During this political silly season, it’s easy to think this country is in serious trouble, that we’re not great anymore, that we have serious problems, especially with crime and race relations. Well, I lived through the 1960s and 1970s, which means I saw firsthand the civil rights struggles and the Vietnam protests, and anecdotally I
From the “Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover” department — Awhile back I received an email from a conservative friend with a picture of President Obama getting off Air Force One with a book under his arm. You could just read the title: The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria. Apparently my friend was offended
If anyone is looking for a female role model, I have a suggestion — Ruth Shellhorn. Ruth Patricia Shellhorn was born in Los Angeles, CA on September 21, 1909, to parents who valued education and encouraged their daughter to develop her interests. So Ruth grew up believing she could enter any field she wanted and,
There are many unusual angles to history. At certain key times, the weather, disease, or a simple personality quirk can make a profound difference in the outcomes of critical events. (Was Robert E. Lee having a heart attack during the Army of Virginia’s invasion of Maryland?) So it’s always fun to explore the niches and
One thing I’m learning is that inspiration can come from anywhere. Earlier I had reviewed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had initially resisted reading what sounded like a gruesome concept, but found it to be a well-written, engaging story. How does an author develop a plotline like that? It so happens Ms. Collins’
We like to have a positive view of ourselves and our country. But every so often we find something that jars us into rethinking our complacency. I just ran across a review a book with the rather shocking title White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by historian Nancy Isenberg. It proposes
On December 6, 2015, I gave my thoughts on the novel The Hunger Games. I was so impressed with the overall story that I’m rereading it to catch all the subtleties and clues to the ending that I missed the first time. As an aspiring author, I did some research after my first read and
Nothing is as simple as it first appears. That’s my frustration with history — so much gets left out of the textbooks. I’ve just finished reading The End of the Cold War: 1985-1991 by Robert Service. It’s a very detailed, and heavily documented, account of the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin
I’m just finishing Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror by Richard A. Clarke (Free Press, 2004). Richard Clarke spent almost 30 years in government under seven presidents. He was appointed the first National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counterterrorism (aka the Terrorism Czar, a term he hated) by President Bill Clinton, and
In our rise to today’s modern, civilized world, which advance was the most important? Many think it was the use of tools, the discovery of controlled fire, or development of language. But a new book by neuroanthropologist John S. Allen argues our move out of the elements and into dwellings may have been the key.