Kin is one of those novels whose characters are more interesting than its plot. And that's not a backhanded compliment. At least, coming from me. Plots are overrated. They come and go--easily forgotten. But great characters live forever. And the …
Went to the White Sox game the other day. Took the train. On the way, I broke out a paperback--Demon Copperfield by Barbara Kingsolver. Great read. Love reading on the subway. Makes the trip fly. Before you know it, the voice on the speaker’s sayi…
The strange saga of John Phelan's recently aborted reign as secretary of the Navy is one of those Trump-era political stories that's so preposterous it's easy to think it’s fake. Unfortunately, it’s all too real. Please, follow. I'll streamline a…
I want to begin this book report by apologizing to all my friends whose calls I ignored last weekend. Sorry, but I was preoccupied. Racing through the last 70 or so riveting pages of The Doorman, Chris Pavone's latest novel. I couldn't put it down…
Let me interrupt the horrors of Trump’s war against Iran to remind you of some good news that may have been lost amid the bombing. He fired Pam Bondi. Well, that’s not really the good news. The good news is why he fired her. Specifically… He fir…
As the man on the podcasting mic, I'm compelled to wade in on any rip-roaring controversy--especially the one involving Caleb, Skip, George & Jerry. So here goes... Caleb Williams is the sensational, young quarterback, who led my beloved Bears to …
In a sign of the insanity of our political times, the solar and wind-mill crowd in Texas has decided to advance its clean-energy cause by getting behind an oil-and-gas guy for attorney general. I know, that makes about as much sense as anything in …
There's a tiny street in Michigan--near a VA hospital in Battle Creek--named for Dwight "Skip" Johnson. I think I'll go there one day. To pay my respects to a good man killed by his country. Not literally. In actuality, Johnson was shot dead by a …
When I was but a wee lad--young and fresh and new to town--Mayor Harold Washington enthralled me with his amazing ability to effortlessly throw around big-time words and phrases that sent me to the dictionary. Now that I'm an old dog, it's New York…
Ironically, I happened upon the obituary for Colman McCarthy as Trump and Netanyahu dropped their bombs on Iran. I’ll get to the irony—but first, a few words about McCarthy. He was a journalist for the Washington Post—wrote a column on politics f…
I finished World Pacific--Peter Mann's latest novel--in a glorious burst of reading at 8 in the morning, having been up almost all night. Couldn't sleep--just had to keep reading. And when I closed the book, I thought... What was that all about? W…
For the last few days, reporters have been desperately searching for a logical explanation as to why Trump would do something so illogical as start a war with Iran. It's a challenging mission cause there's no logical explanation other than the one …
I know from my own experiences that every family has it secrets, but the secrets revealed by Christine Kuehn in her gripping family memoir are--well, I mean... Let's just let them speak for themselves. And keep in mind as you’re reading this—Chris…
If I had a pantheon of super-smart lefties who influenced my life, Noam Chomsky would be right up there with Kurt Vonnegut. I loved Vonnegut's books. Still read Slaughterhouse Five from time to time. Vonnegut could reduce the atrocious hypocrisies…
On February 6, I woke to discover Trump had posted a video, depicting the Obamas as apes. Still half asleep, I thought... You gotta be kidding me--how low will this fucker go? A few minutes later the Associated Press offered their assessment, rep…
There I was, walking along Wabash Street through the heart of Boyle Heights, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Los Angeles, when who did I see looking back at me? Melania! Well, not in person. She was on a bus-shelter poster beneath a plate…
It’s sort of a miracle that I even checked A Terrible Country out of the library, much less read it. It’s a sad book. A sweet and sad book, it’s true. With absurdly funny moments that made me laugh. Also true. And a “happy” ending—more or less. Bu…
In the aftermath of the Bears' stunning come-from-behind playoff victory over the dreaded Green Bay Packers, it's time to reveal the inside story of the behind-the-scenes hero, who made it all possible. Here goes… I was in California, visiting fam…
In my desperation to find something positive to say about Trump's invasion of Venezuela, I've come down to this... He’s telling the truth—sorta. That is, after he's done lying. So you might say he's the most truthful liar in the history of America…
In most coming-of-age novels, there occurs that life-changing moment when the protagonist comes face-to-face with the realization that grown ups can be abundantly full of shit. I love that moment in part because I’ve been motivated to expose the hy…
Peter Orner’s latest novel–The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter–is so good, I wish I hadn’t read it. So I could enjoy the first-time experience of reading it again. It deals with a subset of Chicagoans from the last half of the last century—relatively …
I need to make an apology and a correction, and I need to make them fast! They have to do with One Winged Dove, a song by Stevie Nicks. You know the one–it goes… “Just like a one-winged dove–ooh, baby, ooh.” Now for my corrections, and I’ve got…
I’m gonna interrupt reading the book I’m reading to tell you about the book I’m reading. Because I’m having so much fun reading it—gotta let everybody know. It’s Masters of the Game–A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players by …
Many years ago when I was just a kid, I loved Norm Van Lier with a passion that’s hard to explain and embarrassing to admit. He was the six-foot-tall guard on the Bulls, usually the shortest, skinniest guy on the floor. But he played with a fearles…