Category Archives: Contemporary Nonfiction

A frightening, enlightening look at the world of El Chapo

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Linda

Paul O’Connor, my esteemed colleague from our years with the Winston-Salem Journal’s editorial pages, occasionally still writes a book review for this blog. I’m always happy and enlightened when that happens. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor EL CHAPO: THE UNTOLD … Continue reading →

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A powerful look at how “we” got here

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Linda

Bob Moyer reviews a book about black performers in America – and a great deal more. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer A LITTLE DEVIL IN AMERICA: Notes in Praise of Black Performance. By Hanif Abdurraqib. Random House. 300 pages. $27. … Continue reading →

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A house filled with tears

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Linda

Rob Moyer loves detective fiction, it’s true. But from time to time, his interest in human nature – including its darker sides – takes him into the serious nonfiction realm, and particularly into the horrors of the Holocaust. Reviewed by … Continue reading →

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Here’s the buzz

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Linda

My husband, Lloyd Brinson, was a science teacher for many years, and he’s also become a pretty accomplished gardener. He already knew a good bit about the importance of pollinators – he raises eyebrows in our neighborhood by carefully mowing … Continue reading →

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A different perspective

Posted on August 26, 2020 by Linda

Paul O’Connor, a veteran journalist, offers a review of a book that he says isn’t easy to read – but worth the effort. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor CASTE: THE ORIGIN OF OUR DISCONTENTS. By Isabel Wilkerson. Random House. 388 … Continue reading →

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How could he?

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Linda

Bob Moyer reviews a book that’s both mystery and thriller, as are many of the ones he reads, but this is a nonfiction book of history. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer MENGELE: Unmasking the Angel of Death. By David G. … Continue reading →

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Unraveling the girl she was

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Linda

Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer A GIRL’S STORY. By Annie Ernaux. Seven Stories Press. 160 pages. $18.95 Shame and humiliation. She spent two nights with a man, then fixated on him, in 1958, earning the name “whore around the edges” from … Continue reading →

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Striking out

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Linda

What’s wrong with Major League Baseball? Paul O’Connor, a longtime fan, takes a look at two books published decades ago that warn us about the problems facing the sport now – and no, it’s not all about the pandemic. Reviewed … Continue reading →

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Out of ‘faded shadows’

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Linda

Bob Moyer reviews a memoir that’s also the story of piecing together a very personal puzzle. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer WHEN TIME STOPPED: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains. By Ariana Neumann. Scribner. 321 pages. $28. … Continue reading →

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A lot about a lot

Posted on June 29, 2019 by Linda

Bob’s back! Actually, Bob Moyer wrote this review before he took off on his recent travels, but it got buried in my email. Check back soon for reviews Bob has written since his return. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer WORDS … Continue reading →

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