book reviews

Defining the Un-Definable: A Hermaphrodite Examines Gender Identity Author: Jeffrey Eugenides A generational epic, Middlesex is a novel about forbidden love, history, and gender identity set against a panoramic Greek background where the tragic invasion of Smyrna enables Calliope Stephanides’ grandparents to leave Greece for America and start a new life. The sins of the past, however, follow them in the form of a mutated gene that Calliope, our hermaphroditic narrator, feels defines her future, specifically in the year 1974 where a failure to develop as a girl and a crush on a school mate leave her to believe that [...]

Literary Lunches Author: Dinah Fried For as long as I’ve been a reader — that is, as long as I can remember — I’ve felt a strong connection between books and food. From the perfect pastel ice-cream cones enjoyed on a summer’s day by Babar the Elephant and his family to the wickedly mysterious cubes of Turkish Delight perched on the glistening snow of Narnia, food has the power to anchor magical settings in reality by reminding us of the appetites we share with even the most uncommon characters. And, of course, there’s the pleasure of eating along with your [...]