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I did things in reverse this time. Since I always purport reading the source material before viewing the film or series treatment, I began watching AMC’s Midnight, Texas this past weekend. So sue me. After seven episodes of Season One, I’ve decided to put my money where my mouth is and read Charlaine Harris’s Midnight Crossroad, the first book in her Midnight, Texas series. I expect a quick read, given Harris’s clear, direct, and conversational writing style, which Publisher

I tend to be something of a traditionalist—more specifically, a Joseph Campbell traditionalist. The Hero’s Journey and the monomyth, with their familiar patterns of departure, conflict, and return, have long shaped my expectations of storytelling. Perhaps this reflects a certain lack of adventurousness on my part, but I am usually most comfortable with a clear central protagonist, a manageable set of conflicts, and at least the possibility of resolution. I get itchy when a st

I love me a good mob film. Goodfellas, The Godfather, and The Long Good Friday are among the finest examples. These films typically center on an antihero—often an ambitious newcomer rising through the ranks of an urban organized-crime network. Yet some films approach the genre from a different perspective, portraying tradition and institutional order with a degree of admiration. The Untouchables (1987), one of Brian De Palma's (Blowout) most accomplished works, is a notable e

As I continue exploring the history of psychiatry through literature, I’m looking forward to turning to Joyce Carol Oates’s Butcher. Building on my reading of Kylie M. Smith’s Jim Crow in the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the American South and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, this novel offers another compelling opportunity to examine how psychiatric institutions, medical authority, and the treatment of vulnerable people have been represented and questio

Folk tales have a familiar charm: their clear lessons draw us in and invite us to reflect on how people treat one another. They teach us about right and wrong in ways that are easy to remember and share across generations. Their simple storytelling gives us room to consider the choices characters make, the consequences that follow, and what we might learn from them. Although we often associate folk tales with centuries past, their insights into human nature and moral choices

There’s something quite inviting about a good story. It draws us in and gently encourages us to reflect on its themes, whether they offer a moral lesson, a message, or a fresh perspective. As authors explore questions and concerns, they sometimes suggest answers and sometimes leave us with more to consider about the world around us. Folk tales are a familiar part of this tradition: stories passed down through oral tradition across generations with no single known author. Ursu

You learn something new every day—often more than one thing. Sometimes that learning expands what we know; at other times, it strengthens the skills we already possess. Reading, much like exercise, improves through regular practice. Yet repetition alone is not always enough: thoughtful instruction and guidance can help us read with greater confidence, attention, and insight. How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Revised: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between t

Irony. Google Gemini defines—or perhaps curates—it as the contrast between expectation and reality: a situation in which the outcome is the opposite of what is intended or expected. Put simply, irony unsettles our assumptions. It introduces an idea, then turns it on its head, replacing the harmony we anticipate with something closer to a fugue. Miloš Forman’s (Amadeus) 1975 adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was an immediate critical and commercial success, strikin

I first read this book about three years ago, before I had any real sense that critical theory was even a thing. Now that I know just enough to realize how much I still have to learn, I’m curious to see how a more practiced critical reader approaches a text—and, with luck, sharpen a few of my own literary skills along the way. How to Read Literature Like a Professor Revised: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, by Thomas C. Foster, introduces readers

How did the 1960s shape American culture? It is a broad and fascinating question—one that could easily inspire several essays, if not an entire doctoral thesis or two. A helpful way to begin is by considering its influence across distinct areas of American life, starting with the medical profession. Reading Jim Crow and the Asylum sparked my interest in the history of psychiatry, so Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest feels like a natural next step—one that explores t

Liminal spaces. Yeah, I had to look the term up too. Broadly speaking, they are physical, emotional, or metaphorical places of transition—a “threshold” between two states that can feel empty, surreal, or unsettling when ordinary activity disappears. Films such as The Shining (1980), Cube (1997), and The Backrooms (2026) explore this idea, often with pretty terrifying results. But does that mean every film about liminal space is automatically a horror film? And what, exactly,

I’m not exactly the most organized person. I use Google Calendar to send me reminders throughout the day—even for basic things like taking my meds—and honestly, without those digital nudges, I’m not sure where I’d be. And I’m also oh-so-thankful for Google Classroom. About a decade before the 2020 pandemic, I was still mostly an analog teacher. (Is it wrong to be a little thankful for the pandemic? Maybe don’t answer that.) Everything was paper and pencil, and I hated it—abso

As a companion—or perhaps a continuation—of my study of Jim Crow in the Asylum, I’m reading Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’m interested in what a fictional account can reveal about psychiatry’s abuses, particularly during the early to mid-20th century. I read the novel years ago without really “looking for anything.” This time, I have a grocery list, so I’ll be better prepared to recognize what the text puts on the shelf. The story follows the rebellious Randl

Yeah, I probably should have read the graphic novel before watching the film, especially since I’m always preaching the virtues of reading the source material first. Apparently, I’m better at giving advice than following it. At least I would have had a clearer sense of what the filmmakers kept, what they changed, and where they went completely off the rails. Now that I’ve read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by writer Tom King, artist Bilquis Evely, and colorist Matheus Lopes,

I probably should have realized that Supergirl (2026) was based on a graphic novel. I mean, come on, Paul! As someone who is always saying you should read the source material first, I really should have known better. You might think a graphic novel would translate pretty naturally to the screen, panel by panel. So what went wrong with Supergirl? Maybe the parts I dismissed in the film will feel richer and more meaningful on the page. And perhaps the villain will seem a little

Before beginning, I want to acknowledge the limits of my perspective. As a white American man, I cannot fully understand the violence and suffering endured by African Americans under slavery. I can, however, approach this history with humility and recognize that its psychological harm did not end with those who experienced enslavement directly, but continued to affect families and later generations. In my English Language Arts classes, my students and I are currently analyzi

Have you ever heard of a “memory palace”? Even if the term is new to you, the idea is quite approachable. A memory palace is a mnemonic technique that uses familiar places to help you store, organize, and recall information. You simply imagine a setting you know well—perhaps your childhood home, your workplace, or a favorite walking route—and connect each piece of information to a particular spot within it. Put less formally, you can think of a memory palace as a welcoming, t

The “us versus them” struggle is one of humanity’s oldest and most universal conflicts—especially when “us” is the little guy and “them” is a towering institution—say, a corporation. Coyote Vs. Acme (2026) brings beloved Warner Brothers characters together for a story that feels long overdue. The familiar cast appears on both sides of the conflict: Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner support Wile E., while Foghorn Leghorn takes his place among Acme’s corporate defenders. Each char

Imagine this for a moment. In a fictional story, someone decides to murder their spouse. Money and resources are unlimited, and exposure is no concern, giving them the freedom to devise almost any scheme imaginable. Would they keep the plan simple or make it unnecessarily complicated? Would those complications improve the chances of success—or perhaps increase the risk of failure? Alfred Hitchcock’s (Psycho) Vertigo (1958) seems to embrace the idea that a complicated murder p

I like to refresh my usual mix of mystery and speculative fiction with nonfiction that gives me something new to think about. Jim Crow in the Asylum: Psychiatry and Civil Rights in the American South (Studies in Social Medicine), by Kylie M. Smith, immediately caught my attention. It explores how systemic racism, white supremacy, and the plantation system shaped psychiatric care for Black Southerners during the Jim Crow era. That is a powerful and unsettling premise—and since