Author: Doug Thomson
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Eurocentric!! but educational
I can’t call this a fun read, given the sadly downbeat subject matter, but the book is educational, well-written, even elegant in its old-fashioned way, and you’ll probably sail through it quickly. Be aware that it’s intended for a young-adult audience. But this doesn’t really create a problem; in fact it helps the author distill…
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The Rockefeller’s Cultural Philanthropy
Book Review: America’s Medicis: the Rockefellers and Their Astonishing Cultural Legacy (five out of five stars) A very interesting & well-written book. As long as you know what you’re getting into, it should be a very interesting read. It doesn’t cover the Rockefellers’ philanthropy outside of arts & culture, e.g. underwriting the University of Chicago…
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The band of palette-wielding buddies in Montmartre
I really enjoyed this book despite initially having some worries. At first it was behaving like a historical novel, because Roe inserted dialogue that seemed to be invented. How do we know exactly what Picasso said to Fernande on a certain day? That concern faded, however, as the book became better documented without being too…
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Genocidal colonialism in the U.S.
Book review: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. (Four out of five stars) This is a very interesting, well-researched and (not surprisingly) somewhat polemical book. Be prepared for some eye-opening, disturbing and likely disillusioning information, including: <1> The young USA could not have survived financially (or at least would have…
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Natalie Barney & Gertrude Stein walking their dogs on the Left Bank
Book review: Wild Heart – Natalie Barney and the Decadence of Literary Paris, by Suzanne Rodriguez. (5 out of 5 stars) This biography describes Natalie Barney, a wealthy American heiress and sometime writer who lived a carefree – to some extent – lesbian life on the Left Bank of Paris, at times overlapping with more…
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NYC Rabble-Rouser Jane Jacobs takes on the Establishment
Book review: Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City, by Anthony Flint A very interesting, well-written & well-researched book. (5 out of 5 stars) Anybody with an interest in New York City, big city politics or urban design should find it worth reading. I came…
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The uniqueness, struggles and triumphs of Thelonious Monk
Book review: Thelonious Monk: the Life and Times of an American Original, by Robin D. G. Kelley (4 out of 5 stars). I enjoyed this book enough to give it 4 out of 5 stars, and the author obviously did a tremendous amount of research. But unfortunately it was too long for my taste and,…
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Welcome to my blog!
Hi all, I’m Doug Thomson and this is my blog. I recently retired so I now have time to write about some of my interests and publish them for others to read and comment. My primary writing interests are book & music reviews and commentary. I have been writing book reviews on GoodReads.com for some…
Heard and Seen Around Town 