Ben, Author at Common Reader

Reflection Is the Lost Art of Our Time

Reflection is the opposite of distraction. The opposite of impulsivity. The opposite of blind, atavistic selfishness. Done right, it stops us from lying to ourselves.

Arts & Letters | Dispatches

Invitation to the Dance

By Jeannette Cooperman

What first moved Antonio Douthit-Boyd to dance was a drumbeat strong enough to rattle the air. It was coming from a studio on Washington Avenue. He and his friends, all early teens, crashed the dance class for the hell of it.

Arts & Letters | Dispatches

“Christmas Music” is Better Than You Think

By Ben Fulton

There is no reason to suffer through another holiday of musical clichés and battle-ax standards better heard by children. All it takes is a few clicks, and a few risks, to find yourself a new set of Christmas music standards.

Arts & Letters | Dispatches

How a Sufi Shrine Outperforms Western Medicine

By Jeannette Cooperman

If someone suffers from hallucinations, paranoia, depression, or intense anxiety in, say, northern India, what can they do? They can visit a Sufi shrine.

Belief | Dispatches

Why Dust Matters

By Jeannette Cooperman

Dust is insidious, yet innocuous, tiny, and indeterminate. We do not see those wriggling bugs or vile toxins; we see only fluff. And so we grow accustomed to the stuff, joking about its presence when an unexpected guest comes to our home.

Science & Nature | Dispatches

Now More Than Ever, We Need Jacob Bronowski

By Ben Fulton

If you have never watched “The Ascent of Man” or remember it from years ago but have not watched it since, watch it again.

Arts & Letters | Dispatches

Found Objects: Curb Chairs

By John Griswold

Some chairs are sons of bitches, of course, and deserve what they get. But so many chairs say, “Rest in me, weary one. Rest your back against mine.”

Arts & Letters | Dispatches

Are You Stodgy, Middling, or Wild?

By Jeannette Cooperman

“Metaphysical Animals” is not a dry book about philosophy; nor is it a juicy book about women’s friendships and lovers. It is both, in perfect balance.

Arts & Letters | Dispatches

Letter to a Young Leftist

By Jeannette Cooperman

You wanted to cut through all the tired old institutionalized ideals and raise up various identity groups’ struggles for justice, raise them so high they could not be ignored. But the ideas that shaped your impatience are grim.

Society & Culture | Dispatches

The Holdovers is a New Holiday Classic

By John Griswold

Paul Giamatti, who won and has been nominated for dozens of awards in his career, was passed over by the Academy Awards for his work with Alexander Payne in “Sideways.” The similarity of the role in “The Holdovers” will make it interesting to see if he is nominated this time.

Arts & Letters | Dispatches