What We Are Reading Today: An American Summer by Alex Kotlowitz

Updated 11 March 2019
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What We Are Reading Today: An American Summer by Alex Kotlowitz

  • Kotlowitz aims to tell unforgettable stories about the afterlife of homicide, how it penetrates the minds, bodies and communities of those it touches”

From the bestselling author of There Are No Children Here, An American Summer a richly textured, heartrending portrait of love and death in Chicago’s most turbulent neighborhoods.

Author Alex Kotlowitz takes the reader into the heart of these communities, interviewing the families and friends of the victims of gun violence, as well as the victims themselves, putting faces and people behind the statistics. 

“This will be one of my top non-fiction recommendations for 2019,” a reviewer commented in goodreads.com.

In a review published in the The New York Times, Eric Klinenberg said that An American Summer “is a powerful indictment of a city and a nation that have failed to protect their most vulnerable residents, or to register the depth of their pain.”

Klinenberg added: “It is also a case study in the constraints of a purely narrative approach to the problems of inequality and social suffering. Kotlowitz aims to tell unforgettable stories about the afterlife of homicide, how it penetrates the minds, bodies and communities of those it touches.”

Kotlowitz grew up in New York City. 

His father, Robert, is the author of four novels and a memoir of World War II Before Their Time.


What We Are Buying Today: Snowhite Arabia beauty products

Updated 16 January 2026
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What We Are Buying Today: Snowhite Arabia beauty products

The Saudi beauty market is saturated with shelves lined with creams, serums and promises. If you have entered a local pharmacy recently, you likely already noticed Snowhite Arabia’s products — the distinct pink packaging is hard to miss.

Consider this your sign to try it.

Founded in 2014 by Heba Al-Madani as a home-based workshop, Snowhite Arabia has since evolved into a substantial operation, manufactured at Al-Madani’s factory for Snowhite Est., proudly labeled with the “Saudi Made” stamp.

I started with the hand cream, which the package recommends using twice a day while avoiding direct sun exposure. The formula includes avocado oil, aloe vera juice and mango butter, among other ingredients.

The Snowhite hand cream is moisturizing and fragrant, but without a greasy or overly perfumed aftermath. After a few uses, my dry-prone hands felt noticeably smoother.

I also like how it is vibrantly-colored so I can easily fish it out of my tote bag to reapply when I am out and about.

For the home, I tried the Moroccan soap in the bath. Its dark color, slimy texture and pungent smell were slightly alarming at first. Once worked with a bit of water, it foamed easily, and I learned quickly that a little goes a long way. I now like it.

Snowhite Arabia also offers hair masks and other products, though these are the only ones I have tried so far. I am looking forward to trying the broccoli shampoo next.

For now, the hand cream stands out as the most practical winter companion and my current local favorite.

Follow them @snowhitesa_ on Instagram.