Books: The Tender, Loving Side of the Romans

With her penchant for reinvention, Rachel Cusk is a novelist who seems to delight in surprising the r

Books May 17, 2021 • View in browser

With her penchant for reinvention, Rachel Cusk is a novelist who seems to delight in surprising the reader. Yet with her latest book Second Place, an epistolary meditation that foregrounds art and skepticism, it’s her hewing to literary tradition that raises some eyebrows. As Lily Meyer notes, “I’d be disappointed if it weren’t so bafflingly good.” In a similar vein of the eerily familiar, Ren Scateni writes on the sci-fi of Izumi Suzuki, which managed to strike a contemporary chord while remaining out of this world.Also, a new photo book from Kristin Bedford shows us a lesser-known side of LA’s lowrider scene, emphasizing the women behind the wheels.Happy reading.—Dessane Lopez Cassell, Editor, Reviews

The Tender, Loving Side of the Romans Hérica Valladares explores the softer side of an ancient people famed for brutality. Stephanie McCarter

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Rachel Cusk Intertwines Art with Healthy Skepticism A fiercely odd, even unfashionably allegorical book, Second Place would be disappointing if it weren’t so bafflingly good. Lily Meyer

A Data Artist’s Guide to Putting People (and Privacy) First With Living In Data, Jer Thorp demonstrates the importance of enabling people to participate in the process of creating and telling the stories behind data. Lydia Pyne

A Female Vision of Sci-Fi Izumi Suzuki introduced a different vision of femininity, one that departed from the stereotypes so abundant in the work of male writers. Ren Scateni

SPONSORED Curators Discuss Iconic Shows in "Site Read: Seven Curators on Their Landmark Exhibitions" The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage’s new anthology surveys an array of structurally innovative shows in the exhibition makers’ own words.

Photography Books

LA’s Mexican-American Lowrider Car Culture, Photographed in All Its Glory Lowriding is often considered to be a male-dominated movement, but Kristin Bedford shines a spotlight on the women of all ages behind the wheel. Lauren Moya Ford

When Cell Phone Towers Cosplay as Trees There is a jarring disconnect as our eye sorts the organic from the imposter. Sarah Rose Sharp

Favorites From the Archive

A Witty and Refreshingly Feminist Look at Artemisia Gentileschi The art historian Mary Garrard’s lively account of Artemisia Gentileschi is timely in its exploration of her art which was composed of anger, accusation, and even humor. Bridget Quinn

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