Category: Literature

Book Review: Soft Apocalypse

Book Review: Soft Apocalypse What If the World Ends Not With a Bang, But a Whimper? Madison Palmieri ’22 The word apocalypse typically has connotations of violent, fiery chaos that erupts all at once, wreaking havoc on a modern world and forcing its inhabitants into a new, alien reality. Indeed, this is the basic premise […]

John Downey '23

Like a True Sociopath

Like a True Sociopath Book Review: Confessions of a Sociopath By Tully Mahoney ’23 Confessions of a Sociopath by M.E. Thomas is an eye-opening book that sheds light on the reality of sociopathy from the perspective of a clinically-diagnosed sociopath.  Hollywood often depicts sociopaths as stone-cold killers who lack the ability to blend into society. […]

John Downey '23

Book Review: One Second After

Book Review: One Second After The Power of History in the Absence of Electrical Power Madison Palmieri ’22 While some apocalyptic fiction novels are set in a near, nightmarish future or one even more remote, oftentimes, the most frightening and therefore impactful works in this genre take place in the present day. William Forstchen’s One […]

John Downey '23

Family Loyalty and Medical Ethics

Family Loyalty and Medical Ethics A Review of My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult Tully Mahoney ’23 My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, is an all-consuming, heart-wrenching novel about Kate, a girl diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at two years old, and her sister Anna, who was born to be Kate’s organ donor. […]

John Downey '23

Book Review: Oryx and Crake

Book Review: Oryx and Crake An Origin Story for a Brave New World Madison Palmieri ’22 If there’s one thing Margaret Atwood is known for, it’s crafting dystopian tales that feel simultaneously foreign and all too familiar. While the acclaimed author is best known for The Handmaid’s Tale, this novel is only of many which […]

John Downey '23

Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue A Romantic, Historical Fantasy You Won’t Be Able to Put Down Tully Mahoney ’23 V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is a stunning novel that captivates readers from the very first page. As a young woman in 1700s France, Addie is expected to marry and […]

John Downey '23

To Eat or Not to Eat? The Choice May Not Be Yours

To Eat or Not to Eat? The Choice May Not Be Yours Film Review of The Platform By Nicole Patano ’22 Hay tres clases des personas: los de arriba, los de abajo, los que caen. Such is the way in “The Pit,” a vertical prison imagined by writers David Desola and Pedro Rivera and put […]

John Downey '23

Book Review: When the English Fall

Book Review: When the English Fall A Unique Take on the Apocalyptic Fiction Genre Madison Palmieri ’22 Today, apocalyptic fiction is one of the most popular literary genres. As such, authors must work to make their tales stand apart from the rest. In When the English Fall, author David Williams does just this. At first […]

John Downey '23

Book Review: Anxious People

Book Review: Anxious People A Clumsy Mischaracterization of Anxiety Tully Mahoney ’23 Fredrik Backman is a multi-time bestselling author, making his novel Anxious People utterly disappointing and tacky. The premise of the novel is a bank robbery gone wrong that turns into a hostage situation in an apartment complex in Stockholm, Sweden. Simultaneously, it is […]

John Downey '23

Book Review: American War

Book Review: American War One Girl’s Ruin in a Country at War Madison Palmieri ’22 If asked to free associate given the phrase “American War,” chances are you would immediately think of the Civil War: a conflict that, while nearly tearing the United States apart, took place in the distant past.    In American War, […]

John Downey '23