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books

McCarthyism and Its Victims: Here We Go Again?

Paul Buhle Portside
Repression is certainly in the air, its effects likely to be as chilling as intended: people are afraid and have good reasons to be afraid. Reviews of two recent books on Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and the Long War Against American Communism.

History Lesson

Laleh Khalili Jewish Currents
Adam Kirsch’s On Settler Colonialism is an anti-woke screed disguised as serious scholarship.

food

When Did People Start Eating Sweets for Dessert?

Timothy Ott historyfacts.com
The rise of cafés and tea houses in post-French Revolution Paris popularized the concept of single-portioned desserts as did France's powerful influence on culinary customs.

books

Red Channels: America’s Lasting Legacy of Repression

Ed Rampell The Progressive
Writer Rampell looks at a long-forgotten, but deeply influential, document from the domestic Cold War that served the unofficial blacklist for radio and television performers, with the aim of helping draw lessons for today.

film

Yes, Superman Has Always Been an Immigration Story

Andrew Slack, Jose Antonio Vargas The Hollywood Reporter
Accusations that James Gunn has “politicized” Superman come laughably late, as the world's most famous superhero has always been political, write narrative strategist Andrew Slack and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas.

music

Living Life With a Purpose: Tim Sheard’s Solidarity Songs

Kurt Stand Portside
We live in an era in which, from the White House on down, meanness has become normalized, become normalized. Music can provide an antidote, reminding us of who we can be, as anyone listening to Tim Sheard’s Solidarity Songs will discover.
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