Cristoforo Colombo
When I first learned of Christopher Columbus in the 1960s, the society in which I lived seemed to adore him. The ocean blue and 1492 rang in my mind like a church bell extolling the greatness of America. His...
The Gift of Reading VI
Here is a sampling of some of the books and authors I discovered this year that might make for an ideal gift during this holiday season. After ten novels featuring LAPD Homicide Detective Harry Bosch, prolific and acclaimed author...
If You Can Keep It
It seems that one of the cornerstones of establishing a religion is the holy book; one that lays out the core beliefs of a faith, often inspired or even written by a god or gods. For many in the...
SCROLLING ALONE
The door bell chimes. Two young men stand back as I open the door to greet them. They are well-groomed and well-dressed. “What are you selling?” I ask. “Oh no,” the senior member of the duo quickly replies. “We’re...
Iron Mountain
In his televised Farewell Address delivered on January 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower encouraged the American people to be wary of the establishment of a Deep State. “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition...
First They Came for the Comedians
Composed among the ashes of World War II is a poem that begins: First they came for the CommunistsAnd I did not speak outBecause I was not a Communist The repeated line “And I did not speak out” is...
The Magical Realism of Matt Haig
I have long been a fan of historical fiction. When well-composed, the fictional elements exist simply as a conduit through which one explores actual history. The fiction does not intrude upon the reality because—when well-done, I offer again—it “captures...
They’re Not All Zealots
In 2020, after years of Trumpian chaos, I asked a decades-long friend of mine if he was planning on voting for Trump a second time. During the course of that conversation, he not only confirmed his continued support for...
MAPS
In his fascinating book, All Mapped Out (2024), King’s College London Lecturer Mike Duggan argues that maps and our varied uses of them go well beyond the simplicity found in the OED definition of map: “a drawing or other...
Al Pacino
Al Pacino’s portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) made the actor one of the most recognizable characters in American popular culture. He was 32 years old and I was 12. More than a half-century later, Pacino published...
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