SIMON PARSONS applauds the psychological study of prisoners dealing with a frighteningly oppressive world endured by far too many
Culture
RON JACOBS appreciates the suspenseful style of a biography of the path to Lula’s first presidency, and the lessons it contains for working class self-organisation
CHRIS SEARLE translates the fusion of four jazz maestros into a mental image of Hackney Carnival
A bucket-list of visuals, the unsung heroine of IVF, queer love in the City of London, and half a musical: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Blink, Joy, Layla and Wicked
by Martin Goldie
BEN LUNN draws attention to the way cultural expressions of solidarity with Palestinians in the UK are being censored by Israeli-sponsored lawfare
SIMON PARSONS applauds an assured and enjoyable adaptation of Ali Smith’s meditative and pessimistic novel about Brexit Britain
SIMON DUFF is transported by the sweetly seductive tones of experimental guitarist Pat Metheny
JAN WOOLF relishes a book of poetry that deploys the energy of political struggle, rooted in post-war working class history and culture
SIMON PARSONS applauds an assured and enjoyable adaptation of Ali Smith’s meditative and pessimistic novel about Brexit Britain
SYLVIA HIKINS rejoices at the confounding of evil property developers in a subversive re-telling of the fairytale
New releases from Jennifer Castle, Primal Scream and Keith Jarrett
ANGUS REID celebrates the achievement of Frank Auerbach, and the decisive influence of his teacher, David Bomberg
DAVID YEARSLEY reads the political subtext in the injudicious misfire of will.i.am’s resurrection of his Obama video for the Kamala Harris campaign
JOHN HAWKINS marvels at the blithe dismissal of people as a passive mass in a new work that extols the coming merger of human intelligence with AI
Emotional repression in Hong Kong, emotional repression in the UK, swords and sandals and a forgettable family reunion: reviews of The Last Dance, Silent Men, Gladiator II and Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point
ADAM DE PAOR-EVANS remembers MC Duke: a pioneering British rapper more people should know about
FIONA O’CONNOR detects contemporary relevance in the depiction of a society heading into the abyss while the world does nothing
JON BALDWIN recommends a well-informed survey of the ills promoted by AI tech corporations, and the measures needed to stop them exploiting us
JOHN GREEN is disappointed by a marred critique of the British establishment by someone who was part of it
JONATHAN TAYLOR is entranced by a collection that touches themes of homelessness, loneliness and abuse with dream-like imagery
A remarkable posthumous collection of poetry and other writings is a tragic document of genocide, and a beacon of hope for a Palestinian future, says HENRY BELL
MARIA DUARTE is moved and outraged by a courageous undercover documentary that explores the plight of women in Afghanistan
NICK MATTHEWS welcomes the Communist Party of Britain’s commitment to culture and suggests that the Victorian critic points the way toward combining social function with beauty
Daring Scottish gothic, a murderer in their midst, the best spy story of the year and a classic list of clues
GORDON PARSONS is filled with unease by the RSC’s offering of a brutal fairytale for Christmas
RON JACOBS recommends an exhaustive demonstration that colonialism is insidious, pervasive, positive and negative
DEBRA BENITA SHAW applauds the Booker prize winner: a short but powerful story urging us to save the planet
MICHAL BONCZA recommends a book that explores imaginatively the disappearance of Francisco Tenorio Cerqueira, the famed precursor of Brazil’s contemporary popular music
Free counselling (and free hugs) from Dr Attila in these dark times
New releases from Linda Moyan, Niwel Tsumbu, Ineza with Alex Webb & the Copasetics
MARIA DUARTE recommends an exploration of the way famous black jazz musicians were used as camouflage in the US plot to assassinate Lumumba
by Jessamine O’Connor
TOM STONE recommends the sonic and visual impact of a band that keeps evolving, musically and politically
CHRIS SEARLE marvels at the improvising genius of an Irish harpist and a Dutch drummer, meeting for the first time
WILL STONE relishes the subtle demonstations of political awareness that accompany two standout performers at Brighton’s Mutations festival
MARY CONWAY complains - on behalf of men - that men are not the one-dimensional, testosterone-fuelled psychopaths portrayed in this play
New releases from Propaganda, David Gilmour and Jon Hopkins
WILL PODMORE listens keenly to the people’s voice expressing support for the USSR and disdain for the political Establishment and the empire
ALEX HALL exposes the moral double standards peddled by Western media in name of political expediency when dealing with Hamas
ALAN McGUIRE recommends an autobiography that is an intriguing mix of short stories and personal sketches
by John Kendall Hawkins