It is difficult to resist the conclusion that twentieth-century man has decided to abolish himself. Tired of the struggle to be himself, he has created boredom out of his own affluence, impotence out of his own erotomania, and vulnerability out of his own strength. He himself blows…

I’m nearly finished with Persian Mirrors, by Elaine Sciolino. Like Thomas Friedman’s From Beirut to Jerusalem, it is full of fascinating and exciting stories about day-to-day life in modern day Iran. I highly recommend it; it’ll help put a face on what is all too often a political strawman.