(Image: Jack Kerouac’s copy of Dostoevsky’s An Unpleasant Predicament) I truly appreciate the existence of libraries, which provide many people access to books that their budgets would not allow them to purchase. But the thing is, I rarely check out books from them. The reason why? I love to mark up books. Since high school—thanks to
READ MOREI picked up Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park for the first time last month, and since finishing it, I’ve had a nagging thought at the back of my mind concerning male-female relationships. But a little background before I mention that nagging thought. For those unfamiliar with Mansfield Park, one of the main plot threads finds Henry
READ MOREThe anguish caused by gun violence in America and the frustrations of the debate about it are enough to make a president weep. Between a passionately defended “right to bear arms” and the demand for “gun control” there seems to be no accommodation. Yet perhaps there is. Following President Obama’s tearful New Year resolution to
READ MORE1) “The only thing that we know is that we know nothing — and that is the highest flight of human wisdom.” 2) “Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly. It is the one thing we are interested in here.” 3) “You will die — and it will
READ MOREHave you ever wanted to try homeschooling your child, but felt your family didn’t fit into the homeschool stereotype of one parent at home teaching and the other parent out doing the breadwinning? Apparently other parents have felt the same way. But instead of throwing up their hands and resigning their children to a less
READ MOREIn this day and age, to be a middle class citizen in the U.S. is about as American as one can get. Such a classification usually means one has a decent job, a moderate house, and a nice family, among other things. But according to a recent Pew Research report, Americans are beginning to think
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