Tea Obreht burst on the literary stage in 2011 with her magnificent novel, The Tiger’s Wife. She was hailed by The New Yorker as one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty and included in the National Book Foundation’s list of 5 Under 35. Fans, including me, eagerly waited for her next book.…
Most people have heard of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but the Great Libertyville Fire of 1895 may not be as familiar. Nearly 125 years ago, a fire raged through central Libertyville destroying an entire business block in a single night. In the hours between August 30 and 31, 1895, cigar maker Max LeBeau…
In our world, faith is not something we talk about much. Family Sunday mornings are more often built around soccer games or brunches than heading to church. Yet questions of faith and belief still resonate. At some point most of us struggle with the big questions: Does God exist? And if so, why do bad…
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s first book Stamped From The Beginning won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2016. It was, as the subtitle suggests, a “definitive history of racist ideas in America.” Kendi’s debut was an eye-opener for me when I read it, but the historical tome left me thirsty for guidance. What should…
“That is how science and medicine are practiced best, though—we are best when we admit our ignorance up front, and then attempt to fill the darkness of not-knowing with the light of information and knowledge.” —from The Wanderers by Chuck Wendig One morning in rural Pennsylvania, Shana’s younger sister Nessa gets up out her bed…
