A couple of weeks ago I read Philip Roth's "The Human Stain". Since Roth generally writes about subjects close to his heart, I do wonder about the protagonist in THS. Of course, I have my own personal thoughts about this character. I went online to check out Roth information, I did not look for a personal Philip Roth web site, because I knew that he would not have one. I did find this site which is some kind of Philip Roth society http://orgs.tamu-commerce.edu/rothsoc/ . I discovered Roth when I took "Letting Go" from the Newark library, later I read Goodbye Columbus. These novels were my introduction to the city of Newark. I had heard of the streets, but did not yet know where they were--many are now gone.
The Human Stain's, Coleman Silk lives in East Orange with his family. Silk, a black man, separates from his family when he decides to pass for white to have a better life. Years later, when he visits his mother again in East Orange, she calls him a prisoner. She says, "you are as white as snow and yet you think like a slave." I felt sad and somehow troubled by this. I finally finished watching the film, it took me days to get through it, am not sure why. It is not a movie that I would watch again. There are times when something or a subject is simply too much. After reading the novel I did pull out my picture of Roth and the members of NJPAC Women's Board. He is standing in the middle of us, I have on my power red jacket. I am looking at the photo again and just noticed that the Newark Museum Price's are in the photo also.
It was an odd week for me. You know times when you just know that something bad will happen, it's a feeling you can't shake. That's how all of last week was. For some reason the past was everywhere I turned. One thing led to another, and another, and still another. And "BAM!" there it was, headache and heartache in one fell swoop. Last night or this morning I had a disturbing and unsettling dream, it was almost 7a when I finally opened my eyes. I felt so drained; am hoping that was the end of my venture into the past. 
If you are like me, you are staying home and watching fireworks on television. This URL was given to me a couple of years ago. I drag it out on July 4. 