Ken Fireman
@khfireman.bsky.social
Author of The Unmooring, creator of Liticisms on Substack
Memo to SecDef: Fear the turtle
wapo.st/4ozYjYp
wapo.st/4ozYjYp
‘Franklin the Turtle’ publisher slams Hegseth post joking about boat strike
Hegseth, who is under pressure over his order to kill the entire crew of a suspected smuggling vessel, shared a doctored image of the well-known children’s book on social media.
wapo.st
December 2, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Memo to SecDef: Fear the turtle
wapo.st/4ozYjYp
wapo.st/4ozYjYp
Our literary comfort food - new on Liticisms:
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
October 26, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Our literary comfort food - new on Liticisms:
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
Norman Rockwell through today's fraught lens - new on Liticisms: open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
September 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Norman Rockwell through today's fraught lens - new on Liticisms: open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
Hunger wars: the many faces of famine - new on Liticisms
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
August 22, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Hunger wars: the many faces of famine - new on Liticisms
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
Memoirs and the moment - new on Liticisms:
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
A mirror on life
The reflective power of memoirs
open.substack.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Memoirs and the moment - new on Liticisms:
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
Tales and tumult: why writing matters now - new from Liticisms: lnkd.in/e4-Vq4Kb
July 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Tales and tumult: why writing matters now - new from Liticisms: lnkd.in/e4-Vq4Kb
“Trump is giving the Russian dictator every incentive to keep killing Ukrainians.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The U.S. Is Switching Sides
Donald Trump is giving Vladimir Putin every incentive to keep killing Ukrainians.
www.theatlantic.com
July 4, 2025 at 12:45 PM
“Trump is giving the Russian dictator every incentive to keep killing Ukrainians.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Our new Gilded Age, on TV and in real life – new from Liticisms
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
The Gilded Age returns …
… in more ways than one
open.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Our new Gilded Age, on TV and in real life – new from Liticisms
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
A sign of the times - it is now considered news when the Trump administration says it will comply with a court order:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...
Trump Administration Agrees to Facilitate Return of Guatemalan Man to U.S.
www.nytimes.com
May 29, 2025 at 2:25 PM
A sign of the times - it is now considered news when the Trump administration says it will comply with a court order:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...
“Most of us still know cruelty when we see it. And we cannot let cruelty stand.” - excellent piece by Margaret Renkl:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/o...
Opinion | The Profound Inhumanity of ICE Raids
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 4:15 PM
“Most of us still know cruelty when we see it. And we cannot let cruelty stand.” - excellent piece by Margaret Renkl:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/o...
“Oppressive policies rarely deliver the lasting effects sought by their architects.” - a Ukrainian American’s unique perspective:
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | As a Ukrainian American, I’ve been preparing for this betrayal
My Ukrainian father taught me how resistance movements can endure despite grim odds.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 20, 2025 at 9:05 PM
“Oppressive policies rarely deliver the lasting effects sought by their architects.” - a Ukrainian American’s unique perspective:
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
When they come for the libraries, take it personally: new on Liticisms. open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
May 8, 2025 at 6:53 PM
When they come for the libraries, take it personally: new on Liticisms. open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
On Sat. May 17, I’ll be appearing with @profmiletsky.bsky.social at the Gold Coast book fair on Long Island to talk about our books, '60s political movements, and the current climate of activism – see you there.
May 4, 2025 at 10:08 PM
On Sat. May 17, I’ll be appearing with @profmiletsky.bsky.social at the Gold Coast book fair on Long Island to talk about our books, '60s political movements, and the current climate of activism – see you there.
Murrow, McCarthy, and the echoes of today
How we survive a new era of fear
open.substack.com
April 13, 2025 at 7:46 PM
We’ll all end up east of Eden if Trump has his way – new on Liticisms: open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
March 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM
We’ll all end up east of Eden if Trump has his way – new on Liticisms: open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
Amid the firehose of Trumpian transgressions, this may seem like a less consequential one, but it's not: the killing of millions of dollars in grants to libraries and museums will hit patrons of those vital institutions across the country. The ALA is pushing back:
www.ala.org/faq-executiv...
www.ala.org/faq-executiv...
