Books
‘The Weil Conjectures’ Rewards the Intellectually Adventurous
Part biography, part memoir, Karen Olsson’s new book traces the extraordinary lives of a famous mathematician and his philosopher sister.
The Latin root of the word conjecture, conicere, means to throw things together. Think of Jackson Pollock splashing different paints onto a canvas and hoping fo...Read More
‘Black Light’ is a Weird, Wonderful Fever Dream of a Book
People glow, hunt for psychedelic mushrooms, and fall in and out of love in Kimberly King Parsons’ debut short story collection.
Some fiction lets you know exactly what it is from the outset. It’s comfortable in its genre or setting; it’s upfront with the reader about the plot, the ti...Read More
A Riveting New History of an Ancient West Texas Canyon
Like a cross-section of the desert, David Keller’s book reveals layers of overlapping history in the spectacular and rugged Pinto Canyon.
“Other than by foot or horseback, there are only two ways to get to Pinto Canyon,” writes David Keller in his latest book, In the Shadow of the Chinatis: A ...Read More
‘Texas Flood’ is a Soulful Portrait of Stevie Ray Vaughan
A new biography captures Vaughan’s journey from record-obsessed Dallas kid to all-time guitar god, taking care to convey what made his music transcendent.
Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Ray Vaughan succeeds in just the way it must to reach both Vaughan’s fans and those first learning why he’s a sh...Read More
‘Seadrift’ Dredges Up a Little-Known—and Deeply Disturbing—Texas Story
An electrifying new documentary captures a forgotten conflict in the sleepy coastal community of Seadrift.
The new documentary Seadrift opens with a tranquil shot of the bay in the tiny Gulf Coast fishing town that lends the film its title. Frogs jump and a heron pre...Read More
Book Review: Scapegoating the Media Ignores Other Major Problems in American Politics
Yes, the news industry helped get Trump elected — but not to the extent that Nolan Higdon and Mickey Huff argue in their new book, United States of Distraction.
In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the American news media was the subject of much well-deserved criticism. A report from Harvard’s Shorenstein Ce...Read More
Without Transmission Lines, Renewable Energy Still has a Long Way to Go — Literally
In Superpower, author Russell Gold tells the story of a Houston businessman’s ambitious plan to transform the electric grid.
If you want to understand the future of renewable energy, look to Texas. That’s the argument Russell Gold makes in his new book Superpower: One Man’s Quest ...Read More
Company Men
Houston author Mike Freedman’s second satirical novel portrays the battlefield and the boardroom with delicious contempt.
It’s every American’s God-given right to self-mythologize, even to the point of absurdity. Take the current president (please): Donald Trump has somehow man...Read More
Announcing the Ninth Annual Texas Observer Short Story Contest
We want your stories!
Fernando A. Flores used to hate the Texas Observer Short Story Contest. Year after year, he diligently entered his writing in the contest, and year after year, ...Read More
