BEN'S CHILI BOWL has seen it all. From the days when U Street was a "Black Broadway" until now, as it is being aggressively gentrified.
Opened by West Indian immigrant Mahaboob Ben Ali and his wife, Virginia Ali, in 1958, the hot dog and chili (and cheese. mmm) shop is now overseen by their sons, Nizam and Kamal Ali.
Nizam recently paired up with local writer and historian Tracey Gold Bennett to document "The Bowl's" importance in D.C. and its community in a book, "Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington D.C. Landmark."
Tonight the pair is at another U Street area destination — Busboys and Poets — to discuss the work and sign copies. A chili-cheese half-smoke post- or pre-book talk is a must.
» Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW; Mon., Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., free; 202- 387-7638. (U St.-Cardozo)
Photo by Marvin Joseph for The Washington Post
Within days, Abu Marwa and his buddies in the Thunder cell had tracked down the Syrian [Al-Qaeda] gunmen. Within a couple of weeks, they devised an intricate ambush. In their beige Opel sedan, the Syrians regularly drove a desolate stretch of road. ... As soon as the Syrians pulled over, the insurgents shot them dead.AND SO IT GOES in Dexter Filkins' masterpiece of battlefield reporting, "The Forever War.""When my uncle was killed, I promised my aunt that I would avenge his death," he said. She had answered, Abu Marwa said, by repeating an Arabic saying that is often invoked and rarely acted upon: Ashrab min Dambum, I will drink their blood.
After they killed the Syrians, Abu Marwa took their kafiyas and brought them to his aunt, proof that revenge had been taken. She accepted them with gratitude. And then Abu Marwa presented her with a vial of the killers' blood.
"She drank the blood of the Syrians," Abu Marwa said, still seated in the couch, in the darkness.
Filkins, a New York Times correspondent, devotes sections of his book to vivid descriptions of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and downtown Manhattan in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The bulk of "War," though, takes place in Iraq, where Filkins effectively wields unvarnished, understated writing to convey an unceasing barrage of indelible scenes.
Filkins watches the looting of Baghdad, listens to "Hells Bells" with Marines as "bullets poured without direction and without end" in Fallujah, goes on the front lines with the Mahdi Army, races around the country with Ahmed Chalabi as he acts like a gangster chieftain, offers a long look at the intricacies of American reconstruction projects, goes inside failing children's hospitals and is repeatedly nearly car-bombed, kidnapped or torn apart by crowds.
As the excerpt above suggests, one can certainly see the seeds of the Sunni Awakening in "The Forever War," but one can also see just about anything one wishes in the horrific kaleidoscope, as the vignettes that comprise the book are contradictory and clashing — which is to say that they are balanced and ring of truth — and Filkins devotes a great deal of time to quoting both Iraqis and Americans who hold see the occupation positively as well as to those who make comments such as, "We will make the Americans leave this country on their knees. Just you watch."
Express spoke with Filkins, who will appear at Politics & Prose on Sept. 30, about his initial impressions of General Petraeus, embedding, the CPA and more.
Continue Reading "From the Battlegrounds: Dexter Filkins on 'The Forever War'" »
OKAY, BOOKWORMS. This is your day. In a world of non-stop audio-visual stimulation, of iPods and Blackberries and inescapable noise, the National Book Festival is for those of us who still read those timeless tomes they call books.
Of course, it's, um, all gotten very high-tech over the past couple of years (you can listen to podcasts of featured authors on the Web site), but still, at its heart, this festival is about the written word.
The something-for-everyone label certainly applies here — along with tents featuring books of every genre, 70 authors (including Salman Rushdie, pictured, and Tiki Barber — see? something for everyone) will be on hand to discuss their work. And, for parents: There will be tons of kid-oriented activities that will not only keep the tots busy, but will help you be sure they aren't only literate in, or enthusiastic about, the language of computers.
