“A Moment in the Sun” by John Sayles
"A Moment in the Sun" By John Sayles McSweeney's, 968 pages, $29 John Sayles may be better known as a filmmaker ("Lone Star," "Eight Men Out" and my favorite, "Return...
Home > Reviews
All Stories
“Getting to Happy” by Terry McMillan
"Getting to Happy" By Terry McMillan Viking, $27.95, 400 pages Terry McMillan's "Waiting to Exhale" was a breakthrough best-seller when it was published in 1992. The film, starring Whitney Houston...
“Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and his Rendezvous with American History” by Yunte Huang
"Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and his Rendezvous with American History" By Yunte Huang W.W. Norton, 354 pages, $26.95 "Action speak louder than French." "Big head...
Interviewer’s opinion: Liz Taylor on Kennedy
What is it about Stephen Colbert? First Amy Chua, now Caroline Kennedy. Does Colbert stamp passports before they head to Chicago? Amy "Tiger Mom" Chua roared on Colbert, came to...
“The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore” by Benjamin Hale
"The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore" By Benjamin Hale Twelve, $25.99, 592 pages Young Bruno, a precocious chimpanzee born and raised in the Lincoln Park Zoo, swings through the rungs and...
Interviewer’s opinion: Liz Taylor on McCall Smith
The last time I saw Alexander McCall Smith, he was wearing a kilt. Perhaps if he hadn't been rushing, he might have paused in the men's room to make the...
Poetry’s refrain is ever near
For Caroline Kennedy's 50th birthday, several of her close friends presented her with poems to mark the occasion. They understood the significance of poetry in her life, how she learned...
“No Biking in the House Without a Helmet” by Melissa Fay Greene
There are funny parenting books and wise parenting books. Rarely a funny and wise parenting book. Melissa Fay Greene really does have nine children, five of whom were adopted from...
Irreverence, wit at heart of author’s work
In 1973, Joan Baehler had graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School and was working as a waitress when she entered "Lima Bean Blues" in the baiduhai...
“A Visit from the Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan
The National Book Critics Circle (I sit on the board of directors) bestowed its 2010 fiction prize on Jennifer Egan's "A Visit From the Goon Squad" in recognition of the...