Ben East Books

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.

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Novels

Read, Listen, Watch

  • GUTS

    George craves the syringe with an addict’s distress. I have one thumb on the plunger. I put the other in his mouth. The plastic syringe tip curves along my crooked thumb between George’s lips. I press the plunger carefully and let the milk flow.The ruddy face of Senator Teflon–that’s my name for him–fills the television. He…

  • Heaven Is Coming Home, Part II

    …David’s richly textured writing reads like romantic poetry.  Yet there is a clarity to the telling born of steady revelation in sign and image.  The narrator, like an expert kite handler, works his string in concert with the wind to lead the colors of his craft across our minds’ eye.   As our protagonist Rovin,…

  • Do You Read?

    I wish more people were reading books. Here’s what I’m reading: Heaven Is Coming Home, by David Suarez Gomez.

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