In 1879, “an octagon turret or gun-room, nine feet in diameter and ten feet high—holed for rifles” was built as part of an office fortress at Yellowstone National Park. Previous events, such as the Nez Perce War in 1877, had... Read More

“Pollen, dust, animals, all these make me sneeze. I am done in by innocent things,” says a father who will never support his family, in the cleverly constructed short story “An Afternoon at the Movies.” His son imagines a film of... Read More

The trick for any book is to get readers so engrossed that they stop noticing the form. Anyone immersed in a truly fine read probably isn’t thinking, “this story is told in flashback” or “interesting use of the unreliable... Read More

Locking eyes with her viewer, a nude woman nests heavily in the tousled sheets of her four-post bed. Over the casual slump of her shoulder, and with one leg thrown ahead of her swollen belly, her glance casts the ruddy weariness of her... Read More

Viewing a masterpiece can evoke emotions, enlighten minds, and perhaps cause reactions. It is considered to be an artist’s best piece of creative work, but what makes it a masterpiece? This book answers that question by exploring the... Read More

Wait just a minute! If someone who is being attacked pulls a gun and kills the attacker, is this evidence that guns save lives or that guns take lives? Or is it a statistical toss-up? The author tells some truly gripping stories of armed... Read More

Twelve-year-old Nunzio Paradiso is sprawled beneath a wrecked 1973 Pontiac Bonneville, hooking it up for towing, when he hears someone speak in Italian. “Dio,” the voice says. A moment later it comes again. “Dio.” The explanation... Read More

“There are just two things you have to do when you are very unhappy, and you must do one or the other. Get down to work, or do something for someone else.” This was writer Iris Origo’s take on life, as explained to her youngest... Read More