Greg McKeown’s “Effortless”: Strategies to Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Others
If you know what it’s like to get a word stuck in your head, you’ll know what I meant when I say […]
The Strange Malady of Having Regular Parents
I’ve written before about the crushing weight of trauma people seem to have in response to events and experiences that are, objectively, […]
A New Translation of a Swedish Classic: Laura Fitinghoff’s “The Children from Frostmo Mountain”
Earlier this year, I was delighted to receive a copy of Laura Lugnet’s translation of a Swedish children’s literature classic, “The Children […]
Ralph Moody’s “Little Britches”: Work and Play in the American West
Just as viruses and bad ideas spread between people, so manners, good living, and, best of all, good books can spread. Through […]
“Wild Strawberries,” Cold Mothers, and Embryos on Ice
Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film “Wild Strawberries” (“Smultronstället” in Swedish) is a portrait of a man whose mother was cold. The protagonist, a […]
Pursuing Creativity through Order in Motherhood: “The Baby on the Fire Escape” and “The Compleat Woman”
There’s a cultural misperception that spontaneity and impulse are the fertile ground of artistic expression. Undeniably, there is a long and storied […]
Bee Wilson’s “First Bite”: Rethinking How We Eat and the Breastfeeding World Tour
There are certain writers whose work, no matter the topic, I will read because their perspective is perennially interesting. Such is the […]
Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”: Is “Chinese Parenting” Really Better?
When J.D. Vance was announced as the GOP candidate for vice-president, I, like many people, was reminded of his mystifying memoir of […]
Malcolm and Simone Collins: “Cheaper by the Dozen” for the 21st Century
Malcolm and Simone Collins continue to intrigue me, which infuriatingly is the whole point of their in-your-face publicity stunts and marketing plan. […]
Teddy Roosevelt: “It is not the critic who counts…”
In a speech in Paris in 1910, Teddy Roosevelt said: “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points […]