John Kerry’s Straight Talk

“We’re all God’s children. And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney’s daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she’s being who she was. She’s being who she was born as. Which is a lesbian. All of us need to feel comfortable being who we are, even if someone Read More

Madonna: Zero to 90′s

Madonna began the 90′s at her commercial zenith, bestriding the

world in the overweening manner common to pop-

culture colossi. She ended the decade with only that English accent as her most

detestable affectation. In between, she released some magnificent singles. Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (WEA/Warner Bros.) not only complements her first hits

compilation, The Read More

In 17,453 Life Sketches, A Candid Portrait of Us

American National Biography , by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, general editors. Oxford University Press, 24 volumes, $2,500.

The American National Biography is a literary milestone, a kind of Human Genome Project for the advancement of historical understanding. Here, in 24 volumes and 17,453 life sketches, is the DNA of who and what Read More