Liars and Saints

  Several years ago, Hillary Clinton was giving a talk about her mother, and she told a story about her mother's resilience. Her mother said something like: "I believe in treating people with dignity. Everyone's life matters. All lives matter." Critics pounced. Clinton's last sentence was (in one narrative) a covert repudiation of the Black Lives Matter movement. A litmus test was devised. Clinton was later asked, in front of cameras: "Do Black lives matter? Or do ALL lives matter?"  The obvious, common-sense answer--"both!"--was not an option. This was like something from a Nabokov novel. Elsewhere, a Hamline professor of art history made a respectful announcement to students: "In a moment, I will show an image of the prophet Muhammad." Students had an opportunity to leave--first. Despite the announcement, some students decided that they were irreparably harmed by the teacher's choice--and the teacher was not retained. When criti...

 This is (qualified) enthusiasm for Frank Bruni's memoir, "The Beauty of Dusk." Bruni had a reasonably happy ten-year quasi-marriage and a thriving career when he discovered, one morning, that his vision was newly impaired. Everything seemed "smeary." It emerged that Bruni had a rare condition, involving thin blood vessels--and "smeariness" would now be a constant. Worse still: The *other* eye could give out at any moment. So Bruni was told to avoid flying, if possible, to drink great quantities of water, to cut back on alcohol. And, in a final twist, Bruni's partner disclosed a long-term affair: Bruni found himself single. (I especially liked the bits about the partner. Bruni can be frustratingly "sunny," so when he becomes enjoyably "cold," in the romance sections, you take note.) After Bruni's humbling, Bruni became a kind of cheerleader for the aging and/or impaired. There are gifts that come with being partly blind! You...