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
If you don’t know about the mighty Gordon Parks, then it’s time to let him rock your world. His autobiography should be required reading for any American. His writing, photographs, movies, music, and choreography are an essential part of American culture. This article provides and in depth look into sugar. (If you don’t have time to read … More Get Lit with Kit # 21
It seems like our world is tearing at the seams. The regression of ideas and behavior, after years of effort and sacrifice, is discouraging. We are losing our ability to connect with others and with ourselves. Yet, “we can’t change a situation if we haven’t taken responsibility for our share of it.” (I lament that … More Histories
Caught between two worlds, the children of refugees seek to reconcile the old and the new. They live in a dichotomy where deep-rooted culture clashes with progressive dynamism. At home are the vestiges of a life left behind; in the streets, novel experiences. I recently met Ify, the daughter of Nigerian refugees (her art is … More The Lost Children
Shugs and Fats is an award winning duo. They present funny, tongue in cheek shorts. Take 2 minutes to watch Girl on Fire, and let me know what you think. I switched my bodyweight routines over to barbell exercises this past week, and boy am I feeling it. If you ever have trouble moving after an intense … More Get Lit with Kit #15
Dickens. Tolstoy. Twain. Dead white men sit at the helm of literary esteem and their novels have dominated the lists of classics taught in schools around the globe. The merit of these works cannot be overstated, and so it is surprising that they are becoming more frequently (and sadly) dismissed. With the newfound emphasis of celebrating diversity … More Dead White Men
I read Gordon Parks’s biography 15 years ago. I was teaching in the South Bronx at the time, and was holed up in the disheveled, musty book room trying to find a book to teach my Sophomores. Sitting on the shelf, next to several tattered editions of the 1971 paperback The Negro in the City was a lone copy … More A Choice of Weapons
Find the balance. 