Relevance

Just finished reading Frank Bruni's scathing op-ed in the NYT about the compromises with soul made by people in Trump's orbit, specifically Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Personally I share his repugnance and am amazed at the Faustian excuses people make up for their positions in life. The level of faux outrage of Trump supporters and enablers inside the Beltway and out, at Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server, or her husband's sexual practices while in the White House, or even Joe Biden's alleged acquiescence to  his son Hunter's enrichment, is inversely proportionate to their knowledge of Trump's sexual abuse, his nepotism and use of the office to enrich himself and his family, his abandonment of our allies and violations of the Constitution, to all of our shame.

But I wonder what compromises I've made to get to where I am. We all have blind spots, unacknowledged sins. The book I wrote, Yet Today, coming out in May, is about unacknowledged privilege and the little things that accumulate in a life that can either work to wake us up and get right with the world, or tear us apart. Just got back the Kirkus Review of Yet Today. It's not brimming with ebullient praise, but it's not wrong in its appraisal of the interior life of the narrator, a man who realizes he has work to do to remain relevant to his moment, his span of existence.

Funny how the narrative of a larger culture can overlap with a small, individual life. That's one of the things I like working on in my stories.

And if you're interested in receiving an advanced review copy of Yet Today, let me know by messaging me in the comments or at anthonycaplan1 @ gmail dot com.