The Color Purple is an American literary masterpiece that won a Pulitzer Prize and has been adapted as a film twice. But author Alice Walker has some controversial opinions. Does that impact how we see her work? … More When a Good Book Comes From a Complicated Author: The Color Purple and Alice Walker, A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most celebrated American novels of all time. How did it become the Great American Novel? And is it problematic? … More Why Is To Kill a Mockingbird America’s Favorite Book? A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive
Jhumpa Lahiri’s new story collection, Roman Stories, is a love letter to Rome and all of its people. Here is my review. … More Jhumpa Lahiri’s Evolution Continues in Roman Stories
Book lovers were stunned when an unknown book and author won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. How did Paul Harding become the ultimate Pulitzer underdog? … More The Most Surprising Pulitzer Prize Winner Ever? The Wild Story of Paul Harding’s Tinkers (A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive)
A book review of Jesmyn Ward’s fourth novel, Let Us Descend, a historical fiction rendering of the pain of life under slavery. … More Let Us Descend, by Jesmyn Ward: A Spoiler-Free Book Review
The Grapes of Wrath is considered by many to be the Great American Novel. But was it stolen from another novelist? … More Is The Grapes of Wrath Plagiarism? A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive
There was no shortage of big-name contenders for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, but the winner was a lesser-known novel. How did The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen beat the odds? … More Why Did The Netanyahus Win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction? A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive
Ernest Poole won the first Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the novel His Family, a quiet domestic drama about societal change. But did the wrong book win? … More Did the Wrong Book Win the First Pulitzer Prize for Fiction? A Pulitzer Prize Deep Dive on Ernest Poole’s ‘His Family’
I don’t think I know anyone who has ever mentioned Edna Ferber’s 1917 novel Fanny Herself to me. But it’s a book that deserves a lot of recognition, in my opinion. … More Discover This Book: Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber
Andrew Sean Greer’s Less won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Is this sequel necessary? Does it live up to the original? … More Turns Out Less Really Is More: My Review of Less Is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer
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