Tracy Kidder was one of the best practitioners of what’s called narrative journalism, making words and people and meaning come alive. I fell into “The Soul of a New Machine” as a teenager in the ’80s, partly because I liked the cover and partly because some of took place on the Route 128 corridor near… Continue reading

I dimly remember the 1973-74 oil crisis, which led to long lines at the gas pumps and kept us from driving as much. I remember bored in the back seat, wishing for the line to go much longer than it would. I remember vividly the 1979 oil crisis, the rationing and the long lines at… Continue reading

From the obituary of writer Dan Simmons: “Every day after lunch, Dan told his students a daily installment of an epic tale that started on the first day of school. As they listened, the students would color illustrations that he’d drawn for them. When the story finally came to an end on the last day… Continue reading