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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The gun lobby conveniently forgets a key aspect of the law that grants the right to arms. Congress need not be so forgetful. Neither should we, who elect them. Every November ask: Which side do you stand on protecting the nation from flying bullets? –
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Working on a promotional series for Patchworks. This one takes up the refrain from Everytown for Gun Safety. It’s a good refrain. Not one more.
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In preparation for travel to Paris this week I found myself cracking open the last of my black Moleskin Cahier 5×8.25″ notebooks. Normally this brings satisfaction as I add yet another 80 bound pages of journaling to what has become 40+ such notebooks over the last dozen years. With departure impending, however, I felt more…
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This piece in the Post has me thinking about the Second Amendment. A corollary argument is unlikely to convince pro-gun extremists. But it should. They will one day wake up to find all their rights revoked if they refuse to allow reasonable limits to the size, shape, and scope of their arsenals. (I’m satisfied with…
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How’s that grab you, Mr. Probably-Isn’t-Good-Enough?
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The next-to-last time I saw Mohamed—11:15, Dec 6, 2004—a blast-resistant window separated me from the Afghan businessman with good English, admiration for the U.S., and a carpet enterprise in Virginia. The last applicant of the morning at our visa counter in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Mohamed was alone in the waiting room when the high-low alarm began…
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You don’t have to bend over and take this legislative middle finger right up the center, America. Vote with a phone call, and if it goes wrong, vote your Senator out. Wapo’s Dana Milbank explains the smoke screen.
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Manspreading. Not in defense of the posture or those who assume it. The word’s as gross as it is misleading. I predict an EEO complaint in its future. File this word with mansplaining as a crappy portmanteau. Votarama. Actually, this whimsical-sounding act occurs when congress picks America’s pockets and probes our inner reaches for pork.…
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I tailor-made an essay for an in-house blog last month. Labored over 500 words and thought it a shoe-in. But they passed. The rejection would’ve stung if I thought the piece was lousy. This was for a blog, but the rejection didn’t hurt: I don’t submit rubbish, though I may write it. I knew the piece…
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Migrating to my third generation Mac. That’s a circa 2004 15″ Powerbook G4 on the right, currently in use for a novel in development (Big Fish, Little Fish, for my son’s 8th birthday). I had to ramp it up tonight because the more modern machines are talking to each other, or at least trying to.…
Ben East Books 