Are We Really So Fearful?
DURHAM, N.C.—It still haunts me, the first time—it was in Chile, in October of 1973—that I met someone who had been tortured. To save my life, I had sought… More
Places of the Heart
New York TimesIt took two years for me to be able walk to the end of my block and not feel a visceral shock each time I looked down… More
The Shadow World of a ‘Dirty War’
WASHINGTON—The gray-haired Caucasian woman. The five men in black whose black masks had openings only for their eyes. The older man, graying at the temples. The young woman with… More
Fatima Shaik: Christmas in New Orleans
December 22, 2005 | In These TimesPicture Santa’s sled with a rolling kitchenette attached and you have some idea about the size of a FEMA trailer. >> Read the… More
Fatima Shaik: Masking New Orleans
February 24, 2006 | In These TimesOn Mardi Gras Day, the nation will be looking to New Orleans to see if we are wearing masks. >> Read the story More
What I Heard About Iraq
I heard that Saddam Hussein, in solitary confinement, was spending his time writing poetry, reading the Koran, eating cookies and muffins, and taking care of some bushes and shrubs. More
The Pen and the Sword
In January 1986 I came to New York for a gathering of writers that has become a literary legend. The 48th Congress of International PEN, the global writers' organization… More
Books vs. Goons
A butterfly flaps its wings in India, and we feel the breeze on our cheeks here in New York. A throat is cleared somewhere in Africa and in California… More
Money Can’t Buy Us Democracy
Tehran, Iran--In February, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked Congress for $75 million to help Iran's democratic opposition. In Iran , her request was widely discussed in the… More
Contraband
Our digital clocks are now contraband. But if your old digital clock has a radio in it, then it’s not contraband. The new replacement clocks the canteen now sells… More