Why My Mother Made Me Break Her Heart

By Urging Me to Move Far From Home, She Taught Me a Lesson in Unconditional Love

A spoiled child, I was flabbergasted and a little furious when, at the age of 5, I was told I could not live in my mother’s basement when I grew up.

“You can’t live here forever,” my mother insisted. “You have to leave.”

You only live five minutes away from your mom!” I protested. “I can just live in the basement, and I can keep my husband and kids down there with me. I promise I’ll never leave.”

My mother just laughed at me. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But you can’t make promises …

The ’90s Were an Exuberant Interlude Between the Cold War and Sept. 11

As We Contemplate Sending the Clintons Back to the White House, It’s Time to Reassess a Pivotal Decade

Welcome back, ’90s; I’ve missed you.

The last decade of the previous millennium is suddenly all the rage, claiming a growing slice of our cultural mindshare. Monica Lewinsky is on …

Why the Politics of Nostalgia Are Dangerous

Trump’s Pledge to ‘Make America Great Again’ Is a Recipe for Resentment—Even Revenge

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. Once upon a time, I considered longing for a long-lost past a relatively innocuous exercise. I don’t really go for the iconic schmaltz …

Life in Iran Is a Wistful Elegy for the Past

On a Trip Back to My Father’s Homeland, I Found a Country Made Generous by Its Sorrow

It was late April, and the snow had only just melted in Meygoon, a mountain town north of Tehran.

I had arrived in Iran the night before and was staying …

Are Christmas Toys Dead?

There’s Not Much Room For Legos When Children Are Becoming Adults and Adults Are Becoming Children

It’s the time of year to give kids toys, and if you’re one of the shoppers trying to please them, you deserve even more sympathy and pity than your parents …