An Honest Man: Smedley Butler
Marine General Smedley Butler, in a 1933 speech: “I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in…
Month: July 2021
I Thank Jonathan Richman
When did he meet Joanie French?He captured her almost perfectly… If only he included her swishing from 25 feet In “Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow”!
How It Was
Michele Turner has collected personal testimonies by the East Timorese about their recent history of suffering and resistance. Telling East Timor reminds me of Mev’s book of interviews with Brazilians, in that these, too, are…
Recent Reading
Sunday 11 April 2021 Dear Sarah, Thanks for your question about what I’ve been reading. Sometimes I make a plan, then other times I act entirely on instinct. So what follows are examples of each….
A Paradise for Perusers
I have given away four copies of James Mustich’s chef d’oeuvre, 1,000 Books to Read before You Die: A Life-Changing List, before I bought and kept one for myself. I became acquainted with Mr. Mustich…
Share the Wealth with Thuy Khuu: A Dream Come True… Two Months Living in Japan
I first met Thuy Khuu in 2006 when she took my Social Justice class at Saint Louis University. Born in Vietnam, she moved to the US at the age of eight with her parents, sister and brother. In…
From 7 P.M. to 7 A.M.
Gershom Scholem, From Berlin to Jerusalem: Memories of My Youth Schocken paperback, 1988 I first read this book eighteen years ago. So much time has passed since those Maryknoll days when I thought I wanted to…
Share the Wealth with Mary & Cami: How to Stay Human in Grad School
WASHU’s Brown School is consistently ranked at the top of social work schools in the nation. But what does that mean if you lose your own humanity in the process? In this Share the Wealth,…
“I Remember” by Loran Aladdin
Loran wrote the following for my Humanities 101 class at Maryville University this past spring semester. _______________________ I remember a lifetime of feeling as though I should refrain from being proud of my identity. I…