And they should be. Endings suck—especially when it comes to the conclusion of stories we love/loved. Sometimes stories are ruined by their less-than-spectacular final act. We read them for days and watch them for years as their inevitable finales approach, hoping our favorite characters go out in an appropriately cliché blaze of glory or meet a romantically tragic end. In a weird way, our favorite books, movies, and shows become a huge part of our lives—our own personal (REAL) narratives framing that of popular protagonists and their worlds. So, naturally, we fall in love with all of the underdogs, chosen …
Jack O’ Connell, of Godless fame, will star in the BBC’s adaptation of The North Water, Ian McGuire’s realist narrative dealing with the hunt and harvest of whales—which happens in north water (hence the title). The story takes place in the 1850s right before waling stopped being so acceptable. In 2016 , the novel made waves; it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Chicago Tribune listed it as one of the best books of the year and so did the New York Times. McGuire likes realism and his novel is …
The relationship between grandparent and grandchild is a sacred thing. Those of us who have been lucky enough to know our patriarchs and matriarchs cherish the memories we have of them. And the food. Oh, the food: grub that often we weren’t even hungry for. The cookies they baked (and lowkey ate half of), the cars they drove us around in (so slow, and often in silence, that all we could do was ponder the concept of time) and the tissues they gave us (that always seemed to come out of nowhere). All these things pale in comparison to the …
Gloria Steinem is a powerhouse; the kind of person possessed by an innate desire to change the world for the better. She’s a writer, activist, feminist organizer, editor…and a laundry list of other things. She has founded or helped found organizations such as the Women’s Action Alliance, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Media Center, Voters for Choice, Choice USA (now URGE) Ms. Foundation for Women, (which is basically the reason we have Take Your Daughter to Work Day), Equality Now, Donor Direct Action and Direct Impact Africa. She also co-founded New York Magazine and Ms. Magazine, for which she still remains …
Ultron was a dick. Hal 9000 was a liability. Wintermute + Neuromancer= bad. The eternal struggle of man vs. machine has inspired a plethora of literature regarding the topic. If there is one thing we have learned from the cautionary tales of science fiction—it’s that artificial intelligence is probably not a good thing. Worst case scenario, human beings create self-aware machines that ultimately rebel and replace us as the dominant species. The sometimes swift and other times comfortingly slow (if the predictions that exist in popular fiction are any indication) advancement of artificial intelligence has startled some of the greatest …
