In Austin
I grew up in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. I am the oldest of 14 children, and one of my jobs, growing up, was to watch [...]
Book review: “The Art of Fielding” by Chad Harbach
Chad Harbach's intention in "The Art of Fielding" seems to be to subvert the traditional sports story — boy of great talent hones his craft, reaches heights, stumbles but learns [...]
JFK and the cafeteria bishops
A half century ago, John F. Kennedy was elected the first Catholic President of the United States because he convinced American voters that he wouldn't take orders from the Pope. [...]
Book review: “Being Dead” by Jim Crace
When she and her husband Joseph were murdered on an isolated stretch of beach, Celice's body fell onto the sand, upending a dune beetle and trapping him in the folds [...]
Book review: “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett
Reading the last line of Alan Bennett's "The Uncommon Reader," I laughed out loud. I can't guarantee you will, but I suspect you will find this short 2007 novel funny [...]
Book review: “How to Train Your Dragon” by Cressida Cowell
Okay, so I'm a 10-year-old boy at heart. I found the 2010 movie "How to Train Your Dragon," starring Jay Baruchel as the hapless Hiccup, endlessly droll, inventive, touching and [...]
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 [...]