I have begun this 4th of July listening to a variety of podcasts: an interview with The Rest is History British podcasters and David Remnick and a NYT Book Review podcast with Jill Lepore talking about history and good books for Independence day. I listened to this story on heartland rock, which didn't tell me anything I didn't already have figured out about Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." This piece on Octavia Butler's typewriter was disappointingly short.
I have been re-reading Octavia Butler's Wild Seed, and I might go on to re-read Kindred, both interesting approaches to understanding history. The interview with Jill Lepore meanders into a remembering of what it was to be immersed in books, especially the summer reading in childhood type. Glorious! I am always grateful to have longer stretches of reading time than I sometimes do during the school year.
This morning, I've also been re-reading past July 4 blog posts that I wrote. Every 4th of July post is both similar and different, full of hope, yet also tinged by dread of what might be coming. This year is no different. Sure, we have a corrupt president, but that has usually been a national truth revealing how many different ways one can be corrupt, if one has enough power.
Here is the way I concluded my 2012 July 4 post. It seems perfect for any ordinary Independence Day, but also for this one, which celebrates the U.S. at year 250:
I love this picture of a flag and a life preserver. I often wish that our country could do more to hold out a life preserver to oppressed people across the globe. But it's good to remember that our history serves as a life preserver of sorts, a beacon of hope to so many.
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