Ways of Seeing: Books can be life changers

As you enter the Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury, moving past the display of newly published books, you will encounter another collection of titles the staff has assembled. These titles relate to a rotating monthly theme — Women’s History, Horror Stories, Biographies of Scientists, etc. I always find this collection intriguing, but the July theme was especially engaging. Staff members had chosen books under this banner: This Book Changed How I See the World.

I walk along a trail that winds into the woods. Leaves overhead dapple the sun, harlequin patterns of light and shade moving on my path. I breathe in; breathe out. Trees cool the air, embrace the earth.

This is the time of year when I struggle with the sheer amount of fruit I want to pick and consume. Why is there so much ripeness at the same time?

I don’t think it’s that people are concerned that Biden would do his job poorly, the question is, can he still beat Trump?

Three years ago, I joined Goodreads’ annual reading challenge. Since then, I’ve read between 65 and 100 books a year. Frequently, I randomly choose books, then find that their topics are connected, like Camille Dungy’s memoir “Soil: The Story of a Black M … (read more)

In a field overlooking an iconic Green Mountain vista we gathered a few weeks ago to celebrate principal Tory Riley’s retirement.

If you ask me how I am doing these days, I don’t know how to answer. My heart is breaking for Palestine. And my heart is breaking for American Jews, many of whom have dear friends and family in Israel, who are longing for safety and security.

Rene Morin, a fine mason, built my brick house and three neighboring ones. He lived next door when we moved here in 1979.

“We are searching for King Kong!” exclaimed the small band of preschoolers who found me in the woods pulling up garlic mustard. “And when we find him, we are going to kill him with our swords!”

I think this bit of wisdom has come to me to guide the final third of my life.

It is not a “pro-Palestinian” statement, neither is it a “pro-Israel” statement. Simply put, it is pro-listening and pro-learning. It invites us to ask questions of one another, to listen to (and for) difference and to sit down and talk about it.

You could say that I owe my life to Boeing. Until the advent of Amazon and Microsoft, it was the largest employer in the Seattle area, even in the early years of World War II, as the Depression came to an end.

Driving in western Ireland is a unique experience. Although there are a few “dual carriageways,” resembling our interstates, most of the roads are small and considerably narrower than our standard roads in Vermont, and generally lacking any shoulders.

I have been pondering the relationship between policing and teaching. Initially, one might not see the two as related, but they really are quite intertwined.

When I look at the world it’s easy to feel heartbroken and paralyzed at the chaos. Granted, I’m a born pessimist, but I’m sure many of you share my despair about climate change, the war in Ukraine, the strife in Israel and Gaza, and the huge number of peo … (read more)