Every so often I see a questions that brings me up short. For example, we need words to talk, but why do we need words to think? Durham University psychologist Charles Fernyhough has been studying this. Fernyhough thinks approximately 20 to 25 percent of our waking time is spent with language directed at ourselves. Why?
What is it like to be caught between two cultures, not completely identifying with either and not completely being accepted by either? I’ve met people who are the offspring of mixed-race marriages, but two distinct cultures? If you’re wondering, too, one insight into a European-Middle Eastern dichotomy is a published series of comic strips entitled
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