Nonfiction

America on Two Wheels, Biking Coast to Coast in Search of Human Stories by David King ’96.  Human stories are actually what David King finds as he bikes across the country from San Diego to Miami.  What he seeks takes a number of forms during his introspective musings as he pedals along: adventure, achievement, God, a path to love and family, human contact, solitude,  and plenty of material to write about.  What he finds is the surprising generosity, kindness, and curiosity of random people of all ages, walks of life, and ethnicity.  Perhaps this discovery is modest in comparison to the kind of blinding light road-to-Damascus moment he seems to have envisioned, but it is real and for me, and I think in the end for him, it is enough.  

Among the fascinating characters he encounters is the awesome Kim Denmark, a Black lady clad in orange whom he…

More Light, Collected Masonic Writings 2017-2021 by Austin Shifrin. These thoughtful essays originally appeared in a Masonic periodical and touch on matters important not just to Masons but to the general reader curious about this oldest of fraternities. They reflect on issues of concern to everyone such as patriotism in these divided times, mortality, and tolerance.

Having put down roots in the Pittsburgh area, Austin accepted an invitation and found a home, friendship and purpose in the Masonic community. While some of the themes are particular to Masons, others show a man using reason and heart to find connections between his newfound fraternity and the Judaism he was brought up in and still practices.

The original masons who banded together centuries ago were actual brick layers, stone cutters and builders. This heritage still plays a role. In an essay on integrity, Austin notes how words from construction – words li…

Conversations with People who Hate Me by Dylan Marron ’06. The internet came along too late for me. I use it, of course, to get information and to contact people, but when I encounter a book that is steeped in this alternate universe I begin to see the possibilities it offers. Dylan does podcasts (I don’t think I’ve ever seen a podcast) and because he takes a progressive stand, anonymous viewers say outlandish things – suggest that he kill himself or decapitate himself and suggest (strongly) that being gay is a sin. Dylan puts these comments in a Hate Folder. This book chronicles his attempts (often successful) to reach out to his detractors and to find ways to breach the great divide.

This quest is riveting, funny, scary, gutsy, surprising, and illuminating. It goes through phases where he makes important discoveries. He learns from mistakes. He rebounds from setbacks. (Al…

The Mailbox Conspiracy: The Inside Story of the Greatest Corruption Case in Hawaii History by Alexander Silvert ’76. I literally couldn’t put this book down. Here is a story with good guys and very bad guys and at the center, a public defender who felt compelled to pursue every detail. I hope they make it into a movie. With Tom Hanks maybe playing that lawyer, Alexander Silvert. (It seems to me we called him Ali back in the day)

The corruption is so breathtakingly brazen that it is no wonder that it took some convincing for people to see it. The reader is on the edge of her seat wondering how truth and goodness will ever prevail against powerful foes without a shred of conscience. We wonder uneasily if Alexander’s judgment about who could be trusted and who couldn’t is sound. Prepare yourself for some heavy duty suspense—lightly peppered …