The Slate Endorsements
Books, music, movies, and other stuff Slatewriters liked last month.
Slate critics and columnists often recommend all sorts of useful and fascinating stuff: books, documentaries, albums, television shows, new gadgets, and the like. Sometimes these endorsements appear in obvious spots (like our movie reviews), but just as often, they come in unexpected places, like in a "Dear Prudence" or "Fighting Words" column. So at the start of every month, we publish a handy roundup of all the things we like, since we figure you'd like some of these things, too. Take a look at our latest favorites, and remember you can purchase SlateT-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise at the Slatestore.
May 2010
Books
Annie Cohen-Solal's Leo & His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli
(Recommended by Eric Banks in "The Art Dealer of the Century")
Everyman's Library edition of The Stories of Ray Bradbury
(Recommended by Nathaniel Rich in "Mythologist of Our Age")
Simon Johnson and James Kwak's 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown
(Recommended by Stephen Metcalf in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Bigger Explosions, Smaller Laughs' Edition")
Matt Debenham's The Book of Right and Wrong
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Chung Chung' Edition")
Pauline Kael's I Lost It at the Movies
(Recommended by Stephen Metcalf in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Chung Chung' Edition")
Charles Harper's Birds and Words
(Recommended by Julia Turner in "The Culture Gabfest, 'First Ever Live Gabfest' Edition")
Marion Meade's Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney
(Recommended by Nathan Heller in "Nathanael West's Secret")
Milton Rokeach's The Three Christs of Ypsilanti
(Recommended by Vaughan Bell in "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus")
Movies
Thomas Balmès' Babies
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "Babies!")
Ken Loach's Looking for Eric
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "Ken Loach's Looking for Eric")
Kevin Asch's Holy Rollers
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in " Holy Rollers")
Alejandro Amenábar's Agora
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "Alejandro Amenábar's Agora")
Shane Meadow's This Is England
(Recommended by Stephen Metcalf in "The Culture Gabfest 'Optimization of Selfhood' Edition")
Michael Curtiz's The Adventures of Robin Hood
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Bigger Explosions, Smaller Laughs' Edition")
Roman Coppola's CQ
(Recommended by Jody Rosen in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Chung Chung' Edition")
Television
Daria: The Complete Animated Series
(Recommended by Reihan Salam in "Daria")
Music
David Cope's From Darkness, Light
(Recommended by Chris Wilson in "I'll Be Bach")
Giuseppe Tartini's The Devil's Sonata, performed by Andrew Manze
(Recommended by Jody Rosen in "The Culture Gabfest, 'The First Ever Live Gabfest' Edition")
The music of Hank Jones
(Recommended by Stephen Metcalf in "The Culture Gabfest, 'The First Ever Live Gabfest' Edition")
Miscellaneous
Berlin's Film Museum
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Optimization of Selfhood' Edition")
The Arnold Arboretum
(Recommended by Julia Turner "The Culture Gabfest, 'Optimization of Selfhood' Edition")
KCRW's weekly radio show and podcast The Business
(Recommended by Julia Turner in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Bigger Explosions, Smaller Laughs' Edition")
March 2010
Books
Ian McEwan's Solar
(Recommended by Adam Kirsch in "The Slippery Scientist")
Ira Berlin's The Making of African America
(Recommended by Jacqueline Jones in "Black Like Whom?")
Diane Ravitch's The Death and Life of the Great American School System
(Recommended by Sara Mosle in "Facing Up to Our Ignorance")
Martha Nussbaum's From Disgust to Humanity
(Recommended by Dahlia Lithwick in "Why Has a Divided America Taken Gay Rights Seriously?")
Paul Berman's The Flight of the Intellectuals
(Recommended by Ron Rosenbaum in "Bonfire of the Intellectuals")
Attica Locke's Black Water Rising
(Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Tayari Jones in "A Matter of Faith Gabfest")
Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
(Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Joshua Leach in "The 'We're All Headed for Tyranny' Gabfest")
Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale
(Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Steve Flynn in "The Tickle Fight Gabfest")
Robert Graves' I, Claudius
(Recommended by Political Gabfest listener MaryClaire King in "The Live From New York Gabfest")
Stephen King's Under the Dome
(Recommended by Political Gabfest listener Bridget Braney in "The Crazy as a Loon Gabfest")
David Foster Wallace's essay Tense Present
(Recommended by Julia Turner in "The Culture Gabfest, #1 Record Edition")
Yves Smith's ECONned: How Unenlightened Self Interest Undermined Democracy and Corrupted Capitalism
(Recommended by Stephen Metcalf in "The Culture Gabfest, 'Busby Berkeley Dreams' Edition")
Michael O'Brien's Mrs. Adams in Winter
(Recommended by Christine Stansell in "Mrs. Adams' Big Adventure")
Movies
Noah Baumbach's Greenberg
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "Bitter Focker")
Bong Joon-Ho's Mother
(Recommended by Dana Stevens in "Take This Bong Hit")
Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow
(Recommended by Jessica Winter in "Make Way for Tomorrow")
Television
Dancing With the Stars
(Recommended by Troy Patterson in "Dancing With the Stars")
The Never-Before-Seen Memoir of a Guantánamo Detainee
How the United States Kept Mohamedou Ould Slahi Silent for 12 Years
Who Said It: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford or Simpsons Mayor Diamond Joe Quimby?