The Peorian

Tue03192024

Last updateMon, 15 Jun 2020 10pm

Back You are here: Home Voices Voices News Literarea

A Furious Rant Fueled by a Furious Cool Book: “Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him” David Henry & Joe Henry

Log in to save this page.

furious coolA Note From the Author:
What was intended to be a review of “Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him”, a book written by David Henry & Joe Henry, became a rant against the city of Peoria for its lack of recognition of its most famous son. But it’s more than just a rant. It also presents at...

Read more...

Kevin Reads Stuff So You Don't Have To: "Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age"

Log in to save this page.

“You may think me a dreamer...but I can tell you that I look forward with absolute confidence to sending messages through the earth without any wires.”
- Nikola Tesla, 1894

When it comes to the great inventors of the electrical age, for some reason, Nikola Tesla generally is overlooked at least in American textbooks.

Read more...

Politics, Hippies and Hell's Angels

Log in to save this page.

As a writer, Hunter S. Thompson means different things to different people across several generations, which is a testament to his talent. It's no exaggeration to say his books have transcended social barriers and created a common thread among diverse groups of people: law enforcement officials and restless youth, politicians and the counterculture, professional journalists and armchair quarterbacks to name a few. If this sounds a bit bold, consider...

Read more...

Literarea Review: "Everything And More: A Compact History of Infinity" by David Foster Wallace

Log in to save this page.

“Do I contradict myself?
Very well, then I contradict myself,
I am large, I contain multitudes.”
Walt Whitman
"Songs of Myself"

David Foster Wallace was definitely a Whitmanesque character if there ever was one. He was hyper-intellectual receiving an (mostly) Ivy League education while being a down-to-earth central Illinois kid of the ’70s. He was the child of a professor...

Read more...

From Bradbury to Farmer

Log in to save this page.

The death of Ray Bradbury this week has been all over the media and, as we mourn the loss of one of the great science fiction writers, it calls to mind one of Bradbury’s contemporaries, Peorian Philip Jose Farmer, who passed away on February 25, 2009. Bradbury and Farmer were equally acclaimed in the science fiction world, although Bradbury’s work seemed to appeal to broader audiences. Isaac Asimov praised Farmer as a great writer and “a...

Read more...

A Literarea Preview: 'Thomas Beckett: Warrior, Priest, Rebel'

Log in to save this page.

Thomas Beckett: Warrior, Priest, Rebel
By John Guy

The story of Thomas Beckett and King Henry the II has been told and retold over the centuries, but a new book “Thomas Beckett: Warrior, Priest, Rebel” by John Guy manages to find an interesting and engaging way to keep the story fresh.The prime lesson one takes away from this book? Never trust an ego-maniacal king no...

Read more...

Good Novels That Turned Into Pretty Good Films, Part 4

Log in to save this page.

A Clockwork Orange

The Book

     Published in 1962, A Clockwork Orange is one of those unique cases where if it weren't for the film, we might not be talking about the book.

 ...

Read more...

It’s a big season for big names in literature

Log in to save this page.

The last quarter of 2012 will see (and has seen) a dearth new releases from some of the biggest names in literature. Here is a quick look at four of them:

“Joseph Anton” by Salman Rushdie
This memoir recounts the years after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against the author because of the publication of “The Satanic Verses.” The Ayatollah declared the book to be offensive to...

Read more...

Good Novels That Turned Into Pretty Good Films, part 3

Log in to save this page.

The Godfather

The Book

Published in 1969, the novel The Godfather had a huge impact but for much different reasons than the famed film adaptation which followed in 1972. It has since become a modern-day classic.The book was a massive success not just because of its study of the Sicilian Mafia, but because...

Read more...