personal history
When I Was a Boy, the Internet Made Me a Man
If practice makes perfect, I'm the Tiger Woods of finding memes.
How to Beat a Lie Detector Test
A story of illegal drugs, youthful mistakes, Texas prison, polygraph machines, a Jewish mother, and one road trip gone extremely awry.
My Time as a 'Cool' Substitute Teacher and a Complete Trainwreck
I showed up hungover, sent kids to Starbucks for coffee, and let my students do whatever they wanted. They loved me.
My Anxiety Is Making Me Nervous
I told myself at an early age that it was OK for me to carry around the constant worry and never-ending feelings of fear. I was wrong.
My Childhood in the Shadow of Foxcatcher Farm
John du Pont's murder of Dave Schultz was the first time I grappled with evil, and in some ways, the end of my childhood.
My Time at London's 'School of Jihadis'
Before Britain's right-wing press gave my alma mater a nickname because six former students have joined the Islamic State, it was a notoriously dangerous public school.
What Do You Do When You Think You Have a Murderer in the Family?
I've come to believe that my grandmother literally poisoned those around her.
The Seedy Underworld of Muay Thai Kickboxing
In my years as a British fighter in Bangkok, I saw fixed matches, gambling debts and child exploitation.
My Grandma the Poisoner
I've come to believe that my grandmother literally poisoned those around her.
How It Feels to Live Your Life Under Police Protection
Famed crime writer Roberto Saviano on the eight years he's spent worrying about death threats.
My Return to Weed After Years of Being a Bourgeois Suburban Mom
Could pot help me rediscover the rebellious feeling of my younger days?
The Jazz Chauffeur Who Kicked Off a Political Scandal in 1960s Britain
Johnny Edgecombe, known to his friends as “the Edge,” was a hustler, a chauffeur for the biggest names in England's jazz scene, and an odd figure in a major political scandal that ended up sending him to prison for seven years.