Whenever I watch reality TV, I am struck by how often reality TV participants explain their bad behavior as “truth-telling” or “just being honest.” Since

I’ve noticed an uptick in alternative history stories. Maybe this is connected to “alternative facts.” Then again, people have always enjoyed alternatives to reality. Is

By Mike Kugler In my last essay I proposed that Shelley’s Frankenstein remains our most powerful modern myth. The new series of Alien movies, beginning

by Mike Kugler “Have you ever heard of insect politics? Neither have I. Insects… don’t have politics. They’re very… brutal. No compassion, no compromise. We

Why are so many women of a certain age considered witches? A friend and I were discussing films and books appropriate for our young daughters,

I’ve noticed some interesting trends in naming, particularly among millennials. Instead of choosing classic or so-old-they-are-new-again names, parents seem to make up new names through

I am continually struck by the intermingling of cultural and secular ideas with Christian holidays. Spring is my favorite season. I was born in early

When I think about key words to describe 1950s America, I often think of the word conformity. I do not consider the 1950s some bygone

by Rebecca Koerselman Recently, I read the book Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. It is a work of fiction that inhabits the historical context of