America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
The Simpleton a novel by Alex Bakhtin (Pigeon Classics, 2022), 612 pages Reviewed by James Fable It is almost a truism by now that Postmodernism is obsessed with adaptations. Whether feminist retellings of Greek myth or barely digestible mashups of anglophone ... More »
By Lily Fitzpatrick Dear Olivia, After careful review of your application to Amazon University, we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in the class of 2052. We recognize that this decision may come as a disappointment to you, so for yo... More »
by God (David Comfort, Secretary) Since the Almighty knew that a good man is hard to find and that many are called but few chosen, He created the following document, but His son declined to use it, fearing it might discourage well-intentioned Salvation volunte... More »
By Tim Koechlin “Not only do we have the DC jail which is the DC gulag, but now we have Nancy Pelosi’s gazpacho police spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work that we do, spying on our staff and spying on American citizens.” —... More »
By James Klein Grand Rapids, Michigan – Proud homeowner Mary Davidson used a tranquilizer dart to anesthetize her neighbor, Arnold O’Malley, before dragging him into her house. She shackled O’Malley to her newly installed island counter and held him ... More »
by Jen Freymond Not worth the price! For what my grandparents paid for me to attend this “therapeutic” boarding school, I would have expected a more comfortable, educational experience. First of all, I’m confused about what constitutes a “therapeutic... More »
Yesterday I had lunch with the American people. I had wanted to speak with them for the longest time, as they are a prominent group of individuals often mentioned by politicians on TV news programs. I met the people at a diner near where I live. I order... More »
Since its publication, The Da Vinci Code, though a work of fiction, has roused scholars’ imaginations to a point where many of them are reexamining – and in some cases challenging – prevailing opinions on a wide variety of historic topics. One new... More »
cautiously pessimistic: If, for example, a bad guy – like, say, a Charles Manson or a Jeffrey Dahmer – is injured but not doing that badly, doctors might say, “Well, unfortunately, he’s doing okay. So, right now, we’re just cautiousl... More »
By Martin H. Levinson Welcome to Safe Space University, an institution of higher learning where you are free to express yourself without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or challenged on account of biological sex, race-ethnicity, sexual ori... More »
The 12 Steps of Aspiring Autocrats Anonymous by Stephen J. Lyons We admit that we are powerless over the mighty sway of Donald Trump—aka “Him”—his enabling lies rhetoric and the glitter of repeated appearances on Fox News. We came to believe tha... More »
by William Vaillancourt “Thanks to the hard work of Rev MLK Jr. and others, growing up in Georgia, I’ve seen the beautiful fruit that blossomed from the Civil Rights Era, where segregation ended & equality began. Today, I believe we are seeing ... More »