Blog

Thoughts on writing, reading and life...

  • April 27, 2012
    This week I was invited to attend the Ridenhour Prize award ceremony at the National Press Club. This ceremony recognizes those who promote social justice and persevere in truth-telling to protect...
  • April 10, 2012
    On Saturday, April 14, at 11 am, I will be speaking about Freedom Calls at Tudor Place. This historic house in Georgetown will host a reenactment of a Civil War encampment on its grounds....
  • March 21, 2012
    In the early 18th century, London was home to the very rich and the very poor. Many mothers could not afford to care for their children - 1,000 babies were abandoned throughout London every year....
  • March 19, 2012
    On a visit to Haiti in February I met Cynthia, a young girl who lives in a tent camp in downtown Port au Prince.
  • March 5, 2012
    On Tuesday, March 6, I'll be participating in a panel at George Washington University. The topic?
  • February 10, 2012
    The Underground Railroad in American History was re-issued this month—a new title (The Amazing Underground Railroad) and a new cover! From a review of the first edition:
  • January 3, 2012
    Ten, maybe fifteen years ago, Maryhop Brandon, a friend of mine, sent me a book called "On Reading," a collection of photographs by Andre Kertesz. I turned to the page she had marked.
  • December 13, 2011
    When my husband and I visited India this fall we spent some time in Ahmedabad. Our driver invited us to his home for tea.
  • November 21, 2011
    Thought of Eleanor Roosevelt on a trip to India in October. In her autobiography she writes about her "peak moment"--visiting the Taj: "I will carry in my mind the beauty of it as long as I live.
  • October 21, 2011
    From Linda Perkins's review for Booklist (October 2011): "The thorough biography then goes on to trace the key events, philosophical influences, and personal relationships that shaped the life and