Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.

It's wrong to hurt even bad people. Because they don't know any better, and because bad people sometimes become good.

Whether you do something or decide to do nothing, either way, you are making a moral choice. And I hope people make the right one.

I remember reading 'The Grapes of Wrath' in high school in 1983. My family had immigrated to the U.S. three years before, and I had spent the better part of the first two years learning English. John Steinbeck's book was the first book I read in English where I had an 'Aha!' moment, namely in the famed turtle chapter.

It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.

I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But i didn't care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lip. I ran

I may not agree with all or even most of the tribal traditions, but it seems ti me that, out there, people live more authentic lives. They have a sturdiness about them. A refreshing humility. Hospitality too. And resilience. A sense of pride.