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