“Literature is the salvation of the damned.”
—John Cheever, The Journals of John Cheever
An Unquiet American is where I use literature—mostly novels and poems but also letters, memoirs, and non-fiction—to explore the ways in which our lives are shaped by war, crime, politics, and espionage. And how literature gives us the power to understand and confront these forces.
When I was a child, one of my favorite stories was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. I was enchanted by the flying monkeys and munchkins, a talking scarecrow and the cowardly lion, Glenda the Good Witch and her nefarious sister. But what most captured my imagination was the man behind the curtain—the mysterious being who pulled the levers that ran the Land of Oz. He was a beloved leader who united the people. But he also—as is revealed in later books—did terrible things, including overthrowing the rightful king and handing the princess over to one of the wicked witches.
When politicians and members of the intelligence community yank on those levers, it is writers—novelist, journalists, poets and memoirists—who pull back the curtain to reveal who is doing what to whom. Animal Farm by George Orwell satirized the 1917 Russian Revolution. Giles Foden’s The Last King of Scotland revealed the brutality of Idi Amin’s dictatorship. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré exposed the dangers of ideology.
What else does literature bring to the table? The ability to individualize the suffering of others, making it harder for us to dehumanize people from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and faiths. Anyone who has read Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi or A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles will have a wider understanding of the people of Iran and the USSR/Russia than those who confine themselves to headlines or op-ed pieces.
Individualizing people also takes away the ease with which we can dismiss statistics. It’s upsetting to read that sixty people were killed in a bombing in Gaza. It’s heartbreaking to watch The Voice of Hind Rajab and learn how one little girl lost her life.
While today’s wizards are powerful enough that unmasking them doesn’t necessarily stop them, literature keeps us informed and connected, and—sometimes—lays the seeds for revolutionary action. When power reduces people to categories—enemy, victim, traitor, hero—novels and poetry show us our common humanity beneath these divisions.
The literary works we’ll discuss span centuries—tales from ancient Mesopotamia and the siege of Troy, through Beowulf and MacBeth, right up to modern-day novels and today’s headlines. We’ll read to gain an understanding of other people and ourselves. We’ll look at what violence does to our souls. How power can destroy even language and memory. And ask, as we explore the function of truth and reconciliation committees: what do we owe the dead, the damaged, the guilty, and the innocent? And how can literature help us answer these questions?
These essays are shaped by my career as an award-winning and bestselling novelist and as a writing instructor to veterans and civilians affected by war. An Unquiet American is for readers who believe literature is not an escape from the world, but one of the best ways to understand it and—when need be—fight to make it better.
For sometimes man is wolf to man, and poets must make sense of it.
Subscribers Receive:
Essays that help us understand how states and the intelligence community operate in historical and modern contexts, using literature to illuminate how these forces shape our lives.
Reflections on the fallout from war, crime, and moral injury so that we can better understand how we are all affected.
Discussions of specific novels, poems, and other literature to help us learn about and understand different countries and cultures.
Craft how-to discussions on writing our own literature.
Occasional personal essays.
About Me
I’m a multi-award-winning and bestselling novelist and longtime teacher of creative writing. Alongside my fiction, I work with combat veterans and civilians affected by war, using reading and writing to help restore language and meaning when violence has disrupted them.
Glad you found your path. Look forward to reading your insights. Still can't bring myself to work more on the one I told you about because now the focus is on immediate revenue
Sounds utterly fascinating your work with veterans, we should bring you on our podcast