Author: Jay Ruud

Revolutionary Road Richard Yates (1961) Two of the nominees for the National Book Award for fiction in 1962 were Richard Yates’ novel Revolutionary Road and a little thing by Joseph Heller called Catch-22. In the end, neither novel won the award (it went to Walker Percy for The Moviegoer), but the Yates and Heller novels had much in common.… Continue reading Revolutionary Road

Point Counter Point Aldous Huxley (1928) Considered by many to be Aldous Huxley’s greatest novel, despite the appeal and popularity of Brave New World, Point Counter Point is unquestionably his longest and most complex book. It was published in 1928 to mixed reviews, with some hailing the novel as a significant examination of contemporary society—Cyril Connolly in New Statesman… Continue reading Point Counter Point

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Anita Loos (1925) If you mention the title Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to the average person nowadays, he or she is almost certain to assume you are referring to the classic 1953 film that catapulted Marilyn Monroe to superstardom and that gave us the iconic pink-gowned musical rendition of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”… Continue reading Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

The Chair Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman (2021) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Steaming on Netflix Length: 6 episodes of 30 minutes each Names You  Might Know: Sandra Oh, Bob Balaban, Jay Duplass, Holland Taylor Language: English Rating: TV-MA (content advisory) He Said: Anyone who has ever been involved in higher education in any capacity will find The Chair a fascinating and… Continue reading The Chair

The Man Who Loved Children Christina Stead (1940) In 2005, Time magazine included Christina Stead’s 1940 novel The Man Who Loved Children on their list of the 100 best English language novels since 1923. But this is a novel that continues to be one of the least well-known among that collection of titles. Upon its initial publication, Stead’s book… Continue reading The Man Who Loved Children