There were many, many fascinating details I learned about France, Europe and the development of race as a social construct in Tom Reiss’ new book, The Black Count but I really got hooked on the idea of Alex Dumas as a legend in his own time, even before his son, Alexandre Dumas, used him as the …
I’d seen mention of Half The Sky on Twitter, but only had a vague recognition of what it was. Something to do with women or education or something? I’m not even sure if I follow Nicholas Kristof on Twitter. The other night, scrolling through the cable guide, I saw the listing for Half The Sky, …
Having lived in Prague and travelled around the area quite a bit, I felt a special connection to The Bloodletter’s Daughter, a historical novel by Linda Lafferty that uses the legend of Don Julius, the mad bastard son of Emperor Rudolph II as the backdrop to the story of a young woman sold out by …
Heather and I, post-race and pre-pancakes Saturday night, before the Danskin Triathlon out in Sandy Hook, was a veritable carb-fest at my friend Heather’s house. I shoved penne down, in between bites of chicken francaise. All week, I’d been scheming ways to avoid this tri while saving face. I was tired and not feeling it, …
A few weeks ago, I accidently let myself be ensnared by an anti-teacher troll. @coachdb18 @rweingarten ok, you go on with your ad hominem attack… We’re not getting anywhere obviously, have a good one— Nancy Cavillones (@NBCavillones) August 19, 2012 @coachdb18 @rweingarten also, nice move there, selectively quoting me & skewing the context of the …
When I first began reading The Baker’s Daughter, I was struck right away by the realization that while I’ve read plenty of Holocaust literature, very little of it has been from the non-Jewish/non-Other perspective. The Holocaust seems to be one of those issues that is made out to be black and white, with no grey. …
I’m checking e-mail obsessively these days, waiting for an important bit of news. I wonder if we’re really supposed to compost produce that doesn’t naturally grow in the NorthEast. At a stoplight yesterday, I thought to myself, “What have I done with my life?” I’m still thinking about the tone in which I meant to …
My husband tonight said that our marriage is like an arranged marriage, in a lot of ways. I was so relieved to hear him say that because I’ve always felt the same way but thought he would be hurt by it. My husband, he’s kind of a sensitive guy!But his admission is just one more …
I am supposed to be sewing crayon rolls right now but I took a little break because I want to write this down: I had dinner last week with my friend Sue, a great writer and semi-famous NYC journalist. Over a bottle of Rose, Sue helped me figure how to write an essay about being …
I did a real writerly thing the other day. When I take the long drives down the Saw Mill Parkway in Westchester, especially when the traffic is light and I can drive long stretches without stopping or slowing down, my mind churns busily. The way some people get their best ideas in the shower, I get …