Spiked Review of Books

Spiked Review of Books

The Spiked Review of Books is a monthly online literary criticism feature, based at the online magazine spiked. The launch in May 2007 coincided with controversy in the United States following the scaling back of newspaper book review sections. [http://www.bookcritics.org/?go=saveBookReviews] . The Spiked Review of Books features editorials by spiked editor Brendan O'Neill, and interviews, essays and reviews by a range of writers, many of whom are regular contributors to spiked, such as Frank Furedi, Jennie Bristow and Josie Appleton. The cover illustrations are by Jan Bowman [http://www.janbow.com/] .

Issue 1, May 2007

“First there were the Culture Wars; now we have the Book Review Wars. In the US, authors are ripping into newspapers for their ‘industry-wide scaling back of book reviews’. Books sections were once a place where arguments were had and thought experiments conducted. Where the news pages told us what was going on in the world, and the opinion pages explained why, the books section provided an arena for writers to take the pulse of the zeitgeist and to launch salvos in the battle of ideas. It is in this spirit that spiked launches its new monthly review of books, a space where no books will be burnt though the debate will get heated. Switch off the Oprah Book Club, dry your tears over your paper’s shrinking books section, and welcome to the must-read for readers everywhere.” [Brendan O’Neill]

Issue 4: August 2007

“There is a new law of politics; we might call it the Law of Intended Curmudgeonliness. It rules that the more that life improves – the wealthier, healthier and safer we become – the more that miserabilists will fret about the dangers we face. Money makes us unhappy, they claim; affluence gives rise to ‘affluenza’; world travel tramples local communities underfoot, etczzz. The August issue of the spiked review of books is devoted to breaking this law. Daniel Ben-Ami counterpunches the critics of economic growth and puts the case for infecting all of humanity with 'affluenza' (that is, liberating everyone from the ‘realm of necessity’). Helene Guldberg argues that childhood is not as fraught or frightening as some believe. Peter Smith celebrates the benefits of increased international mobility. We also have Michael Fitzpatrick on why communism survived for so long, Dolan Cummings on the true spirit of Enlightenment, and studies of the heart and the brain and the role they play (or don’t play) in making us human. Enjoy…” [Brendan O’Neill]

Issue 7: November 2007

Western officials waging a war against terrorism often claim to be engaged in a ‘battle of ideas’. But what ideas are they battling to defend? That is never made clear. Aside from a rhetorical championing of the Western ‘way of life’ (whatever that might mean) and ‘Western values’ (which no one dares define), big ideas are notable by their absence on this battlefield. This spiked review of books unpicks the terror phenomenon. I interview Frank Furedi about his new book Invitation to Terror. Elsewhere, Furedi argues that foreign policy is driven by incoherence, and ‘humanitarianism’ is the antithesis of humanism. In defence of the Terror, Dolan Cummings reviews a new edition of Maximilien Robespierre’s speeches, and finds that, for all the claims that Robespierre is the father of modern terrorism, he was incorruptibly committed to liberty and progress: a million miles from today’s webcam jihadists. Plus: the dogma of transparency, the Motherhood Wars, the world’s biggest miserabilist, and more. Enjoy! [Brendan O’Neill]

Issue 10, February 2008

Do you suffer from Harried Woman Syndrome? Perhaps you have Compulsive Acquisition Disorder? Maybe you’re one of millions laid low by Affluenza, whose symptoms include buying lots of mod cons, trying to hide the signs of ageing and chasing the latest fashionable garb. In the past, they called it ‘getting on in the world’ when families got good jobs, bought nice homes and fast cars, and moved from the Realm of Making Ends Meet to the Kingdom of Living Comfortably. Now our desire for ‘stuff’ is described as a mental disorder, a habit we must kick ASAP. In this month’s spiked review of books, Daniel Ben-Ami - in a review of new books by Oliver James and John Naish - says he’s had enough of the theory of Enoughism, and puts the case for the creation of more wealth and comfort around the world. We also have Frank Furedi asking what role Big Business played in the development of environmentalism, Sean Collins on how There Will Be Blood waters down Upton Sinclair’s Oil!, a Celtic fan defending the right of Rangers fans to abuse him, and much, much more. Enjoy! [Brendan O'Neill]

Issue 13, May 2008

In May 2007, we launched the spiked review of books as an ‘arena’ where writers could ‘launch salvos in the battle of ideas’; we promised that ‘no books will be burnt, though the debate will get heated’. In keeping with our pledge to debate ideas – thoroughly and seriously – rather than write any of them off as ‘beyond this pale’, the current May 2008 issue of the review looks at important new books on irrational currents in contemporary society. Dr Michael Fitzpatrick asks if the radical backlash against alternative medicine is helping to enlighten debate, or stifle it. Frank Furedi reviews a crucial new text on the historical ‘war against babies’ and in favour of population control. Mick Hume asks why even respectable, sensible scientists can be labelled ‘deniers’ and ‘heretics’ in the debate about climate change. We also look at ‘Real England’, the truth about the ‘Obama-phenomenon’, Cherie Blair’s memoirs and much more. Enjoy – and please donate here to help keep the review alive and kicking. [Brendan O’Neill]

External Links

[http://www.spiked-online.com spiked]

[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/reviewofbooks_contents/C115 spiked review of books mini-site]

[http://www.janbow.com Jan Bowman]

The spiked review of books in the news

Off the Shelf [http://www.americanscientist.org/template/OffTheShelf] , American Scientist Online

Reviewers should wrestle with ideas, not over media [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/05/no_sooner_have_you_dusted.html] , Guardian Arts blog

His Word: Ben Macintyre, ‘I don’t believe humans naturally wallow in the pain of others’ [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1870042.ece] , The Times

How to Convert a Chicken Into a Blood-Spurting Pistol in One Easy Step [http://www.reason.com/blog/show/121196.html] , Reason Magazine

Chickens Deserve to be Eaten [http://jewbiquitous.blogspot.com/2007/07/chickens-deserve-to-be-eaten.html] , Jewbiquitous

Live Working or Die Fighting [http://www.liveworkingordiefighting.co.uk/2007/06/the-book-review.html]

Better Never to Have Been [http://www.bookforum.com/online/1590] , Bookforum

The contemporary redefinition of a social category [http://www.bookforum.com/online/1593] , Bookforum

The new face of American war [http://www.bookforum.com/online/1595] , Bookforum

Art, humanity and the "fourth hunger" [http://www.bookforum.com/online/1599] , Bookforum

Marxist Alexander Cockburn, in the Spiked Review of Books, on the silencing of academic dissent over climate change [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23171278-20261,00.html] , The Australian

A sensible shade of red [http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2008/01/a-sensible-comm.html] , The Western Standard


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