Category Archives: Ideas and Opinions

Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Ed Battistella

Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster. By Susan Polgar (Grand Central, March 2025) Susan Polgar’s Rebel Queen is a sparking memoir by the oldest of the famous Polgar sisters, the Hungarian siblings who changed … Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading: Sandlin, Stephenson, Šipka, and more

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Ed Battistella

Sweet Vidalia by Lisa Sandlin When Eliza Kratke arrived home one die, she finds her husband, a railroad man, clutching his chest near his car. After a harrowing car ride to the hospital, he dies. Then it turns out that … Continue reading →

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An Interview with Michael Erard, author of Bye, Bye, I Love You

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Ed Battistella

For the last five years, writer Michael Erard has been working on a book about the first words of babies and the last words of the dying. His latest book Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First … Continue reading →

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Review of The Truth About English Grammar by Geoffrey K. Pullum

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Ed Battistella

The Truth About English Grammar by Geoffrey K. Pullum (Polity Press, 2024) Many years ago, I took a freshman course called English Grammar, taught by the Renaissance scholar Bridget Gellert Lyons. In that class, we read A Short Introduction to … Continue reading →

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