FAQ: Executive Order Targeting IMLS
This set of frequently asked questions is intended to help library workers, library advocates, and library users understand this Executive Order.
www.ala.org
March 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Amid the firehose of Trumpian transgressions, this may seem like a less consequential one, but it's not: the killing of millions of dollars in grants to libraries and museums will hit patrons of those vital institutions across the country. The ALA is pushing back:
www.ala.org/faq-executiv...
www.ala.org/faq-executiv...
Margaret Renkl: “In very dark times, just the barest chance to witness something beautiful is enough to give a person hope.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/o... via @nytopinion
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/o... via @nytopinion
Opinion | The Blood Worm Moon and the Mustard Seed
Despite our worst actions, nature still delivers us miracles, above and below.
www.nytimes.com
March 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Margaret Renkl: “In very dark times, just the barest chance to witness something beautiful is enough to give a person hope.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/o... via @nytopinion
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/o... via @nytopinion
Some films that foretold our current moment - new post on Liticisms
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
March 16, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Some films that foretold our current moment - new post on Liticisms
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
open.substack.com/pub/liticism...
Trump, Ukraine, and Putin’s poisonous politics – new from Liticisms:
liticisms.substack.com/p/something-...
liticisms.substack.com/p/something-...
March 7, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Trump, Ukraine, and Putin’s poisonous politics – new from Liticisms:
liticisms.substack.com/p/something-...
liticisms.substack.com/p/something-...
Margaret Renkl: “Truth matters. Rewriting American history will not change American history. The truth is still the truth, even if you fire people working to combat your lies. We have no choice but to keep telling the truth until we have drowned out all the lies.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/o...
Opinion | Truths to Remember in a Time of Lies
Chaos and disorientation are the goals here. But we know what’s going on behind the curtain.
www.nytimes.com
March 3, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Margaret Renkl: “Truth matters. Rewriting American history will not change American history. The truth is still the truth, even if you fire people working to combat your lies. We have no choice but to keep telling the truth until we have drowned out all the lies.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/o...
When Franklin Roosevelt proposed the Lend-Lease Act to bring badly needed aid to an embattled Britain in 1941, Churchill called it “the most unsordid act in the whole of recorded history.”
What Trump did in the White House today was the most sordid act ever committed by an American president.
What Trump did in the White House today was the most sordid act ever committed by an American president.
February 28, 2025 at 8:30 PM
When Franklin Roosevelt proposed the Lend-Lease Act to bring badly needed aid to an embattled Britain in 1941, Churchill called it “the most unsordid act in the whole of recorded history.”
What Trump did in the White House today was the most sordid act ever committed by an American president.
What Trump did in the White House today was the most sordid act ever committed by an American president.
Taking back the narrative from Trump – new on Liticisms: liticisms.substack.com/p/toward-a-l...
Toward a liberal nationalism
Reclaiming the strategic heights from MAGA
liticisms.substack.com
February 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Taking back the narrative from Trump – new on Liticisms: liticisms.substack.com/p/toward-a-l...
Looking for your next great read? Get an e-edition of The Unmooring for $.99 Jan. 12-13: www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7SQF12...
The Unmooring
The Unmooring - Kindle edition by Fireman, Ken. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Unmooring.
www.amazon.com
January 12, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Looking for your next great read? Get an e-edition of The Unmooring for $.99 Jan. 12-13: www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7SQF12...
Yet another sign of the new Gilded Age: Elon Musk brings back the company town. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/u...
Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There. (Gift Article)
Employees of SpaceX have filed a formal petition to create the city of Starbase. Its first mayor would be a security manager for the company.
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2024 at 1:17 PM
Yet another sign of the new Gilded Age: Elon Musk brings back the company town. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/u...
“If journalism is the rough draft of history, then fiction is the coherent version, the one that draws meaning from it.” - Margaret Renkl
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/o...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/o...
Opinion | Short Books Are Perfect for Our Distracted Age
There is something special about works I can read in full on a rainy Sunday afternoon or in the lamplight hours between supper and bedtime.
www.nytimes.com
December 16, 2024 at 6:42 PM
“If journalism is the rough draft of history, then fiction is the coherent version, the one that draws meaning from it.” - Margaret Renkl
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/o...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/o...