A new biography of Peter Matthiessen chronicles his many paradoxical attempts to escape who the world expected him to be.

But he didn’t appreciate the sheer joy of a goal being scored, the bond it creates between fans and players, the experience of a live, unpredictable occurrence.

When you hear the term “monster movies,” you might think you know what to expect. A giant, irradiated bug stomping all over a modern metropolis, perhaps, or an inhuman beast stalking a group of ...