I've been working on an essay about what America is and what it means to be American — writing and rewriting so much that I don't know where I'm going. (It is certainly true that we write to figure out what we think.) Perhaps hearing other people's thoughts will help me figure out what I think ... I've struggled with this idea that truly being American means you've had to experience hardship — which I have not. They say that every generation has it easier than the last, and that has largely be

This giant of business and philanthropy should be known by most Americans. Born into a German Jewish family in Springfield, Illinois, he became president of Sears, Roebuck, and Company. Perhaps more significantly, he devoted substantial time and resources to promoting education for the black population in the segregated south. Working with Booker T. Washington, he established a fund to build 5,000(!) schools. These Rosenwald schools were designed by the Tuskegee Institute, with labor and matc

I had a lovely 4th of July. Rain in the morning threatened the fireworks but the storms cleared away and we had fireworks. It never gets old. Happy 250th Birthday, America!