“Democracy in America is at times a strange, haunted book, but then, the United States in the Age of Jackson was in many ways a strange, haunted place.” —David Reid

“I’m driving down Piasa Street in Alton, on my way to a café to grade my students’ papers, when I see hundreds of people in white shirts standing..." —Sky O'Brien

“I was on my way to that dank oasis in the middle of the concrete depths, Cole’s, the disputed French dip originator and pre-Prohibition bar..." —Marius Sosnowski

“A film star is not bound by the rules of time and space. Her true currency—imagery—affords her a shot at bliss, a privilege ever stalked by horror."

“Godard's life is a masterpiece of art and commerce and cultural impact and one of the most impressive—and complete—bodies of artistic fulfillment on record."