“Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive.” – Josephine Hart Upton Sinclair’s Oil! Is a masterful account of one boy’s journey into manhood. James “Bunny” Ross Jr. faces epic challenges to his identity and aspiring integrity as he parses out the meaning of justice and freedom. His father James Arnold Ross Sr., is … More From Dust to Dust
I. Boyhood dreams blaze through an old man’s gaze. Pure. A smile signalling what awaits. With urgent tears and a frantic heart I stare over the mechitza at my brothers. He’s going to kill himself. My father is going to kill himself on Rosh HaShana. He has one collapsed lung. The other is laced … More Holy One
“In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” – Pirkei Avoth 2:6 Rashi’s Daughters: Book 1: Jocheved is a beacon of light in a time of darkness. The story unfurls the magical beauty of marriage as it’s preserved through Judaic law and extols the value of appreciation between the sexes. … More Be A Man
Books Human Traces by Sebastian Faulks fed my thirst for science. The intricately crafted plot touches on issues of epigenetics, morality, and humanity as the two protagonists delve into the world of medicine in an effort to discover the source and ease the suffering of the mentally insane. What fascinated me was the vastly different social … More Get Lit with Kit – August 2019
This month has been on FIRE! Books: Vincent and Theo was a revealing look at the younger years of the esteemed artist. I learned so much about the role religion played, the extent of his mental distress, and the unfailing support of his younger brother, Theo. Deborah Heiligman did her due diligence while researching this fabulous … More Get Lit with Kit – July 2019
Sometimes I write short stories. Here’s a brief glance. In the Bedroom I can’t hear what they’re saying, but it doesn’t really matter. I snuck up to my bedroom when they started yelling at each other and hid in the closet with Rusty. But daddy knows all my hiding spots. And I can’t see the … More A Collection of Short Fiction
This month’s fiction is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It was one of those rare novels that actually made me pause before turning pages for fear of what I might find on the next one. If you are a fan of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, then I highly recommend reading Pachinko, set in Korea and Japan in … More Get Lit with Kit – Best of December
I’m torn. I don’t believe men are inherently bad. I think some of them are misinformed. I think some of them have been misguided. I think many of them would do well to read 12 Rules for Life, reclaim their strength, and redefine their manhood. I don’t believe women are naturally helpless. I think some … More Bad Boy, Good Girl
Beginning with books…it was a powerful few weeks. Primo Levi’s The Drowned and the Saved topped my list as it chronicled experiences in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and the subsequent psychology of World War Two survivors. Also significant, and saturated with humor, is Eddie Huang’s Fresh off the Boat. It’s a tongue in cheek memoir of his early … More Get Lit with Kit – Best of September 2018
“Why do you not commit suicide?” – Viktor Frankl How can one escape the depths of despair and not rejoice? In exploring the horrors of Auschwitz in his book The Drowned and the Saved, Primo Levi ruminates, “I might be alive in the place of another, at the expense of another; I might have usurped, … More Release Me: How Past Pain Subdues Man
Find the balance. 