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"Luke Ford reports all of the 'juicy' quotes, and has been doing it for years." (Marc B. Shapiro)
"This guy knows all the gossip, the ins and outs, the lashon hara of the Orthodox world. He’s an [expert] in... all the inner workings of the Orthodox world." (Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff) LATEST POSTS:
- Robert Putnam: The Man Who Counted What America Lost
- W. Bradford Wilcox: The Sociologist Who Tells America to Get Married
- Peter Moskos: The Cop Who Talks to People
- Julius Krein
- Ryan Burge: The Numbers Man in the Empty Church
- Emily Oster: The Economist in the Delivery Room
- The Most Ridiculous Story Ever Told
- Tanner Greer
- Economist Tyler Cowen
- Richard Reeves: A Life in Institutions
- Jake Adelstein: The Reporter Who Became His Story
- Jim Goad (1961-2026)
- Moira Greyland
- Robert Oscar Lopez: The Inconvenient Witness
- Two Ledgers: Decoding the Gurus and the Price of Talk
- The Pervert’s Progress: Costin Vlad Alamariu and the Making of Bronze Age Pervert
- Curtis Yarvin: A Life Against Democracy
- Mark Helprin: Against the Current
- Mark Brandt: The Man Who Asked Who Else Is Prejudiced
- John T. Jost: The Psychologist of Acquiescence
BEST POSTS:
- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
* Mr. Burge Draws The Line (6-23-26)
* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
* Show Me How It Travels (6-2-26)
* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
* Centering Marginalized Voices (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for the Los Angeles Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for The New York Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* Why Wembanyama Lives on the Perimeter (5-31-26)
* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* Why Talent Travels Poorly Between San Francisco and Los Angeles (5-27-26)
* San Francisco and Los Angeles as Rival Models of Urban Access (5-27-26)
* Social Cliques in New York, 2026 (5-25-26)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
* The Rival Courts of Washington (5-25-26)
* The City of Private Rooms (5-25-26)
Category Archives: Literature
Naomi Ragen Responds To Michal Tal
Over the past year, I’ve published charges of plagiarism (by authors Sarah Shapiro and Michal Tal) against Israeli novelist Naomi Ragen. Naomi Ragen (I’ve enjoyed all her books, but didn’t have the strength to approach her at the American Jewish … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Michal Tal, Naomi Ragen
Tagged cassandra king, israeli novelist, luke ford, Naomi Ragen, sandra conroy, sarah shapiro, vanity press
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I’m Not Selfish, I Just Love Literature
I like this remark by V.S. Naipaul: "It’s the thing about the work. If you are travelling for material or to write a book, it isn’t that you are self-centered, it is that you are with the work. You are … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Personal
Tagged african students, ayatollah khomeini, diagnosis, evelyn waugh, excuse, fatwa against salman rushdie, literary criticism, paragraph, salman rushdie, V S Naipaul
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Dot Indian
When asked to explain the symbolism of the bindi (the colored dot worn on the forehead of Indian women), V.S. Naipaul said: "The dot means: my head is empty." (Pg. 387) I got into a discussion last night of young … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
Tagged bindi, colored dot, forehead, indian women, V S Naipaul
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Without His Mistress Margaret, There Would’ve Been No Great Naipaul Novels After 1970
Was Naipaul’s great writing worth the sin of his passionate illicit relationship with Margaret of Argentina? Perhaps what I need to spark my writing is a good affair. Such a shame I am so moral, so corralled by the Holy … Continue reading
Posted in Adultery, Literature, V S Naipaul
Tagged Adultery, carnal desires, catherine watson, fantasy life, friend marisa, holy torah, illicit relationship, mistress, patrick french, quot, thomas hardy, V S Naipaul, vidia
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I Want To Be A Great Writer
I love to read the biographies of great writers. Yes, their lives inspire me, but most importantly, their weaknesses make me feel like I have company. Anything that makes me feel like a part of the human race is good … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Personal, V S Naipaul
Tagged biographies of great writers, daily mail, high civilization, patrick french, V S Naipaul, zara phillips
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Is It OK To Have Affairs If You Need Them For Your Art?
Are writers accountable to a different moral code? As their art is so necessary, their perceptions so keen, perhaps they have to live up to a different Torah? Fred emails: I can see the dialog now: Dear, I have a … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Literature, Sex
Tagged bend in the river, creative period, guerrillas, moral code, traveling companion, V S Naipaul
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Nick Hornby Is Back
I thought Nick Hornby was losing his touch with "When She Was Good," but in his latest novel, "On The Way Down," Hornby’s once again hilarious. Hornby has a blog. He writes Nov. 20, 2007: On my recent book tour … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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Tom Wolfe Has New Book, New Publisher
I don’t care who Wolfe’s publisher is. I just want to read his new novel. How could Charlotte Simmons be considered a commercial disappointment? It was a massive best-seller. I read it twice. Hillel Italie reports: NEW YORK (AP) – … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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‘Sex had been the currency of her life…
…and soon she’d be broke." A beautiful line from Richard Russo’s beautiful novel, "Bridge of Sighs." From Publishers Weekly: Richard Russo’s portraits of smalltown life may be read not only as fine novels but as invaluable guides to the economic … Continue reading
Posted in Literature
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Why Are Novels By Women So Easy To Read?
Because they don’t use the difficult vocabulary more common to male writers.
Posted in Literature
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