked by the digital content manager for PBS’s FRONTLINE to participate in live Tweeting before, during, and after the premier of their upcoming episode, “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA.” The episode airs at 10:00am Eastern Time on Tuesday, JanuaryContinueContinue reading “Live Tweeting PBS Frontline Episode “Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA””