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book review

Casting Jonathan Franzen’s “Purity,” the Movie

Born For a Role:  Aubrey Plaza as Pip Tyler Scarcely a dozen pages in to Jonathan Franzen’s terrific new novel, “Purity” (I’m now halfway through), it’s obvious that it’s only a matter of time before the book is turned into a movie. Who’ll be cast as the book’s main characters? My candidate to play the...
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Book Review: “Wonder,” by R.J. Palacio

“Elephant Boy” “Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength . . . He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts.” –Henry Ward Beecher Unlike my kids, who had to read it for school, I read it voluntarily. But what a treat! Take a break from Tolstoy...
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“There’s No Free Lunch (or Company Cafeteria, or Medical Care, or Health Club, or Child Care or . . . . . )”

Google + Facebook + Twitter = “The Circle”: The Life of a Corporate “Thought Guinea Pig” (“Mind Slave?”) “What matters, counts, and what is counted, matters.” –old saying “Whatever is counted  . . . can be bought and sold.” –21st century update Las Vegas just has designs on its customers’ wallets. Google wants people’s souls,...
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“Admission” Book Review

The Elite College Admissions Crucible Apparently, there’s a superstition — held by Native American Indians, the Amish, and some other cultures — that photographs steal a piece of your soul. I don’t happen to share that belief. But, I do believe that when a young adult has their life — unformed as it may be...
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Book Review: “Proof of Heaven” by Eben Alexander

“The Hard (Irreducible?) Problem of Human Consciousness” There is nothing about the physics of the material world (quarks, electrons, photons, atoms, etc.), and specifically, the intricate structure of the brain, that gives the slightest clue as to the mechanism of consciousness. –Dr. Eben Alexander, “Proof of Heaven” (2012); p. 154 Parsing Alexander’s claims of encountering...
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Review: Tom Wolfe’s “Back to Blood”

Epic . . . Slog “It’s like a dog walking on its hind legs.  It’s not done well, but the surprise is that it’s done at all.” –Samuel Johnson Sad to say, that’s my take on octogenarian Thomas Wolfe’s most recent (and last?) effort, “Back to Blood.” Who but Wolfe could conjure — for the...
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