When Anybody Starts Out With A Memoir,

We Have Advantages. We Have A Cushion To Fall Back On. This Is Abundance. A Luxury Of Place And Time. Something Rare And Wonderful. It's Almost Historically Unprecedented. We Must Do Extraordinary Things. We Have To. It Would Be Absurd Not To.

Every Time A Crime Was Committed By A Muslim, That Person's Faith Was Mentioned, Regardless Of Its Relevance. When A Crime Is Committed By A Christian, Do They Mention His Religion? ... When A Crime Is Committed By A Black Man, It's Mentioned In The First Breath: 'an African American Man Was Arrested Today...' But What About German Americans? Anglo Americans? A White Man Robs A Convenience Store And Do We Hear He's Of Scottish Descent? In No Other Instance Is The Ancestry Mentioned.

I Don't Mean To Beat A Made-in-america Drum, But I Would Be Lying If I Said It Doesn't Feel Somehow Right To Be Printing Books In The U.s.

This Boy Thinks I Am Not Of His Species, That I Am Some Other Kind Of Creature, One That Can Be Crushed Under The Weight Of A Phone Book. The Pain Is Not Great, But The Symbolism Is Disagreeable.

How Many Times In Life Can We Make Decisions That Are Important But Will Not Hurt Anyone? Are We Obligated- Maybe We Are- To Say Yes To Any Choice When No One Will Be Hurt? We Use The Word Hurt When Talking About Things Like This Because When These Things Go Wrong It Can Feel As If You Were Hit In The Sternum By A Huge Animal That's Run For Miles Just To Strike You.