Ira Glass

nonfiction essays. Liked most of them, but suggest skipping altogether "Shapinksy's Karma" (Lawrence Weschler) and I eventually lost interest in "Fortune's Smile: World Series of Poker" (James McManus). I maybe can't speak for 2007 when this was published, but feel like today's compilation would definitely include more women (Laura Hillenbrand? Sheryl WuDunn? I know many women have produced great writing on more weighty topics than working as a hostess at an upscale restaurant/bar.)--though I don't necessarily disagree with the title--since "king" does not necessarily have to continue as a gender-specific noun, just as "actor" can be used to describe both men and women.… (more)

Rather than have my parents buy me something (clothes, housewares, etc.) for my birthday one year, I told them to just donate to the local public radio station in my name. I did this knowing full well the gift would be this great little book/DVD by This American Life's Ira Glass with cartoonist Chris Ware, two staples of Chicago hipness. Their subject is historic preservation, Louis Sullivan and Richard Nickel, as told by cultural historian Tim Samuelson. It's a gem, a multimedia feast with Glass's words and Ware's images on the DVD (a slideshow/film that originally screened with audio accompaniment in front of a theater audience) and illustrations from Samuelson's archive adorning the book.… (more)

I picked up this collection of essays after seeing it on my Goodreads feed. While some of the essays are on topics that I wouldn't necessarily find interesting, I did enjoy many of them, especially the ones by Malcolm Gladwell, Chuck Klosterman, Mark Bowden, and Coco Henson Scales. Although I skimmed over some of the others, they were well-written and would have great appeal to those who are interested in the ideas and topics. This really is sort of like "This American Life," where not the stories are about something you'd make an effort to research, but are interesting when you do happen to catch them. I know I'll be looking up some of these writers to read more of their work.… (more)