Holly Hughes once remarked, “I’m a man-hater, [but] I don’t hate men as much as a straight woman would.”
Ms. Hughes’ quip is a useful gloss on Self-Made Man, Norah Vincent’s brave, intelligent and endlessly problematic book about her 18 months living as a man—“Ned”—in anonymous parts of America. Ms. Vincent is a lesbian, and Read More
I have been accused by baffled friends of perpetrating endless home renovations because I unconsciously crave discomfort.
The charge is not unreasonable. Since buying a small West Village townhouse in the fall of 1999, I’ve been working on it most of the time—not working literally, except for a little painting and cement and some grunt Read More
I have been accused by baffled friends of perpetrating endless home renovations because I unconsciously crave discomfort.
The charge is not unreasonable. Since buying a small West Village townhouse in the fall of 1999, I’ve been working on it most of the time—not working literally, except for a little painting and cement and Read More
“Is that spelled A-N?”
“No, it’s spelled A-N-N. Like the standard spelling of the English woman’s name Ann.”
“And your last name, M -A- R- L-O?”
“W-E. Like Christopher.”
Silence.
“Or Philip—you know, the detective?”
Silence.
“M-A-R-L-O-W-E.”
“Thanks, I’ll give her the message that you called.”
I have gone through Read More
“Is that spelled A-N?” “No, it’s spelled A-N-N. Like the standard spelling of the English woman’s name Ann.”
“And your last name, M -A- R- L-O?” “W-E. Like Christopher.” Silence. “Or Philip—you know, the detective?”
Silence.
“M-A-R-L-O-W-E.”
“Thanks, I’ll give her the message that you called.”
I have gone through some version of this exchange Read More
“But you don’t look American.” “Where are you really from?” “Where were your parents born?” I’ve heard this overseas, both in Europe and in places like Afghanistan and India, and I’ve heard it here in New York, but only from visitors. My black hair, dark brown eyes and olive skin reflect my Jewish ancestry, but Read More
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. William Morrow, 242 pages. $25.95.
Freakonomics is the latest in a recent genre of nonfiction book that explains in non-stick prose how the world really works, popularizing a science or scientific insight while forever hitting the reader Read More
This June, I spent many evenings in Baghdad sitting around the pool of the Al-Hamra Hotel in a bikini. It was one of the Western oases in Baghdad, and at the white plastic tables foreign reporters drank cheap beer, gossiping and creating the viewpoint that magically becomes the consensus press stance in each war zone-here, Read More
Infectious Greed: How Deceit and Risk Corrupted the Financial Markets , by Frank Partnoy. Times Books, 412 pages, $27.50
“[A]ny appearance of control in today’s financial markets is only an illusion …. The truth is that the markets have been, and are, spinning out of control.” These alarming words come from Frank Partnoy, a former Read More
Greenback: The Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America , by Jason Goodwin. Henry Holt, 321 pages, $26.
It’s easy to forget that many aspects of the American past were as messy as the present of “failed states” that we’re engaged with now. I was in Afghanistan when I read Greenback , Jason Goodwin’s Read More
