Book review: “Food in History” by Reay Tannahill
When Reay Tannahill began working on the book that became "Food in History," she was entering virgin territory. No one before her had attempted to chronicle the relationship of humans [...]
My funeral service
At 62, I know the creakiness of my body. My knees ache. My back tightens up. Still, I'm in pretty good health. But my baby brother John, who is 57, [...]
Book review: “Memory Mambo” by Achy Obejas
I thoroughly enjoyed "Memory Mambo" when I read it in early 1997, shortly after it was published. Fifteen years later, I savored it even more. Achy Obejas is a friend, [...]
Book review: “Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the RISE and FALL of the COMANCHES, the Most POWERFUL INDIAN Tribe in American History” by S. C. Gwynne
Let's talk about book titles, and book covers, and book marketing. For all intents and purposes, S.C. Gwynne's 2010 book "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the RISE [...]
Book review: “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest” by Stieg Larsson
Lisbeth Salander is fascinating. Thin, short and socially stunted, she is a victim of abuse, domestic and institutional. Yet, she is even more a survivor — one with extraordinary skills [...]
What I Learned from Bill O’Reilly and His Book about Lincoln
This story appeared in the Dec. 28, 2011 issue of Streetwise magazine. If you've ever watched a panel discussion at a convention workshop or in a museum or university setting, [...]
Book review: “The Girl Who Played with Fire” by Stieg Larsson
OK. This is more like it. The first book in Stieg Larsson's trilogy centering on Lisbeth Salander, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," was slow and often clumsily written. This [...]
Christmas: Early Morning
The small boy moves through deep snow down dark streets alone to the boulevard through the cold to the lights of the churchfront past thick wood doors inside to warmth [...]
Book review: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson is a curiously lumbering thriller. It starts slowly and ends slowly. In between, the novel has more than its share of [...]