Author Archives: John Walters

Book Review:  The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk (Part One)

One of the enduring friends I made when I attended the Clarion West science fiction writing workshop in 1973 was the late Russell Bates, a Kiowa Native American who’d already sold several indigenous-themed stories to magazines and anthologies and went … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  We Do Not Part by Han Kang

Han Kang is a South Korean author who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. This novel is my first exposure to her work, and I should clarify from the outset that We Do Not Part is well-written, atmospheric, … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What Children Teach

This week in my newsletter The Perennial Nomad: For Those Who Wander with Intent I share a profound lesson I learned from a group of beggar children in India: I have told this story before and I’m sure I will … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

I realize that the film version of Poor Things is highly acclaimed, but I started watching it not long ago and I couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like the grainy black and white photography. It would be different if … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Zen Under Fire: How I Found Peace in the Midst of War by Marianne Elliot

After working for two years for a human rights organization in the Gaza Strip and six months for another organization in Kabul, New Zealander Elliott finds what she refers to as her dream job with the U.N. in Afghanistan. She … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sword Circle Pen: An Announcement

I’d like to give a shout-out to my son: author, veteran, mathematician, and adventurer Nestor Walters, who has recently opened a new website called Sword Circle Pen. As his website’s “about” page says, he was born in Bangladesh, raised in … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door by Thor Hanson

If this book had been a type of gardening guide or something similar I would not have been interested. However, Hanson goes beyond merely extolling the beauties of nature you can find close at hand; in fact, his writings have … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Silence by Don DeLillo

Several years ago I read Zero K, a science fiction novel by Don DeLillo. I recall being impressed by the elegance of the prose but feeling that the plot was too thin to justify the length. In The Silence, a … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything by Michio Kaku

I was greatly impressed by the last Michio Kaku book I read, The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything, because it evoked an overwhelming sense of wonder, delving into such fascinating subjects as the theory of gravitation, … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Ongoing Relevancy of Travel

This week in my newsletter The Perennial Nomad: For Those Who Wander with Intent I discuss the relevancy of travel in these dark times: Among the many sad topics that have hit the news recently are accounts of distrust of … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment