My childhood home was a hotbed of the conservative movement. Free-market economist Milton Friedman, who presided over conservative economics from nearby Chicago, was a household deity. My father touted Ronald Reagan and George Romney (governor of Michigan and father of Mitch) even before they entered national politics. He was a fellow traveler of associations that led the charge against the lying “liberal press.” For him, … Continue reading One Man’s “Socialism”

I made an interesting discovery a few weeks ago while searching for photos of my father to share on Facebook for Father’s Day. Images of Dad, bare chested in his Navy medical corps helmet in the South Pacific during World War II, on a Vespa in Vietnam in 1968, and in Moscow’s Red Square in the 1970s demonstrated the extent to which the U.S. government … Continue reading My Father, Tis of Thee

Uno tira l’altro, or “One pulls another.” While this Italian expression may sound like an Iron Curtain slogan —“One pulls another; the proletariat brings the nation to prosperity” — it’s in fact an Italian phrase used to describe compulsive (and unstoppable) urges, like gorging on snacks. It’s no surprise “One pulls another” was an Italian snack-food company’s advertising slogan for years, much like Jay’s potato chips’ … Continue reading The Roots of the Matter

I’m still moved by D-Day, the June 6, 1944, Normandy Beach landings, and their annual commendation rites. I’m humbled by the sacrifices, whether made by a president’s son, Brigadier Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (who died that day), or the lowliest of conscripts, who fought their way to the bloodied shore by the thousands. I’m inspired by the daring it took to make the landing, by … Continue reading D-Day’s Many Lessons

Over the past decade, author James Carl Nelson has filled a lamentable gap and made a niche for himself writing about America’s forgotten war, the First World War.Two books with detailed titles — “I Will Hold. The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates, from Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War” and “The Remains of Company D. A Story of the Great War … Continue reading The Polar Bear Expedition

Working at my desk the other day, I felt the house cool as dusk fell. But since it’s officially spring I was reluctant to turn up the heat. Instead, I used a trick handed down from my great grandmother. I got out the carpet sweeper. It didn’t take long before I’d liberated my rug from shredded dog toys. Thanks to the exertion I also felt … Continue reading Of Stove and Screen

Not a day goes by that I don’t notice an example of an American trend I wasn’t aware of during the 30 years I lived in Italy. This week it’s the “gourmet” kitchen and “dream” laundry rooms. The web is packed with decorating sites and blogs. Also on my mind is how a comment of mine about these kitchens and laundry rooms gave me my … Continue reading Twice as Vice

As a reviewer, I’ve read a lot of entries in what I might call the “foreign woman living in Italy genre,” always with deep wariness. Unless the author was Shirley Hazzard writing about Naples (“Greene on Capri,” 2000; “The Ancient Shore: Dispatches from Naples,” with Frances Steegmuller, 2008). No wonder my guard was up when the first chapters of physician Susan Levenstein’s “Dottoressa. An American Doctor … Continue reading Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome

When you have a regular writing assignment such as this column, your brain runs a constant background search for the next topic, sometimes with surprising results. For some unknown quirk of free association, Thursday night dinners at the University Club in the small, midwestern city where I grew up in appeared in my brain’s search bar. Had I smelled roast beef, the club’s only menu … Continue reading Thursday Night, the University Club

The highlight of my 2018 was a trip to France to commemorate the centenary of the World War I Armistice, signed on Nov. 11, 1918. I was in a group with 13 other descendants of U.S. Marine veterans who fought in that war. Our guide was Gilles Lagin, Honorary Marine, all around mensch and encyclopedia of everything “Devil Dog” (as the World War I Marines became known). … Continue reading What You Can and Cannot See