Books and Entertainment

  • A new exhibit for the Day of the Dead at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago speaks to the experiences of immigrants in the U.S. November 5, 2009

  • Building a stadium during a crisis to house a team that doesn't exist is bonkers. Selling it as a cure for the crisis is even worse. November 3, 2009

  • What sets Glee apart is that it understands high school is an alienating experience for countless kids, where gender and sexual norms are vigorously policed. October 29, 2009

  • It's rare when athletes respond to a dreary, clichéd question with a stimulating answer. So thank you, LeBron James. October 26, 2009

  • You can show a child anything, as long as it's the truth. That's the idea behind Maurice Sendak's book Where the Wild Things Are, and Spike Jonze's new film. October 23, 2009

  • The new play The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later made its world premiere this month, bringing a timely message about combating homophobia in America. October 22, 2009

  • Rush Limbaugh is whining about being "blacklisted" by the left, and that stopped him from owning an NFL team--but the reality is he's a liability to the league. October 21, 2009

  • Mercedes Sosa, a pivotal singer in the Nuevo Cancionero, or New Song, movement in Argentina, died this month. October 21, 2009

  • Rush Limbaugh called out me and several other writers by name on his radio show because we challenged his efforts to own an NFL team. October 16, 2009

  • A new book explains the role that the Staley workers' struggle of the 1990s played in reviving some of the best traditions of the labor movement. October 15, 2009

  • The book And They Were Wonderful Teachers is a timely reminder of what happens when scapegoating is allowed to take place without a challenge. October 9, 2009

  • New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita explains why he's supporting the National Equality March for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. October 8, 2009

  • Millions will find in Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story a confirmation of their bitterness with the system--and their aspiration for something better. October 2, 2009

  • The renowned novelist and global justice activist recounts the summer 2008 rebellion of the people of Kashmir against India's military occupation. October 2, 2009

  • Tucker Max is making a career off "jokes" that demean women--but his comedy is one more reflection of a society where sexism is pervasive. October 1, 2009

  • A few recent dramas about the justice system have tried to bring a little realism to the genre. The Good Wife isn't one of them. October 1, 2009

  • Like his film Office Space, Mike Judge's new movie Extract is set in the workplace. Unfortunately, that's where the similarities end. October 1, 2009

  • That the media can't stop talking about Kanye West's "outburst" at a video awards show is further proof that they're really grasping at straws. September 30, 2009

  • A group of Chicago residents is protesting the city's bid for the 2016 Olympics--a disaster in the making to which Barack Obama has given his support. September 25, 2009

  • The horror movie Jennifer's Body could be seen as a monstrosity to feminists, but is it worth a second look? September 24, 2009

  • The much-hyped outbursts of Serena Williams and Kanye West have zero in common with the confederate carnival of hate brewing on the edges of the far right. September 22, 2009

  • One champion tennis player curses out a judge and shocks the world. Another hurls expletives at a different judge, and the media barely yawns. September 18, 2009

  • The author of a collection of essays on culture and politics considers why people make and use what we call "artistic objects." September 18, 2009

  • A new book for young adults, IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq, gives a unique firsthand view of life under the U.S. occupation in Iraq. September 17, 2009

  • The sports media and the zealots who run international track and field hit a new low in revealing the results of Caster Semenya's "gender tests." September 16, 2009