Yesterday in New York City, the trial began for Pedro Hernandez, the man arrested for murdering Etan Patz. I wrote the following post in June, 2012, when he was first arrested. Etan’s disappearance had a major impact on my husband and me, influencing us to move upstate, away from the city we loved. It’s painful… [Read More]
The Trial Before Christmas – Watch Out for Flying Books!
The fine line between fact and fiction blurred last night at a festive holiday reception when a man threw a hardcover book at a woman’s head – in a library, no less. She was seated at a table signing copies of a new edition of A Visit from St. Nicholas. As an author, I’ve… [Read More]
Camelot, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the End of Innocence
The media coverage of the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been inescapable these past few weeks. Much has been made of our nation’s loss of innocence when Camelot came tumbling down, but if I had to choose a pivotal event that triggered my disenchantment in that era, it would be… [Read More]
Windows on the World: Remembering the World Trade Center
Windows on the World Once again this morning, as on every September 11, I’m remembering the day twelve years ago when the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell. Like millions of Americans, I have vivid memories of that ghastly morning embedded in my brain – the endlessly repeated images of the towers engulfed… [Read More]
Were the Mayans right? Will we be here tomorrow?
Only eight hours till midnight, and I’m optimistic about surviving December 21st, despite what the Mayan calendar allegedly said. I already celebrated by nuking and devouring a Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake for lunch – my second-favorite frozen entrée, a vegan mélange of healthy stuff like plantains, beans and amaranth that weighs in at just 340… [Read More]
Deja vu: Another troubled young man, another massacre
Back in July, I concluded my blog post about the horrific massacre in the Colorado movie theatre as follows: Social media and mass communications have become so overwhelmingly powerful, the images of violence and mayhem so inescapable, and powerful deadly weapons so readily available, it’s no surprise that for certain deranged individuals, the lure of… [Read More]