OFF THE GRID
One of the last outposts of Gullah culture, this South Carolina sea island is still raw, remote, and altogether enchanting.
Malcolm Jones writes about books, music, and photography for The Daily Beast where he has written about subjects ranging from A. Lincoln to R. Crumb. He is the author of a memoir, Little Boy Blues, and collaborated with the songwriter and composer Van Dyke Parks and the illustrator Barry Moser on Jump!, a retelling of Brer Rabbit stories.
Send him tips: malcolm.jones@thedailybeast.com or tips@thedailybeast.com. You can also use our anonymous document submission system, SecureDrop. Click here to find out how.
THE GREAT ESCAPE
A little science, some fiction, a few detective stories—reading won’t make you a better person, but it can take you out of the world for a while, and this year that meant a lot.
R.I.P.
No fiction writer has ever seen the Cold War more clearly, or created a spy more memorable than the unimposing but all-seeing George Smiley.
PRINT THE LEGEND
“Based on a true story” is Hollywood’s ultimate get out of jail free card, and it usually means you won’t learn much but you will have fun.
LONG FOR YESTERDAY
The new book “150 Glimpses of the Beatles” traces the band’s history from its early days to 1970. It’s a reminder of why their split was so earth-shattering, writes Malcolm Jones.
BACK TO MANDERLEY
Hitchcock made the first attempt two years after the novel was published, and after that the floodgates opened. Will they ever get it right?
QUEEN
Anya Taylor-Joy’s triumphant performance is only one of the many glories of the new Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit.”
COULDN’T CARE LESS
In her new book, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff makes a damning case that deep down, the first lady is shallow.
THE PROBLEM SOLVER
The former Godfather’s pizza boss died from coronavirus complications after famously refusing to wear a mask at the president’s re-election rally.
Parallels
The president’s niece, whose tell-all book about her family appears next month, fell in love with the Nobel Prize-winner’s fiction in college. Then things got really interesting.
