Journalism

I’ve written more than a thousand articles for newspapers and magazines.  

This is a small sampling. There are more of them out there, floating around the internet.

A Little Bit of Pluck
The story of Dal LaMagna a/k/a “Tweezerman,” who made a fortune on a plucking device and then tried to end the war in Iraq by running for president.

Kitchen Diplomacy
Who would have guessed that a guy who ran a barbeque joint in Hackensack, N.J. would become our self-appointed ambassador to North Korea?

A Hero Who Didn't Save Himself
A story about a very brave Marine and what the war in Iraq did to him.

For the 2010 Census, Knocking on America's Doors
In 2010, I became a temporary door-to-door census enumerator, just to see what would happen. Here’s what happened.

Mae West's Secret of Success
America is the land of the go-getter,  and the shameless hustler and I love to write about them. Here’s the story of how actress Mae West re-invented herself and used a sex scandal to become rich and famous.

Thaddeus Stevens
When Tommy Lee Jones played Thaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg’s movie Lincoln, I wrote this profile of the great abolitionist for American History magazine.

Nikita Khrushchev Goes to Hollywood
Smithsonian magazine published an excerpt of my book K Blows Top, choosing the bizarre scene where Nikita Khrushchev met Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine and other Hollywood stars.