THE ALUMKALS

Nicholas is quite the artist and spends several hours each day drawing in his counter back home. Even when we are on vacation, Nicholas still finds time for his passion and always brings his markers.

At the request of Aunt Jos, he decided to draw a picture of the Alumkal cousins while on vacation. Here is his picture entitled, "The Alumkals." I think you will agree that Nicholas nailed it!

From left to right: Jasmine, Ally, Antony, Nicholas, and Cate!

BLACKKKLANSMAN

We live in a world where truth is often stranger than fiction, and the new film BlacKkKlansman by Mr. Spike Lee is a very good example. The film is based on the 2014 autobiography of Ron Stallworth, an African-American police detective from Colorado Springs, Colorado who helped to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).

How exactly did any African-American man infiltrate the KKK you ask? He did so by making phone contact with local KKK leaders after seeing an advertisement in the local paper and then working with a white colleague who was his in-person stand in.

I will not give away the plot, but the movie was a reminder of the long history of racial prejudice in our country and how the roots of Trump may be traced back to various sad episodes in our history - slavery, reconstruction, the founding of the KKK. That those sentiments were also evident in our recent history in Charlottesville, Kentucky, and Squirell Hill speaks to the relevance of the issues raised in Mr. Lee's film.

As I watched the movie with Nicholas tonight, I reminded him that there were hateful, intolerant, and violent people in our society. However, I also pointed out that there are heroes like Mr. Stallworth, Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer, and leaders like President Obama who speak out against racial injustice. For it is only by raising our voices together and acting together that we will defeat intolerance and make our American union more perfect.

ASYMMETRY

This morning I finished Lisa Halliday's debut novel Asymmetry. This was in fact my favorite book that I read in 2018 because it highlights the power of fiction to transport the reader and author to wholly different worlds from those in which they normally inhabit.

The novel starts out describing a relationship between an older, accomplished writer who seems to be modeled after Philip Roth and a young editor who embarks on a relationship with him. That Halliday once was an editor and was involved in a romantic relationship makes the first section of the book more of a confession than a departure. However, Asymmetry reaches far beyond the author's comfort zone, and in the latter sections, the novel becomes ostensibly incongruous. This is because the subject matter turns to the struggles of Iraqi-Americans and those who are collateral damage in our incessant "wars on terror" and the end of the line for a literary lion.

That Halliday who grew up in rural Massachusetts from a blue collar background was still able to capture stories of those who are often forgotten in our daily lives, news broadcast, and books and films is truly remarkable. How is that possible you might ask? I believe it begins with a curiosity about whom other people are and what their lives are like. In a word, it is empathy that makes Asymmetry so powerful, especially since this is an emotion that is in such short supply in our lives and world today.

I will not reveal more about Asymmetry, but trust me and check this book out! It will not disappoint, and if questions remain, you can check out these spoiler reviews here and here or just ask me!