Prairie Fox Reads

  Curiosity at Its Most Disgusting: A Review of Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science Science writing often focuses on grand discoveries, elegant theories, and the beauty of the natural world. In Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science , Erika Engelhaupt turns instead toward everything people are usually encouraged not to examine too closely: parasites, bodily fluids, decomposition, dangerous animals, questionable experiments, and the unsettling possibilities of life beyond Earth. The result is a lively collection of scientific investigations held together by a fascination with the grotesque. Engelhaupt treats disgust not as a reason to look away, but as an invitation to ask better questions. Why do certain creatures frighten us? What makes something revolting? How dangerous are the animals and microbes that surround us? What happens when scientists deliberately expose themselves to pain, contamination, or embarrassment in pursuit of knowledge? Writt...

  Joyce Tenneson Bulfinch, 2002 (Paperback edition) 144 pages Disclosure: This review is based on a close reading of the book and publicly available bibliographic information. It evaluates photographic practice and composition, thematic framing of aging and wisdom, interview and captioning choices, representation and diversity, and the book’s contribution to visual and feminist discourse.   Overview Joyce Tenneson’s Wise Women is a photographic and textual meditation on aging, presenting 80 portraits of women aged 65 to 100 paired with short reflections on life, aging, and inner resources. Tenneson—an established portrait photographer—frames elders as repositories of strength, insight, and beauty, seeking to counter cultural invisibility and stereotypes about late life. The book’s strength lies in its visual restraint and respectful curation; it functions equally as an art object and as a statement in feminist and gerontological representation. Its brevity and curated format m...

  Emma Donoghue Little, Brown and Company, 2010 (Kindle edition) 321 pages Disclosure: This review is based on a close reading of the novel and publicly available bibliographic information. It evaluates narrative perspective and voice, thematic treatment of captivity and recovery, structural choices, ethical representation of trauma, and the book’s place in contemporary fiction.   Overview Emma Donoghue’s Room is a sharply observed, emotionally intense novel that tells the story of a mother and her five‑year‑old son—Ma and Jack—who have been confined in a single locked room for years. The narrative is delivered almost entirely through Jack’s voice, a childlike but keenly attuned first‑person perspective that reframes the ordinary and the terrifying through the language of a young mind. Donoghue balances claustrophobic immediacy with a broader exploration of escape, reintegration, and the psychological aftermath of prolonged captivity. The result is both a suspenseful account ...

      Book Review: The Architecture of Authority and Desire in   A Game of Fate Star Rating:   ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5 Stars) Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of the book from the publisher for review, but that has not affected the content of this review. Publication and Context Title:   A Game of Fate   (Hades Saga #1) Author:   Scarlett St. Clair Publisher:   MaeIDesign / Bloom Books Publication Date:   September 18, 2020 Format Reviewed:   E-book (379 pages) ISBN:   978-1-7357719-0-8 (Hardback) / 978-1-7357719-1-5 (Paperback) Genre:   Fantasy Romance / Mythological Retelling / Romantasy Target Audience:   New Adult / Adult Publication Context:   A Game of Fate   emerged during a significant cultural renaissance of Greek mythological retellings, arriving at a historical moment where readers increasingly sought to deconstruct classical power structures. Scarlett St. Clair, holding degrees in Library Science, bri...