Book Review
Peter Richardson has written critically acclaimed books about Hunter S. Thompson, the Grateful Dead, Ramparts magazine, and radical author and editor Carey McWilliams. His essays have appeared in The Nation, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles...
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Book Review
Book Review
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Playing as If His Life Depended on It
Aug 23, 2019 How did the guitarist become the unique artist he was? A new book answers that question with uncommon clarity and authority.
The Political Education of Hunter S. Thompson
Nov 2, 2018 Despite an embargo on his archive, a new biography examines how events between the Kennedy assassination and Nixon's resignation pushed the writer toward his most trenchant work.
Conceived in Iniquity
Aug 5, 2018 Los Angeles is the Great Gatsby of American cities, and a new book confirms this through the lives of three early, self-invented Angelenos.
The Californian Ideology Personified
Jul 6, 2018 The Silicon Valley mashup of countercultural, libertarian and neoliberal values is on full display in the memoir of John Perry Barlow, who knew Timothy Leary, Jerry Garcia, Steve Jobs, Dick Cheney and JFK Jr.
What Next for Conservatives Who Engaged in Pre-Election Hand-Wringing?
Nov 21, 2016 Just before the presidential election, a handful of conservative writers grappled with the extremism blooming within their party. Was it too little too late or better late than never? The author presents another question that is far more important now.
Warren Hinckle: Remembering the Godfather of Gonzo
Aug 27, 2016 The legendary Ramparts editor who later ingeniously paired writer Hunter Thompson and artist Ralph Steadman died this week, leaving a slew of colorful memories behind him.
American Heiress
Aug 6, 2016 Patty Hearst's wild saga "provided hints of what America would become," in the words of author Jeffrey Toobin -- a sensational true crime story and a sad comment on American justice, race relations, media and celebrity culture.Patty Hearst's wild saga "provided hints of what America would become," in the words of author Jeffrey Toobin—a sensational true crime story and a sad comment on American justice, race relations, media and celebrity culture.
What’s Yours Is Mine
May 2, 2016 The Sharing Economy, epitomized by companies such as Uber and Airbnb, "is a movement for deregulation," Tom Slee writes "It's not about building an alternative to a corporate-driven market economy; it's about extending the deregulated free market into new areas of our lives" The Sharing Economy, epitomized by companies such as Uber and Airbnb, "is a movement for deregulation," Tom Slee writes".
When Robots Run the Show
Aug 22, 2015 In "Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future," Martin Ford predicts that the next wave of job losses will be caused by advances in artificial intelligence, making robots the most efficient way to perform routine work now done by humans.
Reagan: The Life
May 29, 2015 Drawing heavily on the former president's diaries and a raft of memoirs by insiders, author H.W. Brands' "Reagan: The Life" tells its story briskly, punctuated by doses of well-tempered historical context, occasional and always gentle corrections of Reagan’s flawed representations, and a dash of analysis.