RavePittsburgh Post-GazetteErich Schwartzel dives deep into Hollywood’s complicated relationship with China ... A Matrix-esque red pill that may render you unable to ever watch a movie again without clocking the on-screen elements that seem shoehorned in specifically to appeal to Chinese authorities and audiences. The book serves as both a fascinating exploration of the Chinese entertainment apparatus and how seemingly innocuous American films can become international flashpoints ... If you’ve ever wanted a crash course in the last 100-plus years of Chinese history, Schwartzel provides a pretty comprehensive one in Red Carpet. It’s necessary context ... Schwartzel does his best to distill complicated ideas down to their simplest forms, with the occasional burst of literary flair ... He does a concise job of explaining the huge impact these films had in China and the types of movies Chinese cinema lovers want to see ... Red Carpet is both a movie nerd’s dream and nightmare in the sense that it contains fascinating information that may make readers more wary of the entertainment they consume. If you love movies and are willing to take that risk, you won’t be disappointed by following Schwartzel down this particular rabbit hole.
Billy Porter
PositivePittsburg Post-Gazette... an unfiltered look at many of Porter’s highest and lowest moments, some of which seem designed to make readers as uncomfortable as he was. Others show what can be achieved via hard work and a steadfast dedication to authenticity ... Much of Porter’s story has been out there for years, but never presented in such a raw and concentrated manner as a memoir...you’ve definitely never experienced 278 pages of how those life-changing events added to emotional trauma that he’s still working through to this day ... It’s impossible to read Unprotected in anything but Porter’s extremely distinctive voice ... This is the kind of memoir that has no desire to sway how you feel about its author. If you weren’t a big Porter fan before Unprotected, this memoir won’t change your mind. However, those who enjoy his work and want to learn more about his story will come away with a deeper understanding of how, as Porter puts it, \'my life is a testimony to the power that art has to heal trauma.\'
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
MixedPittsburgh Post-GazetteIf you’re down to rehash four years of Trump-related scandals from an ex-FLOTUS ally’s viewpoint, this is the book for you. Then again, that might be giving Melania and Me a bit too much credit for potential juiciness. Ms. Winston Wolkoff does offer some salacious details about life in the first family’s inner circle, but nothing all that surprising to anyone who’s been paying attention.
Tom Callahan
RaveThe Pittsburgh Post GazetteYou’re almost guaranteed to learn something new about many sports legends ... [Callahan] has been intimately involved in the sports world since the 1960s and has plenty of tales to tell and wisdom to dispense ... That’s the kind of brutally honest, cold-blooded storytelling Mr. Callahan isn’t afraid to dish out, whether the subject is his own wife or a deified athlete. To him, no one is truly a god, and this book is as much about his uncanny ability to gain access and build trust than the athletes themselves.
