Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari A remarkable book by a very smart guy. I found… Read more Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Author: Rick
My life-long passion is in the arts: music, theater, visual arts, and literature. I graduated from Cal Arts in 1985 with a degree in music composition. After a career in Human Resources with the AIDS Project Los Angeles and as a parish minister for Unitarian Universalist churches in the Los Angeles area, I retired in 2025 and pursued my artistic work: drawing, painting, composing, and creative writing.
The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie It is an unfortunate fate for a book to be best known for being… Read more The Satanic Verses
The Invention of Love
The Invention of Love by Tom Stoppard The last play I saw performed was the disappointing What the Constitution Means… Read more The Invention of Love
Democracy on the Ballot
The electoral college, the small state bias in the Senate, gerrymandering, voter suppression, the influence of money, these inequities in… Read more Democracy on the Ballot
The Once and Future Liberal
The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics by Mark Lilla Mark Lilla is a liberal. He is a humanities… Read more The Once and Future Liberal
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov In 1985, after I graduated from Cal Arts, I got a job working… Read more The Master and Margarita
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Garcia Marquez wrote this novella in 1981. In 1982 he won… Read more Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Trust
Trust: America’s Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg I supported Pete Buttigieg in the Democratic nomination race. Jim and I were… Read more Trust
Wagnerism
Wagnersim: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music by Alex Ross If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t struck this year,… Read more Wagnerism
Liberal Religion
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion, not because of our progressive politics but because of our commitment to the ideals… Read more Liberal Religion