Books: An essay from Rigoberto Gonzalez, book reviews and bestsellers
Welcome! It’s another good week to be a book lover. Here’s the latest:
THE BIG STORY
Critic at large Rigoberto González writes of his experiences as a professional of color — being mistaken for a maitre’d is just the beginning — in an essay sharing publicly what is often only said behind closed doors. “When people of color come together, this exchange of anecdotes is inevitable: being mistaken for the cleaning staff, a receptionist, a loiterer, a transient, because our professions and vitae are not visible on our skins,” González writes, and then relays a recent experience that’s deeply dismaying.
REVIEWS
Which book “is as challenging, brilliant, and — God help me — important a novel as is likely to be published this year,” according to reviewer Justin Taylor? It took the Prix Goncourt in France, and its author once wrote a 500-page book that was just one sentence. It’s an erudite and philosophical book about a man who may be writing an erudite philosophical book. All right, it’s “Compass” by Mathias Enard.
And the protagonist of the satirical novel “The One-Eyed Man” by Ron Currie Jr. is also smarter than is good for him. Described by reviewer Mark Athitakis as “a killjoy with a library card,” the character’s hard-headed ideas make him the improbable host of a reality TV show, “America, You Stoopid,” in a comic tale seemed tuned into our times.
Meanwhile, the Times’ Carolina Miranda gives us her take on curator Nato Thompson’s book “Culture as Weapon: The Art of Influence in Everyday Life.” The wide-ranging study covers Nazis, cigarette advertising and America’s culture wars. “Culture is a weapon,” Miranda writes, “a pretty effective one at that.”
BESTSELLERS
Debuting at the top of our nonfiction bestseller list is “South and West” by Joan Didion. Reviewer Michelle Dean found the book, which is notes from uncompleted works, fell short and was best suited for completists. Its popularity shows that when it comes to Didion, Los Angeles readers are completists.
FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Tickets are available for the L.A. Times’ Festival of Books, which will take place April 22-23 at USC.
Conversations include “Writing & Publishing: Breaking In and Then Some” featuring agent Bonnie Nadell, literary journal editor Oscar Villalon, and the head of the National Book Foundation, Lisa Lucas, moderated by agent Betsy Amster; “Nonfiction: Activists on the Front Lines” with Wesley Lowery, Cleve Jones, Ron Kovic and L.A. Kauffman, moderated by the Times’ Matt Pearce; broadcaster Scott Simon talks about his book “My Cubs: A Love Story” with The Times’ resident Chicago Cubs fanatic, music editor Todd Martens; and “From Page to Screen to Page: Writing in Hollywood” moderated by Richard Rayner, with Lara Parker, Tod Goldberg, Brian McGreevy and Pamela Ribon. Check out the complete list of festival events here.
