A collection of short, humorous (occasionally moving) personal commentaries, many of which have aired on NPR's All Things Considered.
Forty short humorous essays cover a dizzying array of subjects, from working with Larry King to fighting lice to helping a friend with AIDS come out to his mother.
A sampling of titles may help provide a flavour: Contrary Old Lady. Therapy and Quiche. The Marmalade Lie. Bert, Ernie and Kierkegaard. Larry King, Mr. T and Me.The Burglar and the Pink Shirt. A Dizzying Selection of Parts. Disposal of Cadavers. Bikers. My friend Paul.
Excerpt
I plan to grow up one day to be a troublemaker. It may take a few years, but I've no doubt I'll get there in the end. I shall be a contrary old lady, prone to impossible opinions on all kinds of subjects, waving a cane around indignantly at the drop of a hat. Perhaps I'll follow in my grandmother's footsteps, and stride out into traffic with one hand imperiously upraised, as cars come screeching to a halt. Most importantly, though, I shall finally lay to rest scourge of my youth: the whole tiresome business of Trying to Please Other People.
"No you can't cancel!" I will shriek down the phone at thoughtless dinner guests calling at the eleventh hour. "Certainly not. Or I shall never invite you again." "Don't even think of hanging up without leaving a message!" my answering machine will announce, crossly. The question is, though, how on earth to make the leap from here to there?
Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration examines the significance or relevance of the idea that the U.S. Constitution was, as many believe, divinely inspired. How much did that belief matter to founders of the nation and how much does it matter no
