Book Excerpt - Page 11 of 13

A Dud From ‘Darth’

John Dean / Truthdig Sep 9, 2011 As I mentioned to friends when I started reading Dick Cheney’s memoir, I was doing it so others would not have to. And, as a precaution, I did it alone in case my head exploded. It did not. This book is a bomb, but not the exploding kind.Dick Cheney’s book is a bomb, but not the exploding kind. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Theater of Combat

Staff / Truthdig Sep 1, 2011 The recently published “Acts of War: Iraq and Afghanistan in Seven Plays” collects seven works for the stage, all of them about war. Here are excerpts from two of those plays, “9 Circles” by Bill Cain and “American Tet” by Lydia Stryk. A review of the book will be published in this column Friday. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

A Conversation With Albert Speer

Staff / Truthdig Aug 3, 2011 Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, in his memoir "Witness to an Extreme Century," interviews Albert Speer about his 15 years as a prominent Nazi and "Hitler’s architect." Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

‘The Double Life of Alfred Buber’

BLANK Jul 20, 2011 In David Schmahmann's new novel, Alfred Buber is a respected man with a secret. Telling his boss and colleagues that he's going to Paris, he regularly travels instead to Southeast Asia to go whoring in the squalid back alleys. And then on one of his trips to Bangkok, he falls in love.An excerpt from David Schmahmann's new novel, about a john who falls in love with an Asian prostitute. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

‘Midnight,’ Mother, Love

Staff / Truthdig Jul 9, 2011 Truthdig is pleased to present this excerpt of Sister Souljah's new novel, "Midnight and the Meaning of Love," in which Midnight, a young fighter and family man from Brooklyn, sets out to find his kidnapped wife, Akemi, while keeping his mother and little sister safe back home.Truthdig is pleased to present this excerpt of Sister Souljah's new novel, "Midnight and the Meaning of Love." Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

‘Shade It Black’: The Bodybaggers of Iraq

BLANK Jun 25, 2011 Jess Goodell volunteered when she was a Marine to work in the corps’ mortuary affairs unit in Iraq. Her job was to collect the bodies and body parts of fallen fellow Marines. She wrote a book about the experience called “Shade It Black: Death and After in Iraq.” Here are excerpts from Goodell's book and Chris Hedges’ interview with the author, read by classically trained actor and Truthdig contributor Eunice Wong. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Book Preview: ‘The Fall’

BLANK Mar 25, 2011 In fledgling author Ryan Quinn's coming-of-age novel, three friends meet in their senior year at an isolated New England university, forming an unlikely triangle that changes the course of their lives in a story about identity, first love and contemporary friendships. Here's a snippet from the book's beginning, courtesy of the author.Three friends meet in their senior year at an isolated New England university in a story about identity, first love and contemporary friendships. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Schickel on Scorsese

BLANK Mar 11, 2011 In this excerpt from his new book, "Conversations With Scorsese," veteran movie reviewer and documentary filmmaker Richard Schickel describes the character, formative struggles and career challenges of the celebrated director, with whom he shared a rich dialogue spanning several decades.In this excerpt from his new book, Richard Schickel describes the character, formative struggles and career challenges of the celebrated director. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

‘Donald’: A Black Site of Rumsfeld’s Own

BLANK Feb 18, 2011 On Feb. 8, the same day that Donald Rumsfeld's memoir "Known and Unknown" was released, McSweeney’s cheekily launched its own treatment of Rumsfeld's legacy in the form of "Donald," a satirical novel by Eric Martin and Stephen Elliott. Here's an excerpt from Eric Martin and Stephen Elliott's "Donald," a satirical novel that imagines the former defense secretary caught in a trap of his own making – and in an orange jumpsuit. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

The Real Deal

BLANK Jan 28, 2011 Andrew Foster Altschul's "Deus Ex Machina," set amid a TV show that looks like the love child of "Survivor" and "Lost," explores reality in several senses of the word. Here's an excerpt from the novel, which will be published next week.Andrew Foster Altschul's new novel "Deus Ex Machina" jumps from a platform of reality TV to take on big ideas. Dig deeper ( 20 Min. Read )

Beyond ‘1984’: New Frontiers of Mass Surveillance

BLANK Nov 19, 2010 Does the notion of remote-controlled soldiers—the fully human kind—seem only a sci-fi vision or the product of someone’s paranoid imagination? Guess again: There's a project in the works as the military and big business join forces to make privacy a thing of the past.Does the notion of remote-controlled soldiers—the fully human kind—seem only a sci-fi vision or the product of someone’s paranoid imagination? Guess again. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

‘Peace Meals’: Breaking Bread With War’s Forgotten Families

Anna Badkhen / Truthdig Nov 5, 2010 "Peace Meals" is a tribute to all my host families who live, and perish, on the edges of the world It is my invitation to connect with the ordinary people trapped in mass violence of the last decade in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries. Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )