How Evil is Putin?
A psychopathic murderer possesses nuclear weapons. Discussing the nature of this evil would be more prudential and healthier for American culture than ideological discussions on the right and left. Read more
Putin’s Grim Childhood Foretells Disaster Ahead
Why did Russian leader Vladimir Putin order his country to invade Ukraine? The answer is more complicated than the standard view that he remains embittered by the collapse of the Soviet Union. You can find it in a series of interviews he gave after becoming Russia’s president. Read more
The NFL Legend Who Showed You Shouldn’t Be Obsessed with Winning
What distinguishes “The Score Takes Care of Itself” from other leadership business books is the author cops to failing to live up to the principle occasionally. In his last two years as the 49ers head coach, by his own admission, Mr. Walsh did not let the score take care of itself. He attempted to control it. Read more
For Writer’s Block, Take Two Treatments
The root of writer’s block is organizational rather than romantic. Some writers imagine themselves as uniquely tortured souls, like Prometheus chained to a rock while an eagle devoured his liver every day. The reality is, they are poor administrators. They lack a reliable technique to produce good first drafts. Read more
The Revolutionary Possibilities of Virtue
A couple of years ago, I got wise to an old truth: private virtue had public effects. This insight turned conventional wisdom upside down. Good character was more than an admirable quality. It could help bring justice to the abused and voiceless. Read more
Did Ronan Farrow Miss Out on Taking Down NBC News?
Mr. Farrow shone a light into a dark corner of a household American institution, NBC News, which, by all accounts, had a deplorable workplace culture where young women were targeted sexually. His fortitude is to his eternal credit. If only he had shown more fairness toward his former employer, the light might still be on it. Read more
The Canonical #MeToo Movement Book that Disappoints
Like the movement at its best, “Catch and Kill” has the virtues of not only justice but also fortitude. Unfortunately, the book also has a vice that weighs down many non-fiction books. It’s intemperate. Read more
Give a Devil Her Due: “Bad Blood” on Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes
Author John Carreyrou’s fairness toward Elizabeth Holmes is the defining feature of “Bad Blood.” It raises the stakes. The story is more than that of a corporate crook and fraudster. It’s also the story of a young woman who could have done good but did bad instead. Read more
The Adult Amid the Hippies: Why You Should Read Joan Didion’s Early Essays
To anyone curious which of Joan Didion’s books you should start reading, I recommend her first two collections of essays, not only for their style but also their insight into a cultural and civic problem Americans face today. Read more
To this Blog’s Sunlit Uplands
In the spirit of this Advent season, True Writer Blog has a newly enlarged purpose. The site will continue to explore journalism, but it will branch out to good popular art, particularly books, as well as television and movies. How is “pop” art made? What makes it good, bad, or meh? Read more