Reviews Can Be Saved
Dwight Garner, the New York Times book critic, lamented the rapid disappearance of newspaper book reviews, noting that even midsize city papers have cut cultural coverage. He highlighted the loss of local critics and weekly magazines that once fueled literary conversation. The Metropolitan Review (TMR) positions itself as a remedy, offering weekly criticism of best‑sellers, self‑published works, and cultural essays. To sustain this effort, TMR is seeking paid subscribers, offering an $80 annual print subscription or a $5 monthly plan.
This Land Belongs to All of Us
Molly Crabapple’s new book *Here Where We Live Is Our Country* revives the story of the Jewish Bund, a socialist, secular movement that flourished in interwar Poland. Drawing on years of archival research and personal family ties, she portrays the...
The Barbarism of Yesteryear
Max Watman’s historical novel *Tomorrow, the War* offers a vivid, research‑driven portrait of 1850s American slavery while weaving together several interlocking storylines. The book deliberately avoids the period’s racial slur, aiming for modern readability, yet still conveys the brutal reality...
I Fear LA
Luke Goebel’s 2026 novel *Kill Dick* follows Susie Vogelman, a privileged LA addict whose family’s ties to a Sackler‑like empire intersect with a string of grotesque murders targeting opioid users. The book mixes graphic violence, first‑person confession and third‑person narration...
Spirit of America
The essay chronicles the rise and fall of the Lamb of God covenant community, a Baltimore‑based charismatic Catholic group that flourished in the late 1980s before dissolving in the 1990s. It details the community’s intense Pentecostal practices, the hidden abuse...
They Got the Beat
On October 7, 1955 the 6 Gallery in San Francisco hosted a modest poetry reading that featured Allen Ginsberg, Kenneth Rexroth, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, Philip Lamantia and Philip Whalen. The event drew roughly 150 attendees and marked the public debut of Ginsberg’s seminal poem “Howl,” igniting the San Francisco...
Get Your Tickets for The Metropolitan Review's First Ever Print Launch
The Metropolitan Review (TMR) is hosting a launch party in Manhattan for its inaugural print issue, scheduled for Thursday at Hurley’s Saloon, 232 W. 48th Street. The event offers two ticket tiers—$20 for entry and $45 for entry plus a reserved copy of...
It's Official. You're Invited to Our Print Launch Party.
The Metropolitan Review has released its inaugural print issue, a 192‑page art‑object featuring an exclusive Gay Talese interview, the first republication of his lone fiction story, and contributions from writers such as Lillian Fishman, André Aciman, Tao Lin and Sherman Alexie. The magazine will sell...
Jersey Girl
Patti Smith, once heralded as a punk rock poet, has reinvented herself as a prolific memoirist. Over the past decade she published five prose works, culminating in 2023’s 'Bread of Angels', which stitches together her fragmented autobiographies. The books trace...
The Trials of Fatherhood
Joshua Doležal reviews Aymann Ismail’s memoir *Becoming Baba*, a candid account of navigating fatherhood, faith, and immigrant identity in America. The book traces Ismail’s childhood in Newark, his struggle between Islamic traditions and urban rebellion, and his evolving relationship with...
Hard and Soft at Once
Eva Illouz’s sociological lens explains why *Fifty Shades of Grey* became a cultural megahit, arguing the novel dramatizes unresolved existential tensions of modern love. The book’s blend of BDSM erotica and self‑help promises temporary resolution of conflicts between autonomy and...