“One of the most powerful, beautifully written books I’ve ever read — a transformative experience. If I were a teacher, it would be at the top of my syllabus just to see how many were changed.”  I saw this message on FB, which was posted by a friend whose literary judgment I respect. She was referring to Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. Even though it won the Booker Prize last year, this book by...

Before I wrap up the month commemorating the fifth anniversary of my blog, I wanted to share one more entry from its earliest days. It bears the date January 13, 2020, which I found hard to believe, as I think you will because it captures so much of the darkness of our current moment. Let me set some context. When I wrote this piece, Covid had already begun its attack on the world’s population...

Every once in a while, you catch a glimpse of yourself in a pose that makes you cringe in shame. Picture this. I am sitting in my usual blue reading chair. It faces our TV, usually tuned to some sporting event which provides a kind of background noise for my reading. Unless it involves one of my home teams, the announcer’s running commentary rarely distracts me from my reading. What’s...

“Over the years I’ve developed the self-image of a shopkeeper. Mainly it’s my business to open the joint at a set time, to sit and wait. If I have customers, it’s a blessed day. If I don’t, well, I’m still doing my job.”...

I’ve taken great pleasure in watching my grand-daughter Dalia’s many way stations between the new-born in swaddling blanket and the bat mitzvah girl jumping around with abandon with her invited friends to the instructions of the obligatory MC. I hope to be around for some more of these growing-up markers, but nothing is given. There was no guarantee that we would be around for this much of her...