I have a friend who is relentless about protesting the current administration. Attending opposition rallies, picketing, gathering signatures. She has an urgent feel to her activities, as though the world depends on her. She is daunting, she is at it every day. My friend looks a bit over the edge. Her fear is palpable. Elie Wiesel says, “It is those who appear deranged, the ones who know what’s coming and that issue the first warning." Moshe the Beadle, who we meet in his book Night, returns from

The 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is approaching. President Reagan had challenged Gorbachev to “tear down this wall;” as students we chuckled in disbelief, “yeah, right.” However, 30 years ago on the night of Nov. 9, 1989 – it came down! I remember the hope -- the positive energy -- people hugging across political fronts -- families reuniting -- the joyful headlines: Berlin -- East and West -- now united! Many thought this signaled the end of the Cold War and a new era of

Have you ever been in the presence of a living legend and just wanted time to stand still or even rewind a few decades? About a week ago, I attended closing night at the Chicago International Film Festival to see The Torch , a new documentary about bluesman Buddy Guy. He was at the screening along with filmmaker Jim Ferrell and Buddy’s protégé, 20-year old Quinn Sullivan. Over the years I’ve seen Buddy Guy perform a few times. But seeing him now at age 83 after the deaths of BB King, Otis Rush

Last week, a divided House of Representatives decided that the impeachment of Donald Trump should proceed and now the sharks are out and there’s blood in the water. Republican supporters, in concert with Mr. Trump, seem to be scrambling to find viable defenses for him, focusing primarily on process over substance even though the impeachment processes for Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were essentially the same. Nixon’s investigation lasted two years before public testimony even began.

Quotation marks. They are useful when used correctly, and disturbing when they are not. In a previous Perspective, I warned against using them around the word family. Love really does make a family, and attempting to exclude certain families from consideration is hurtful and hateful. The same is true for the word marriage. The law determines one's marriage status -- not religious bias. Today I will speak about an equally troubling use of quote marks; those which are used around the word murder.

For the last week and a half, I have been in the lovely state of slothdom . I had a staycation that often meant staying in nightgowns until noon. Of eating a leisurely lunch. A long chat with friends. Not hunched over my desk in a scarfing session or hastily tapping out a text to a friend. Going to bed when I wanted to. Not tied to the tyranny of the clock. Getting carry-out just because it was my vacation. Going to see movies in the afternoon just because I could. Yes, it was rejuvenating.

One of my roles in life is that of mother. And to be sure, it’s my favorite. I have a two-year-old son, and while I’m perpetually teaching him what I believe are important things for him to know, he in turn teaches me the lessons that are most precious. First is self-love. As a one year old, he mastered the art of the Little Tikes slide; he would then promptly clap for himself upon reaching the bottom. Shouldn’t we all celebrate our daily successes with such enthusiasm? Next is how to be

This fall I’ve given several public readings from my new book, which means I’ve had to dust off The Suit. If you know me, you’ve surely seen The Suit. I got it twenty years ago, when I was finishing my PhD and interviewing for jobs. “You know, Fink,” said John Goulet, my major professor at UW-Milwaukee, “you’re going to have to go in debt for a suit.” “A suit,” I gulped. I didn’t know anything about formal wear. But as a graduate student I did know about debt. “Listen,” Dr. Goulet said,

A few weeks ago, our staff took 115 8th graders to the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie as part of a unit on discrimination I’ve been teaching. As we started our tour, our docent posed a question to our group, whose answer has had profound consequences through the course of history. Her question was this: Would you be an upstander or bystander if you saw a person doing deliberate harm to another person? I could see the gears were turning in many kids’ heads as they continued through the

Sports metaphors are so common that I think we take them for granted. “It’s a slam dunk,” for example. However, I’m glad that life isn’t always like a sports game. If you’re standing in a long line at Wal-Mart, you don’t want a stripe-shirted supervisor to announce, “time out!” and abruptly close down the register. Imagine a school district instituting a policy that requires all students to work at the same pace. Every morning the teacher would pull out the yellow flag – “No speeding up, kids."