Nathaniel PopkinCritiques

“We’ve all read newspaper stories about the atrocities of Vietnam. We’ve seen it on 60 minutes. I don’t know what exactly Monte went through. He was a medic,” says the protagonist’s mother in The Year of the Return. Yet, Monte’s mother conspicuously never narrates in the book.

Treatment of racial issues, when not superficial, was fleeting and blurred in the book. Jews in America are basically white. Discussing racial bigotry with religious prejudice holds to the extent that an individual’s religion is apparent. This book is a reminder of how race is often misconstrued and subjugated in America.

Reading time: 4.5 hours
Vocabulary: Average
Style: Literary½

The Possible City: Exercises in Dreaming Philadelphia looks at some of Philadelphia's problems in defining itself and tendency to resist change. My experience is with Center City and the book looked at the whole city. While I may not have been enamored with all of his suggestions, many were good and all inspired thought.
I thought that sometimes the author's attempt to be literary or poetic was overdone and got in the way of his points.½