We come into the world whole, all of us, but we don't know that, don't know that life will be taking large chunks out of us, forever.

The transparency men have enjoyed for generations, about their ability to frankly work while also reveling in fatherhood, is still complicated for women. Which is not to say that anyone can have everything.

Once upon a time, my mother lived in the posh downtown of Homs, Syria. She described my grandfather as a king in a storybook, atop a horse, wearing a didashah and pointing a long arm.

Sometimes, a stage curtain parts and you see: life could be better if you had more. Usually, I think, we can get just as good a different way. But tricks, they do not always work.

In every person's face, there is one place that seems to express them most accurately. With my grandmother, you always looked at her mouth.

We come into the world whole, all of us, but we don't know that, don't know that life will be taking large chunks out of us, forever.

Casebook is my attempt at a love story. I had a vision of a difficult love.