» Between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, Sat., Sept. 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free; 202-707-5000. (Smithsonian)
Photo by Cate Gillon/Getty Images
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE AUTHORS are descending upon D.C. for this year's National Book Fest, sponsored by the Library of Congress. We couldn't talk to all of them, due to our time and space constraints, their busy schedules and that pesky restraining order, but we did round up a few of the best storytellers around and ask them to bend our ears before they touch down for Saturday's book frenzy.
» BRAD MELTZER
Superhero Bible Stories
Brad Meltzer writes best-selling thrillers, but he's also a passionate comic-book fan and writer for titles such as "Justice League of America" and "Green Arrow."
Meltzer's new novel, "The Book of Lies," seems like it's the lifelong dream of combining his loves. It's about a son who traces the gun of his father's killer back to the weapon used in the murder of Mitchell Siegel, the father of Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel — and how it all plays into Abel's death by Cain and the creation of the Man of Steel.
But the book isn't about Superman; it's about something more vulnerable.
"I'm less obsessed with Superman than I am with where the character actually was born," Meltzer said. "People think America got Superman because we're the greatest country on Earth, but ... we got Superman because a little boy lost his father."
"The Book of Lies" combines real-world detective work by Meltzer — Siegel's father was felled by a heart attack, not a bullet — with the cliff-hanger fiction he's famous for writing.
"It's not a departure," Meltzer said. "It just so happens to deal with the world's first villain in Cain and the world's first hero in Superman — and what they have to do with each other."
» Fiction & Mystery Pavilion, 11:10-11:40 a.m.; signing, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Continue Reading "Let's Talk About Text: National Book Fest" »
I SPOKE TO STEVE ALMOND about his new essay collection, "Not That You Asked: Rants, Exploits, and Obsessions," on the seventh anniversary of 9/11.
Ostensibly it's a collection of essays spanning nearly Almond's career and dealing with subjects as diverse as his sexual humiliations as a teenager to his experiences as a new father to his run-ins with what he calls the right-wing "Hateocracy."
But the 9/11 connection is particularly apt.
Throughout every essay, whatever its stated subject, Almond is noticeably and dreadfully concerned with the state of American politics and morality.
In "Demagogue Days," he recounts the brouhaha following his decision to protest Condoleeza Rice's appearance at Boston College by resigning his adjunct professorship there, but does so with humor and aplomb, likening his radio interviews and his appearance on "The Hannity & Colmes Show" as different levels of Dante's Inferno.
"Why I Crush on Vonnegut" gives a sympathetic overview of the late author's life and works, with Almond finding in works like "Slaughterhouse 5" a means of dealing with our disappointing tolerance for war and human suffering. "The idea that anybody in modern culture would cheer for a war is morally unfathomable," he explains. "I understand that people are full of fear right now, but a war means that a profound tragedy has taken place. If we're not human enough to recognize the drastic circumstances, we're dead. That was supposed to be the lesson of 9/11, but that's not how it played out."
Continue Reading "Acts of Imagination: Steve Almond Rants & Obsesses" »
"ICARUS AT THE EDGE OF TIME" is a perfect book for smart parents to read to smart children. Plus, it will make all concerned even smarter.
"My goal was to try to communicate science in a way that mirrors that touches people at a more visceral, more emotional level," said celebrity physicist Brian Greene about his first work of fiction.
Greene's "Icarus at the Edge of Time" is a charming children's board book that includes priceless photos from the Hubble Telescope. It recasts the Icarus myth into the Space Age, with the titular protagonist yearning to spread his wings while trapped aboard a generational ship searching for life on a distant planet.
Continue Reading "Smart Science: Brian Greene on 'Icarus at the Edge of Time'" »
HANS VAN MEEGEREN didn't grow rich off his own name. The master forger became wealthy because of Johannes Vermeer, the great 17th century Dutch painter.
