Reflections on citizenship, democracy, literature, and contemporary American life. Serious book reviews, social satire, and comedy not for everyone.
Ben East’s nonfiction debut recounts how JFK’s bold experiment shaped diplomatic careers and influenced modern American diplomacy.
The figures highlighted here tracked looted antiquities after the invasion of Iraq, re-established diplomacy in Afghanistan after 9/11, and secured village infrastructure while war raged in Vietnam. As hostages in Iran, they maintained diplomatic discipline to bridge a volatile cultural divide. These are individuals of deep courage and conviction, whether integrating a southern U.S. high school or finding comfort in African village beliefs to cope with personal tragedy.
Read, Listen, Watch
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All travel writing is essentially the same. The essence shifts away from plot and in favor of setting.
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Sometimes it feels like it’s all just slip-sliding-away.
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ode to snow
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“You get a big delight in every bite!”
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Sahil Jain, MA International Affairs, Class of 2018, #WeAreElliott Current Student Sahil Jain, a native of Northern California, began his time at the Department of State in the Office of Israeli-Palestinian Affairs. Subsequently, he joined USAID assisting with the launch of the Global Development Lab Bureau. He then returned to the Department of State, where…
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The White House has a lot of rooms and spaces named East.
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Against considerations of writing as craft, technical concepts get 1.5 stars, distracting from the fundamental purpose of writing: to communicate, to inform, to entertain, to share emotion and feeling and intent in some kind of visual, potentially permanent, way.
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This is me, expressing optimism for the year ahead. No resolutions but to be resolute. No predictions other than perseverance.
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I learned to drive like I learned to shoot: a golf cart can’t be so different from a bb gun, can it? With the golf cart you’ve got two pedals and a wheel. With the bb gun, you’ve got two sights and a trigger. My poor son. He’s learning to drive on a 12-year-old stick…
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Backing into my driveway yesterday, I heard the kind of metal on asphalt screech you get when your muffler is falling off. My driveway slopes a bit, so I stopped immediately to prevent driving the tailpipe in on itself like a telescope. Then I nudged forward and the same scraping sound came again. Of course…
Ben East Books 