What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative

I know that to write you have to have stories you want to tell. You have to keep your mind alive, and you have to work hard.

I wrote a novel about the combat experiences I didn't have in Vietnam.

My big struggle is how people can not care, erase, not remember.

In a very basic way, a prominent landmark such as Mt. Holyoke tells you where you are. They let you know that you're not the first person in a place

I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season.

I usually write about ordinary people and ordinary things, but Paul Farmer is the least ordinary person I've ever met... He's the leader of a small group of people who hope to cure a sick world, and I hope my book can help in some small way.