Van Meegeren painted before and during World War II, ingeniously mixing science — the key ingredient in his paintings was plastic — skill, determination, psychological insight, cunning and vast reservoirs of bile to cheat his way to the top. After he was finally caught, he painted one final "Vermeer" in prison to demonstrate his style. Somewhat ironically, he was eventually was seen as a hero throughout Holland for swindling a galaxy of art snobs and the likes of Nazi swine Hermann Goering, even though van Meegeren had no problem befriending the Germans for his own benefit.
This is a great tale, and lauded author Edward Dolnick's new book, "The Forger's Spell," makes it even better. Subtitled "A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century," the work is an accessible, engrossing and erudite examination of art, commerce and history.
A recent e-mail from Dolnick discussed a particularly compelling aspect of Van Meegeren's career.
"Han van Meegeren was different from every forger I'd ever heard of," Dolnick wrote. "He made forgeries that didn't look at all like the real thing. ... Vermeer's men and women overflow with life. The people in Van Meegeren's fakes look like zombies, and they have raccoon eyes.
"The second surprise was that the people he fooled were experts, not novices," Dolnick continued. "The more people knew about art, the harder they fell for Van Meegeren's fakes. ... When one modern-day expert looked back at Van Meegeren's career, he called it 'literally incredible' that Van Meegeren got away with it. My goal was to explain that mystery. The trail led to forgers talking shop, magicians spilling their secrets and spymasters explaining the art of the double agent. We see what is in front of our eyes, sometimes. But we also see what we hope to see, or what we expect to see. It's the job of con men and swindlers to manipulate those expectations."
Dolnick will discuss the extraordinary career of Hans van Meegeren at the Corcoran on Sept. 24. Express asked him about Van Meegeren's talents, why scientific tests were never done on his paintings and what advice he could offer an aspiring forger.
Continue Reading "Artful Dodger: Edward Dolnick on 'The Forger's Spell'" »
TO SOME PEOPLE, Thomas Friedman is the male Maureen Dowd. Some people are wrong. He's not Gail Collins (my personal favorite columnist), and sometimes he says wacky things, but he's funnier and more insightful than Dowd and I never feel after reading his column that I have wasted ten minutes of my life. I could have been eating cookies, Maureen Dowd. I could have been reading an essay by Jincy Willet. But no, I gave you my trust and you ground it in the dirt under your heel. And yet I keep coming back.
But back to Thomas Friedman: He's very pleased with himself, but so are most writers. His new book is "Hot, Flat and Crowded," about what will happen to the world if we don't seek alternative energy sources. It's timely, it's well-written and if you read it, you can say to everyone "Have you read Thomas Friedman's new book? Oh, you haven't? Oh ... well, no big deal. We can't all be winners."
» Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW; Tue., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., $12 or get two free tickets when you buy the book; 202-408-3100. (Gallery Place)
RECENTLY, THE MEDIA has taken the American public on many journeys through China. There's the Olympic journey, there's the "China's scary, watch out!" journey, there's the "No one can breathe in China!" journey. But freelance journalist and food writer Jen Lin-Liu is at Olsson's to take us on a decidedly different kind of journey: a refreshing, tasty journey.
In her new book, "Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China," Lin-Liu starts out as a cooking student and works her way through the echelons of the Chinese culinary hierarchy. Come grab a copy and discuss everything from noodle stalls to chic Shangai restaurants tonight.
» Olsson's, 1307 19th St. NW; Tue., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., free; 202-785-1133. (Dupont Circle)
Photo courtesy of Jen Lin-Liu
SHORT STORIES ARE the new something-or-other. Nope, I can't finish that sentence. Nothing kills a genre like trendiness. Short stories are the new black. Short stories are the new pancakes. Mmm, pancakes.
There have been several great collections of short stories out lately, including Eileen Pollack's "In the Mouth." She's appearing at the D.C. J.C.C. to talk about her book — and yes, the stories are about the Jewish experience in America.
There's one called "The Bris," which you may be tempted to skip because of the title (unless you don't know what that is), but you'd be missing out. It's been included in the anthology of Best American Short Stories this year.
» D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW; Mon., Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m., $6-$9; 202-518-9400. (Dupont Circle)
Addison Road