Looking Back, Looking Forward A Shared Journey By Kevin Heffernan Part 1 The Search for the Retro Man A very close friend once suggested that I spend too much time in the past to which I lamely said, “Really.!?” That mixture of denial and confusion over the gentle remark was […]
Amy Goldstein. Janesville: An American Story. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017. As Reviewed by Ted Odenwald Janesville, Wisconsin, population 63,000 was the home of the oldest working GM plant. For eight and a half decades, the plant had operated “like a mythy wizard, order[ing] the city’s rhythms.” But two […]
Mark Twain. The Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition. Volume 3. Benjamin Griffin, Harriet Elinor Smith, et al. (eds.) Oakland, California, University of California Press, 2015. As reviewed by Ted Odenwald The final volume of Twain’s “complete and authoritative” autobiography concludes the compilation of the author’s dictations, […]
The Tower on Top of Skyline Drive By Kevin Heffernan On the top of Skyline Drive there is a massive stone tower which seemingly is lording over Oakland below as a sentinel of the valley. Everyone has seen it and many have strolled by it going to Ramapo Lake. However, […]
Atul Gawande. Being Mortal. New York: Thorndike Press, 2014. As reviewed by Ted Odenwald Dr. Gawande’s study is both a challenge to the medical profession and an alert to patients and their families. He states that advances in medications and technology have “…turned the process of aging and dying into […]
How Did Downtown Oakland Go From This to This? By Kevin Heffernan Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears and hearts as I will tell you a true and tragic story of downtown Oakland. It is a story that will bring tears to your eyes for what was and now […]
