SECRET HISTORY
Carson McCullers was a writer best known for evocative Southern morality tales like The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, and her colorful but humanist style inspired the likes of Harper Lee and Truman Capote. McCullers suffered a series of strokes beginning in her 20s and died at 50, and her troubled life has been the subject of several nonfiction accounts. But literary archivist Jenn Shapley's poignant new book My Autobiography of Carson McCullers points out that a critical element is conspicuously absent from the author's legacy — her well-documented queerness. Shapley's account is part memoir and part history, but it's also a pointed critique of the rampant LGBTQ+ erasure in so much of history, and a powerful attempt to reclaim McCullers' true identity. (NATHAN WEINBENDER)
TAKE THIS TEST
Would I be watching an Amazon Prime documentary series about the mysterious (to me) game of cricket if the sports world was functioning in a normal way? Doubtful, and that would have been my loss. The Test: A New Era For Australia's Team is an eight-part series showcasing the Aussie national squad's climb back into international relevance after a cheating scandal in 2018 led to firings, suspensions and embarrassment for the legions of the country's cricket diehards. While The Test is partly a PR operation to help the team reconnect with its fans, it's also a fascinating look at team-building, leadership and international relations through the eyes of a bunch of young athletes in the hotter-than-normal glare of the sport's spotlight. (DAN NAILEN)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Some noteworthy new music hits online and in stores April 17. To wit:
THE PACK A.D., It Was Fun While It Lasted. The guitar/drums duo says this is their last album, which is a damn shame if true.
EOB, Earth. Radiohead's Ed O'Brien delivers his first solo album as he recovers from COVID-19.
SHABAZZ PALACES, The Don of Diamond Dreams. First single "Fast Learner" was the kind of electro-tinged, genre-defying jam we've come to expect. And that's a good thing.
SOUL ASYLUM, Hurry Up and Wait. Singer/guitarist Dave Pirner is the only original member left, but they recorded this at the Minneapolis studio of their pre-fame Twin/Tone recordings. (DAN NAILEN)
