Patrik Henry Bass

The World

Rewriting the black American family

Conflict & Justice

In literature, the African-American family has changed and morphed over the years. We take a look at three upcoming books about family written by black men.

Goodbye to Oprah’s Book Club

Arts, Culture & Media

What should everyone know about history?

Global Politics

Barack Obama and the NAACP

Global Politics

Helen Vendler, Rita Dove, and the Changing Canon of Poetry

An Unusual Crop of National Book Awards Finalists

The National Book Awards finalists were announced last month and they included more surprises than have been seen in recent memory. Among the finalists were a graphic novel in the non-fiction category and a total of six books in a category that only allows five.  On Wednesday night, the questions and controversy will come to an […]

What Not to Give Mom for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. And aside from flowers and chocolates, what should we be giving Mom? Patrik Henry Bass, Takeaway contributor and senior editor at Essence magazine has compiled a list of books to say “thank you for not being like Mommy Dearest.” Patrik calls his list “an ode to some of […]

‘Three Cups of Tea’ Author Under Fire

Following a CBS “60 Minutes” report that found factual errors in the best-selling book, “Three Cups of Tea,” author Greg Mortenson and his charitable work in Afghanistan and Pakistan have come under fire. In the book, Mortenson writes about stumbling into a tiny village in northeastern Pakistan and coming across a group of schoolchildren doing […]

E-Books and American Libraries

As e-books grow more and more popular, it’s not surprising that demand has grown, at online stores and libraries.  But last week, it became more difficult for readers to get their e-books at the library. In the past publishers allowed libraries to lend out an e-book an unlimited number of times, but last week Harper Collins […]

The World

Why is teen dystopian literature on the rise?

Arts, Culture & Media

For decades, teenagers have enjoyed stories of darkness and dystopia ? from social critiques like ?The Lord of the Flies? to dystopian nightmares like ?A Clockwork Orange.? But in the last year or two, the market for dystopian and apocalyptic young adult fiction has exploded with more books and darker stories than ever, and the […]