Mar 3rd, 2008 · In her new critique of contemporary culture, Susan Jacoby lambastes America's increasing preoccupation with "anti-intellectualism" and "junk thought." The Age of American Unreason is her eighth book.
Sep 4th, 2007 · Positive Psychology, a branch of psychology that focuses on positive human traits, is seen by proponents as an alternative to what they think is traditional psychology's preoccupation with negativity. Sounds harmless, but some people worry about the major financial backer of the movement, as well as the movement's spiritual aspects.
Mar 5th, 2007 · Composer Allen Shawn lives a phobic life. He doesn't like heights, bridges, tunnels, subways, elevators, open spaces or closed spaces. "The degree of my self-preoccupation is appalling," he writes in a new book.
Jan 7th, 2007 · During the Cold War, science-fiction tales of alien invasion mirrored society's fear of Communism, and monsters from Frankenstein to Godzilla have tapped into our unease about the boundaries of science. But a new type of genre fiction has plots centering around business and economics. A book by T. C. Boyle takes the subject of identity theft and treats it like a horror story. Several other writers are also turning their attention to our preoccupation with finances and business, and finding fertile ground.
Sep 2nd, 2006 · Most mainstream hip-hop artists rap about money, sex and other adult preoccupations. The MCs of Da HipHop Raskalz have an entirely different set of interests, including dinosaurs, fractions -- and, most of all, candy. That's because they are grade-school students in Harlem, and their producer is an acclaimed classical musician with a rather unusual day job.