OPINION: Moment of Reckoning

  By Tom Robotham  On the evening of June 1, I was watching CNN’s live coverage of a peaceful protest near the White House. It was quite encouraging, given that rioting and looting had taken place in various cities the night before. Then, without warning or...
Living with Books

Living with Books

  By Tom Robotham  As my friends and family members know, I own a lot of books—somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000, by my estimate. Many people have a lot more than that, of course. Years ago I did a feature story on a retired Norfolk librarian who had about...
Living with Books

Social Distancing

  By Tom Robotham On March 6, I was scheduled to depart for Rome in the company of Jeff Maisey, the publisher of this magazine, and another friend. It was the beginning of my spring break, and I’d been looking forward not only to connecting with history, but also to...
Living with Books

Utopian Visions and Harsh Realities

  By Tom Robotham Much of the discussion about socialism…is entirely pointless, because of the failure to agree on terminology. ~ Theodore Roosevelt.    In today’s political arena, no word is bandied about more carelessly than “socialism.” Diehard supporters...
Living with Books

The Future of Journalism

  By Tom Robotham Recently I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion on the state of journalism. The event was timely. That very day, news had broken that The Virginian-Pilot building had been sold to a condo developer, and that longtime PBS news...
Living with Books

The Trouble with The 757

  By Tom Robotham When you hear the name Nashville, what comes to mind?  It’s safe to say that “country music” would be a common response. How about New York? Broadway, perhaps, or Wall Street. Likewise, mention Los Angeles, and most people will think,...