On the verge of Infinite Jest, DFW took a cruise. His witty, acerbic, heartfelt account bore all the brilliance of his novels.

WITS, BOOK-ISHThe AtticMarch 10, 2023David Foster Wallace, DFW, Infinite Jest, Post-modern literature, Post-modern lit, A Supposedly Fun Thing, Harper's Comments

WHAT ARE PEOPLE FOR?

Long before AI and Chat GPT, Wendell Berry asked a question we should all ponder.

BOOK-ISHThe AtticFebruary 16, 2023Wendell Berry, Environmental Movement, What are People for, Chat GPT, AI, artificial intelligence Comments

THE ATTIC READS: THE EXPLORERS

BOOK-ISHThe AtticFebruary 5, 2023The Explorers, Amanda Bellows, American exploration Comment

THAR SHE DOESN'T BLOW -- YET

Ahoy, mates, all hands on deck for the Moby Dick Marathon! Bring sleeping bag and chowdah!

American Places, BOOK-ISHBruce WatsonJanuary 12, 2023Moby Dick, Herman Melville, Moby Dick Marathon, New Bedford, New Bedford Massachusetts Comments

THE ATTIC READS: NOT TOO LATE

Think it’s too late to do anything about global warming? Think again.

BOOK-ISH, HEROESThe AtticSeptember 21, 2022Rebecca Solnit, Global warming, Not too Late, Optimism, Environmental Movement, Environmental movement, Greenhouse gases, Global activism Comment

WHERE TOM AND HUCK WERE BORN

Mark Twain roamed the world, but came home to an astonishing house. “There ought to be a room in this house to swear in.”

American Places, Arts &, BOOK-ISHThe AtticAugust 24, 2022Mark Twain, Mark Twain Homestead, Huckleberry Finn, Writers' homes in America, Hartford, Hartford Connecticut, Samuel Clemens Comments

THE MENSCH WHO SAVED A LANGUAGE

Like the old folks who spoke it, Yiddish was dying out. Then Aaron Lanky rented a truck and. . . Mazel tov!

HEROES, BOOK-ISHThe AtticApril 21, 2022National Yiddish Book Center, Aaron Lansky, Yiddish language, Yiddish culture Comments

THE MOTHER, THE DAUGHTER, THE "LITTLE HOUSE"

Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up in the “little house” but her daughter, Rose, became the story’s midwife.

BOOK-ISHThe AtticJanuary 19, 2022Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Woods Comments

MENCKEN GIVES 'AMERICAN' A FAIR SHAKE

First there was Webster, then Twain. But it took Mencken to celebrate how Americans really talk.

SPEAKING AMERICAN, BOOK-ISHThe AtticNovember 19, 2021H.L. Mencken, The American Language, American slang Comments

THE ATTIC READS. . . "THE PEOPLE'S TONGUE"

From “Who’s on First” to “A Hard Rain’s a’ Gonna Fall,” from “The Gettysburg Address” to “Green Eggs and Ham,” this delightful anthology lets you hear America talking.

SPEAKING AMERICAN, BOOK-ISHThe AtticNovember 19, 2021The People's Tongue, American English, The American Language, Ilan StavansComment

FIGHTIN' WORDS -- WEBSTER AND THE DICTIONARY WARS

Webster had his dictionary but it took an ugly war of words to win its place in American life.

SPEAKING AMERICAN, BOOK-ISHThe AtticNovember 11, 2021Noah Webster, Merriam-Webster, Joseph Worcester, Dictionary wars, DictionaryComment

DEMOCRACY FOR A DIME

Books were no bargain until a century ago when the Little Blue Books were born. A half billion books later. . .

DREAMERS, teachers, BOOK-ISHThe AtticAugust 19, 2021Publishing, Little Blue Books, Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, Democracy Comment

ALEX HALEY AND THE "ROOTS" REVOLUTION

It was another night in prime time, 1977, and then “Roots” broke the bonds of denial. (As seen in “Roots.”)

REBELS, BOOK-ISH, ATTIC AT THE MOVIESThe AtticAugust 5, 2021Alex Haley, "Roots", "Roots" mini-series, slavery, history of slavery, "Roots: The Saga of an American Family", ABC Comment

ANNIE AT THE CREEK

Her first book made her the “true heir” to Thoreau. But Annie Dillard found new wonders to explore.

BOOK-ISHThe AtticJuly 8, 2021Annie Dillard, A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, American literature, Thoreau Comments

TRACY K. SMITH -- DOWN ROADS NOT TAKEN

For two years, America’s poet laureate reached out to the nation. The nation reached back.

BOOK-ISHThe AtticMay 10, 2021Tracy Smith, Tracy L.K. Smith, Poet laureate, American poetryComment

WALKING AMERICA WITH THE MASTER

“I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking.” — Thoreau

DREAMERS, WALKING AMERICA, BOOK-ISHThe AtticMay 6, 2021Thoreau, Walking, Walking across america Comment