notanotherbookreview

Like many pivotal times in human history, say global plagues and wars, when civilizations rise and fall, when there is a question whether humanity will survive, human life is somehow cheapened. Between the rise of gun culture in the U.S. and society's tragic acquiescence, and the sudden devaluation of women's lives, I found myself wondering, "what's a human life worth in these times?  I found a memoir, a "how-to," and a an ancient play translated into a very moving graphic novel. For what it's worth, read on.   I was certainly in the mood for Alice Feiring's coming of age story punctuated by very singular organic wines, To Fall in Love, Drink This: A wine writer's memoir   (Scribner) .   A memoir about learning to drink seemed a gimmick for a wine writer, except this connoisseur's education is like a painter learning his palette.  Her narrative searches for meaning in light-dark encounters with family, lovers, writing and publishers. She finds...