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The American Myth of Innocence
Books & Bakes: A halftime progress report and a frustrating experience with the invisibility of race in “The Irony of American History”
Aug 12
•
Sean Bugg
1
July 2026
Carrie, Stephen King, and the Politics of Fatness
Books & Bakes: The upcoming remake of King’s iconic first novel is raising new questions for fans about fidelity and adaptation
Jul 29
•
Sean Bugg
1
Gone Girl Goes House Hunting
Books and Bakes: “Best Offer Wins” takes a darkly comedic journey through the Washington real estate market
Jul 21
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Sean Bugg
1
The Lost Language of Home
Books & Bakes Update: Searching for my past in the unfamiliar present of Blood River Witch
Jul 13
•
Sean Bugg
1
1
A Man of Two Faces: Viet Thanh Nguyen's Beautiful (and Searing) Memoir
Books & Bakes Update - The tension between empathy and experience in the story of a Vietnamese refugee family
Jul 10
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Sean Bugg
1
2
Total Eclipse of My Teen Gay Heart
Bonnie Tyler’s heated prep-school fantasia was an explosive force in my young life
Jul 9
•
Sean Bugg
2
1
1
Around the World and Back Again
“Boy Does World” makes its debut on Kindle and as a new special gift for paid subscribers to The Back Half
Jul 8
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Sean Bugg
2
1
Books & Bakes: “The Hunter” Is a Razor-Sharp Tale of Revenge
Week 1 - It’s hard to write spare, simple prose that thrills but Richard Stark, a.k.a. Donald Westlake, mastered the craft; plus, what's on deck for…
Jul 3
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Sean Bugg
2
1
June 2026
Despair, Anger, and the Right to Feel Hopeless (for Today)
The Supreme Court's rulings on trans athletes, birthright citizenship, and campaign finance make today a hard day to argue against doomerism
Jun 30
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Sean Bugg
2
2
Books & Bakes Preview: My Old (Western) Kentucky Home
My rural home rarely appears in novels and stories, so I'm eager to dive into T. J. Martinson's thriller, Blood River Witch
Jun 22
•
Sean Bugg
2
1
Books & Bakes Preview: From Discworld to Immigrant America
Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters is a perfect intro to his satirical world, while Viet Thanh Nguyen is a preeminent chronicler of the Vietnamese immigrant…
Jun 15
•
Sean Bugg
1
Dreaming of Immortality
In the January issue of Amazing Science Fiction Stories we find overoptimistic predictions of life spans alongside a stellar meditation on aging
Jun 5
•
Sean Bugg
1
1
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