Tracy Kidder (1945-2026)

Massachusetts-based author Tracy Kidder’s name has appeared here a few times. Like Jon Krakauer and Michael Lewis, Kidder was a non-fiction writer.

I first read Kidder’s Soul of a New Machine and last read Rough Sleepers. I didn’t read everything in between, but I have fond memories of reading House, Among Schoolchildren, and Home Town. The NYTimes has a good overview of Kidder’s life and writings.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/books/tracy-kidder-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.V1A.QxcJ.WiCrUVkq40Cd&smid=url-share

TACO Tuesday Monday

Trump always chickens out. He talked tough on Saturday, then today he’s clucking a different tune.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social site that the U.S. and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations” that could yield “a complete and total resolution” in the war.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iran-threatens-attack-mideast-electrical-045513561.html

Who’s he kidding? There aren’t any ongoing talks. He’s been all over the place with self-contradictory outbursts. We are at the mercy of an irrational, impulsive narcissist.

Trump is a freak who can’t stop himself. He is who he is. So I blame Mitch McConnell, the Supreme Court, and most of all, the millions of stupid American voters who put Trump back in power. They have made me very cynical.