In the past, when I’ve talked to audiences like this, I’ve often started off with a lawyer joke, a complete caricature of a lawyer who’s been nasty, greedy and unethical.... Read More

Popular culture—fact or fiction, highbrow or lowbrow—imprints indelible images in the minds and psyches of most individuals about life, society and, equally important,... Read More

Everyone is talking about Jane Austen and thats the problem, according to the author. The greater the “Jane” sensation, the less we know about the real Jane Austen. Auerbach... Read More

Yi-Fu Tuan is known for his ability to take on big issues and make them accessible, a skill which has served him well in his career as a professor and author of more than two... Read More

Given the abundance of quality children’s literature available today, and given the strong presence of women in the American workforce, it’s sometimes difficult to believe... Read More

During the last week of May 1939, the Cuban government refused to grant entry to 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler’s Germany. They were passengers aboard the... Read More

“True love, by definition, is unrequited,” claims the narrator of this polished debut novel, recounting her love affair with the troubled Louis. The first-person protagonist... Read More

“I do not remember much more, except the pushcarts laden with emaciated, naked corpses, their limbs often hanging over the side of the cart. Once in a while some would fall... Read More

On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans turned out to celebrate and pay respect to the environment. Earth Day grew from the vision of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, who... Read More

“I can remember crawling out from beneath my father’s lifeless body. It was with absolute certainty that I knew he was dead.” These opening statements set the tone of this... Read More

“Society has defined a human being as someone who can bear the major responsibilities required for a self-directed life; I was not a human being. I didn’t feel I could... Read More

“Elizabeth called me Gangster and I called her Baby Boobs,” writes the author in the brief text that complements this treasure trove of photographs of the legendary actress.... Read More