Destroying Good

I recently read this in a book by Barbara Demick called “Nothing to Envy,” on the North Korean famine. “Yet another gratuitous cruelty: the killer targets the most innocent, the people who would never steal food, lie, cheat, break the law, or betray...

Exile vs Traveling

I’m just about to finish reading Aminatta Forna’s book, The Devil that Danced on the Water. The book traced the author’s memories and search for truth about her father, who was killed in a shame trial in their homeland of Sierra Leone. For three...
Life, Though a Book

Life, Though a Book

I scanned the entire bookshelf of the library at Birch Coffee, a true New York City gem. The sign clearly said, “Take a Book, Leave a Book, or just Take a Book.” I didn’t have a book to leave – though I was certain to bring one when I returned – but I...