Tag: Male Author
Review: The Interesting Narrative by Olaudah Equiano
For the first time on The Steady Read, the star rating above this opening paragraph is completely blank, and I feel that is only appropriate given the racial and historical importance of this late 1700s autobiography. That is also why this review will be a bit more brief and less critical than usual, because it…
Review: Yuki chan in Brontë Country by Mick Jackson
Here on The Steady Read, I have made my fondness for Japanese writers very clear, but something is different about today’s book. Despite its title, Yuki chan in Brontë Country is a British novel, written by a White male, who managed to capture some of Japanese fiction’s quirkier elements within his story, which gave it…
Review: The 50 Greatest National Parks of the World by Aaron Millar
In the past couple of years, I have grown increasingly infatuated with nature and its gorgeous landscapes. This interest of mine has led me to reading more about national parks and sightseeing opportunities within western continents, best shown in my positive reception to DK Eyewitness’ recently reviewed USA National Parks: Lands of Wonder and Europe…
Review: Ceremonial Violence by Jonathan Fast
Clearly, I have a somewhat morbid fascination with the topic of school shootings and what sort of incidents, circumstances, and detached individuals it takes to cause one of these horrific events to pan out. Having read a lot of Columbine-centric works, such as The Columbine School Shootings, Columbine: A True Crime Story, A Mother’s Reckoning,…
Review: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
Stephen King is an author I have never really engaged with since I was a young boy, yet have seen quite a few films based on his works. Having watched the motion picture of The Shawshank Redemption a handful of times in the last decade, to which I rank it highly amongst my favourites, I…
Review: North Korea (3rd Ed.) by Bradt Travel Guides
When one thinks of holidays, or travel guides related to holiday planning, the so-called ‘Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’—best known as North Korea—is not a place that comes to mind. This is primarily because of the public awareness of its isolated, militarised, and authoritarian nature, alongside its paranoia regarding foreigners. Still, I must confess that,…
Review: No Easy Answers by Brooks Brown & Rob Merritt
After taking a few months away from reading about the 1999 Columbine Massacre, I decided to indulge again by reading No Easy Answers. Brooks Brown, or the Brown family in general, had a strong link to the Klebolds and a somewhat unpleasant familiarity with the Harrises. For that reason, Brown’s book (co-authored by Rob Merritt,…
Review: A Village After Dark by Kazuo Ishiguro
It has been quite some time since I last reviewed one of Ishiguro’s works here on The Steady Read, and I think A Village After Dark was a bad place to jump back in. This short story seems enigmatic. I cannot find a single scrap of definitive information on when it was published, where it…
Review: Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
Across the last few months, I took an interest in the rather significant event that was the April 1999 Columbine Massacre (see here, here, and here). After reading three different books on the topic, I had considered myself done with the whole matter for the meantime… until I discovered Todd Strasser’s Give a Boy a…
Review: Columbine: A True Crime Story by Jeff Kass
Coming off the heels of my reading of the brief, but factual, The Columbine School Shootings by Jenny MacKay, I figured I may as well immerse myself in a more expansive and exploratory investigation of April 1999’s tragedy. Hence, I sat down and read through Jeff Kass’ 330-page chronology, investigation, and expose piece titled Columbine:…
