A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by journalist Nathan Thrall won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction this year. The core of the narrative is simple: in 2012 a rickety school bus carrying kindergardeners on a field trip is upended by a tractor trailer in the outskirts of Jerusalem …
Continue reading Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction lays bare a world of pain
The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself by senior BBC correspondent Nick Bryant is a frigid splash of icy water on the notion of American exceptionalism. It may help us to understand Donald Trump's enduring, if frightening appeal to a large swathe of Americans voters. Australian journalist Bryant spent more than a decade living …
Continue reading Two books of non-fiction for different audiences
Donald Trump may claim he's immune to prosecution for multiple crimes to overturn the 2020 election results, but you can read the Government's just-released response to federal District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan showing why he acted as a private citizen and must be held accountable. Trump's trial should have started last spring but was upended …
Continue reading New damning evidence against private citizen Trump
Most Vice-Presidential debates are a two-day story, quickly forgotten. I hope that this one follows suit. Viewers who appreciated the largely civil tone of the debaters appear to rate it largely a draw, with a slight edge to J.D. Vance. The Vance who showed up to the debate, burdened by dramatically underwater favorability ratings, sought …
Continue reading VP Debate: slick Yalie lawyer edges out Minnesota-nice coach
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin, translated from a 2018 French publication, is a delicately developing mysterious story about people who are a little offbeat but emerge as complex and interesting characters. The principal character, Violette Toussaint, is introduced to us as “the cemetery lady.” She works as the keeper of a cemetery in …
Continue reading Two special novels for Indian summer reading
Jack Rennie, Chairman and CEO of Pacer Systems, Inc, was a genial and successful businessman in Massachusetts who found his purpose in life not infinitely expanding his corporate interests but in educating the workforce necessary to grow the state’s economy. During the 1980’s, he became increasingly distressed that young people were leaving school inadequately prepared …
Continue reading VOTERS SHOULD FLUNK THE NOVEMBER MCAS REFERENDUM
Tuesday night's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President (and convicted felon) Donald Trump put a smile on the face of anyone who has ever felt degraded or dismissed as weak, inconsequential or otherwise put down by a bully. Harris was "presidential." Not only did she stand up to Trump verbally, but she …
The nights are cool, but the days are warm enough to still qualify as summer. So here are two novels to tempt you. Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is an historically inspired and riveting novel about Martha Ballard, a smart and hardy woman who, as a real-life midwife and medical professional, delivered nearly a thousand …
Continue reading More fiction to stretch the last days of summer
Kamala Harris easily achieved her minimalist goal of responding to those wondering whether she could do an unscripted interview, without the benefit of a teleprompter, the hoopla of the national convention, backup pop stars, cascading balloons, and upbeat Beyonce music. On Thursday night, she did that unscripted interview. She was smooth, engaging, responsive thematically to …
Continue reading Kamala Harris first interview: a successful snoozer
Kamala Harris may have started her speech Thursday night as the little girl inspired by her mother to be anything she wanted to be, urged on by mommy to "do something" to challenge injustice, but the Democratic nominee ended her speech in warrior mode. No frills or sequins or even summer colors for her. Her …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 