Teacher and Author
CICADAS Ceding seclusion, They escape their dank caves of seventeen years, Scrape and dig unaided skyward, Seek the shady side of leaf or stick, Stick there upside-down all day, Squeeze achingly, red eyes wide, Discarding nymph’s husk: A sacred … Continued
THIS IS NOT A HISTORY BOOK. THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT THE HERE AND NOW. A BOOK ABOUT RACE. So the publisher announces on the back of Jason Reynolds‘ and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped. Jacqueline Woodson blurbs: “Stamped is the … Continued
Antisemitism in the nation’s capital, circa 1928, was “below the surface,” according to Ronald Clark, William Friedman’s biographer. Latent, yet also “ever-present.” There was an “us-them feel,” he wrote, and William Friedman was one of “them.” [Clark 86] I wanted … Continued
William and Elizebeth Friedman were husband and wife codebreakers. The Man Who Broke Purple and the Woman Who Smashed Codes: they were, and still are, cryptography’s power couple. Some may argue that William was the more “powerful” of the two. … Continued
** Article published in World War I Illustrated, Spring 2021, No. 14: 4-10.** Edward Vernon Rickenbacker ensured his place in history with actions taken during a surprisingly brief stretch, from September 25 to November 11, 1918. True, the fourteen preceding years … Continued
I took an uncharacteristically critical stance on Jason Fagone’s biography of Elizebeth Friedman. Until that post, I had avoided making critical comments of any of the works I chose to “review.” Perhaps I thought the author of a bestseller could … Continued
My cat thanked me last night. I don’t know that’s what she did, but it sure felt like it. I can’t prove it or disproved, yet it seems more likely that she did than that she didn’t. She started the … Continued
Chronology is history’s gravity. That’s what Jill Lepore said on her podcast. I took note. I sensed the truth of her words, yet I wondered, How are they true? Chronology is the force that holds narrative together? The force that draws … Continued
“There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.” –Victor Hugo “Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it’s the only one we have.” –Émile-Auguste Chartier Quotation … Continued
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King “One thing that might help win this war is to get someone to shoot King,” remarked the normally unflappable Dwight Eisenhower. “He’s the antithesis of cooperation…, he’s a mental bully.” What’s more, said … Continued