jpederzane

It is the most commonly denied undeniable fact: our world just keeps getting better. Even as scholars, pundits and the guy across the bar beat the ancient empty drum of doom, the… Read Article →

Why do so many white people put themselves at the center of every story about race? Why do they keep turning the problems that afflict too many African-Americans into questions about their… Read Article →

I wanted to ask my acquaintance if he was experiencing a torturous mid-life crisis or had lost his mind altogether. That seemed too pointed, so I said: Why are you running for… Read Article →

Echoing my liberal friends, “frightening” and “absurd” leapt to mind when I first heard about Republican ideas to arm teachers. As someone who wishes our nation didn’t have a deep reverence for… Read Article →

In 2013, I renewed my call in the Raleigh N&O that North Carolina remove the Confederate monument that towers before the state legislature. It’s still up! By J. Peder Zane Penn State… Read Article →

I was thrilled to see Svetlana Alexievich become the first journalist to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. In my years as a book critic, “Voices from Chernobyl” was one of the very best… Read Article →

By J. Peder Zane It happens fairly often. We’ll run a glowing review, and the author will contact me to say thanks. Usually I reply, “Well, you deserved it,” when what I… Read Article →

In light of recent push to remove Confederate statues, here’s the column I published in the Raleigh News & Observer on Feb. 8, 2009 calling on then Gov. Bev. Perdue to move… Read Article →

Every so often what passes for normal, everyday and commonplace proves to be so grotesque that we’re forced to step back and consider the world we live in. Thank you, Martha Stewart,… Read Article →

We live in an age of too much. Too much food is choking our arteries. Too much stuff is clogging our landfills. Our rambling McMansions and tanklike SUVs are deepening our addiction… Read Article →