Book review: “A Killing in the Hills” by Julia Keller
Julia Keller’s novel “A Killing in the Hills” is on a par with the best of James Lee Burke and P.D. James. It is a mystery story of high literary [...]
Did Jesus have a wife?
Yes, yes, it may be a hoax of some sort. But I’m excited by the news that a small rectangular piece of papyrus, seemingly from the writings of early Christians, [...]
Book review: “Looking for the Possible Dance” by A. L. Kennedy
After an idyllic four days, the fight begins on the drive home. Margaret notices with delight that she and Colin have had such a restful time that they’ve forgotten to [...]
“Not always night”
I was at an archdiocesan meeting the other day, and the remarks of a prelate in attendance seemed to argue that the Catholic Church has a corner on Truth. I [...]
Book review: “Rocket Ship Galileo” By Robert A. Heinlein
It happened that, a week or so after the death of Neil Armstrong, I picked up this 1947 novel, and to say it’s quaint is an understatement. It’s sort of [...]
Book review: “Millions” by Frank Cottrell Boyce
The final two sentences of “Millions” by Frank Cottrell Boyce are: Sometimes money can leave your hand and fall like water from a pipe onto the hot ground, and the [...]
Book review: “Eminent Victorians” By Lytton Strachey
Twenty years ago, a friend of mine, Steve Swanson, recommended Lytton Strachey’s “Eminent Victorians” as a classic in the field of biography — and a delightful read as well. I’ve [...]
Book review: “The Life of Pi” By Yann Martel
I finished “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel a couple days ago, and I’m still not sure how to take it. […]
Book review: “The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson” By Robert A. Caro
On the final page of “The Passage of Power,” Robert Caro sums up the 604 pages that have come before with a single word. He calls Lyndon Baines Johnson “heroic.” [...]
It Wasn’t the Fort Dearborn Massacre
What happened two centuries ago on Aug. 15, 1812, on the Lake Michigan shore near what is now 18th Street has long been called the Fort Dearborn Massacre. But [...]