Suprise Me

William Styron put the finishing touches on Sophie's Choice on this very island. Read More

I have many Halloween memories, but can’t recall a single specific Halloween from before I went to college. All I have are fragments. Sepia-tones Instamatic snaps in my mind of me and other little kids wandering in and out of the pools of light and shadow of the streets in my neighborhood, seeking candy. No… Read More

A group photo of my Fall Creek Little League team from the north side of Indianapolis in the summer of 1960 evokes a cavalcade of memories and reflections. It gives the lie to any assertion that group photographs, as a genre, are stiff or staid or a matter of meaningless formality. This one helps me… Read More

My mother had great style and a certain elegance, but no self-confidence. In fact, she actively disliked her looks. She used to say she had the map of Jerusalem on her face. As a grown-up, I tried to disabuse her of this notion, but to no avail. She was a self-hating Jew. Nevertheless, she always… Read More

All That Jazz We both grew up in classical music-loving families,  and still keep our radio set to WQXR,  though admittedly we seldom go to classical concerts or opera.  And as children of the 50s we love rock & roll,  and doo wop, and folk and country,  and of course the Beatles and the Stones… Read More

Woodstock was truly a film best enjoyed when stoned. Read More

It’s not just the outcome I’m unhappy with. It's also undemocratic. Read More

Route 46 was the go-to road from my early childhood in the 1950s to the day in 1972 that I left New Jersey for good. Read More

Bring your children to experience wandering among shelves of actual books before it is too late. And don’t forget to visit and support your local library. Read More

Sunday night, I could not figure out  a problem with my computer, so  I went into the den and asked my husband Lenny,  who was watching the Super Bowl, for a solution.   I started to carefully explain the situation , when  suddenly I realized that I was rambling on and conversing with myself.  “Can’t this wait until half-time?” Lenny asks.  I paused and mused……I was having a sports widow moment. Read More