Your Presence is Mandatory is about the futility and senselessness of war. Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel tells the story of a whole region and its people, ancestors […]
My Grandmother’s Background
In the previous post, I wrote about the Grabbes. I don’t know as much about my paternal grandmother’s family, but it certainly deserves mention. Maria […]
My Father’s Background
My father was born in Saint-Petersburg in 1902. Russia is the country of his ancestors. They were members of the aristocracy. Some immigrated from Europe […]
Explaining Putin’s War to Grandchildren
Two years now since Putin invaded Ukraine. Spring, 2022. My granddaughters were having their after-school snack. Chocolate chip cookies. I asked about their day. “The […]
View from Strömstad, Sweden
Yesterday, the former president of the United States made another asinine remark about not protecting NATO countries from Russia. It does not take much of […]
Book Recommendation & Pure Lunacy
“I approach Holocaust memoirs with knee-bending respect: for the survivors who recall the atrocities they suffered during World War II so that we will never […]
Thoughts on Putin
I hope the Republicans in Congress come to their senses and stop blocking funds for Ukraine. On the drive back from Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport, Tommy’s friend […]