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Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein

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Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein
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Rejoice and praise before Dear Monica Lewinsky, a trenchant, incisive, emotionally resonant and so very funny novel that far surpassed my preconceptions — and reservations — about another novel concerning a young woman seduced by her university professor. Author Julia Langbein brings to life our fully dimensional protagonist, Jean Dorman, a 45-year-old woman dealing with an existential crisis brought on by an invitation she receives, as she’s visited by Saint Monica Lewinsky to help her unpack a traumatic event from her past. Starting from a hooky, irresistible premise, Langbein delivers a near-flawlessly crafted novel that find new ways to explore and expand the boundaries of our cultural discourse around power and consent with depth, humor and well-earned emotional payoff. Bless Julia Langbein! Bless Jean Dorman! And Bless Dear Monica Lewinsky!

Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein, (List Price: $30, Doubleday, 9780385551502, April 2026)

Reviewed by Matt, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, GA

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What Is Wrong with Men by Jessa Crispin

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What Is Wrong with Men by Jessa Crispin
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Exceptional cultural criticism that convincingly and insightfully mines the seemingly disposable popular commercial ’80s to early ’00s films of Michael Douglas to expose the political, cultural, and sociological currents thrumming beneath the surface (or, at times, on the surface) of the texts and roiling through America. A terrific and fun read, while also being exemplary of the form for cultural criticism written for a general audience.

What Is Wrong with Men by Jessa Crispin, (List Price: $27, Pantheon, 9780593317624, June 2025)

Reviewed by Matt Nixon, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia

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Sandwich by Catherine Newman

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Sandwich by Catherine Newman
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In some light, this a sandy-toed frolic of a family’s week at the beach; in others, it’s a turbulent accounting of the family’s lifetime of joys and sorrows. Anyone with a family beach tradition will relate. Actually, anyone with a family will relate. Newman deftly sandwiches comedy and tragedy between the sweet pastels of the book’s summery covers. A deceptively powerful book!

Sandwich by Catherine Newman, (List Price: $26.99, Harper, 9780063345164, June 2024)

Reviewed by Frank Reiss, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia

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