A good magazine
Saturday, September 3, 2011
I picked up the September copy of Smithsonian (it has a picture of the deteriorating [!] Taj Mahal on the front) and found it excellent. Particularly good, and disturbing, is an article by Joseph Lelyveld, analyzing what has happened to America’s soul since 9/11. A bonus (not at all disturbing) is a terrific excerpt from the ever-reliable David McCullough’s new book about Americans in Europe. Who knew that Samuel Morse was a really good (but financially failed) painter before he invented the telegraph? An article on education in Finland (spectacularly successful, by most accounts) presents a provocative contrast to Tiger Mom education. There’s a delightful piece on Crooked Road in Southwest Virginia, where some of the best authentic country music and dancing is found. And so forth. I think I might subscribe….
