A century of civil war has devastated Japan, but Kano Murasaki has grown up far from the conflicts and battles that rage in the nation. Nicknamed “Squirrel,” or Risuko, all the young girl wants to do is climb trees as she grows up in... Read More

This discourse on the United States’ flawed political system is clear, concise, well organized, and engagingly written. In an office of the United States House of Representatives, there was a sign that said: “Law and sausage are... Read More

Alongside a portrayal of mobsters clinging desperately to their masculinity, Yates reveals the nonsense of violence and revenge. The assassins: two hit men from North Carolina. The target: a Hoosier farmer named Yorkie Goodman. The... Read More

Evocative, metaphorical prose delivers this story of a writer’s suicidal depression interrupted by a child and the haunting voice of ancient fables. In a single summer day in Sycamore, Iowa (pop. 897), Cole Seatstone, writer, father,... Read More

Among his adventuresome friends, Minnow is perhaps the only boy who does not need to ask “Is it true?” of magical tales. He’s seen enough in his young life to be able to separate out the literary chaff from the truly wondrous. When... Read More

In one of Elizabeth Bishop’s poems, which Bill Belleville quotes, she wrote that Florida is “the state that floats in brackish water / held together by mangrove roots.” That sentiment serves to bolster one of his main points: that... Read More

The Lord is my muse, I shall not want. Green pastures, still waters, paths of righteousness, walks through the valley of the shadow of death—Thou anointest my head with poetry; my pen runneth over. The biblical Psalms, in all their... Read More

Targeted details, evocative phrases, and vivid descriptive passages enhance the quality of Hendrix’s prose. Life-changing moments revealed in retrospect lend a contemplative tone to this outstanding short story collection. Jan D.... Read More