our dreams

the rev. dr. martin luther king, jr. passionately believed in america. he believed that america was filled with grace and beauty and hope. however, dr. king also passionately argued that america failed american blacks. he argued that america had failed its sacred obligation to protect all of its children.

today, we must remember his dream. however, we also must remember that dr. king's dream was a sharp and serious rebuke to violent, systemic inequality. we must remember that king was nonviolent, but he was not passive. he said, "the negro is making it palpably clear that he wants all of his rights, that he wants them here, and that he wants them now."

citizen king, a recent pbs documentary, chronicles the public career of rev. dr. martin luther king, jr. the film specifically focuses on his final years. today, dr. king is most remembered for his early political success, including influence on the civil rights act of 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965. however, we often forget that king forcefully placed civil rights within the context of poverty and social justice.

during the late 1960's, dr. king moved to chicago to spearhead the poor peoples' campaign. the poor peoples' campaign was based on the universal declaration of human rights (1948). for example, dr. king specifically believed that systemic poverty was a gross violation of inalienable rights. in 1968, he declared, " all labor has dignity. . . [we] are reminding the nation that it is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages."

king was increasingly angry and frustrated. he explained: "it didn't cost the nation one penny to integrate lunch counters. it didn't cost the nation one penny to guarantee the right to vote. but now, we are dealing with issues that cannot be solved without the nation spending billions of dollars and undergoing a radical redistribution of economic power."

while king rallied against inequality, he continued to believe in the "redeeming soul of america." america can be our dreams. we have made important strides in legal integration. however, class continues to segregate education, employment, health care, and housing. for example, surveys consistently report that roughly 25% of children in the united states live in poverty.

i, too, dream of america. but, we are not yet our dreams.

how many pieces?

james frey has recently been questioned about the authenticity of his memoir, A Million Little Pieces. in short, Pieces chronicles mr. frey's descent into and recovery from serious alcohol and drug addiciton. (book press descibed it as "Frey's kamikaze run of self-destruction.")

gathering criticism has seriously stained Pieces. in fact, thesmokinggun.com presents specific legal documents that clearly contradict mr. frey's written account. they maintain that frey baldly lies about his personal experiences. for example, the memoir explains that frey spent three months in an ohio jail for running over a curb and into a police officer. however, thesmokinggun.com details that frey simply jumped the curb, didn't hit anybody or anything, and was held without restraints for hours in a holding cell.

a slate.com analysis also questions his bonafides as a recovering addict. slate maintains that addicts often embellish shady memories to earn street credentials. addicts, they're saying, wear super strong memories like a small man might wear a superhero suit with blown up muscles. further, slate explains that mr. frey shopped Pieces to several publishers as fiction. after publishers refused the fiction manuscript as stale, his agent re-presented the work as personal memoir.

the critics present serious evidence to question mr. frey and his memoir. however, is mr. frey wrong? what is memoir?

memoir is popularly defined as "an account of the personal experiences of an author" and "a biography or biographical sketch". contemporary authors and publishers generally believe the first definition of memoir is most accurate. here, memoir is distinct from biography. it is not a clear, dry report of life and life experience. rather, memoir is "creative nonfiction". it is poetry. it shapes and threads personal memories and reflections to present a larger, truer story. "truer", here, is like my writing teacher explained: "there is a truth that is more true than the truth."

A Million Little Pieces was selected for oprah winfrey's book club, last fall. certainly, the increased exposure has led to increased accountability. however, ms. winfrey supports mr. frey's princple rationale that the memoir presents the "essential truth" of his addiction and recovery. mr. frey also joined larry king live on wednesday evening to answer the criticism. in part, he explained that the events in question total only 12 pages of a 448 page book.

however, i am not sure i accept mr. frey's anti-scientific, pseudo-intellectual explanation that page numbers and percentages are trumped by truth. i do believe that writers should have limited creative license in memoir. we cannot understand ourselves without reflection. and, our reflection includes our filters and lenses. we cannot always remember conversations, events, or news exactly and specifically. authors should be able to shape conversation or memories in non-essential ways. but, i also believe that readers must be able to assume that the basic context of specific events in memoir are accurate, not just "true".

it is okay for mr. frey to shape his experience and reflection. he is the author and owner of his ideas and his feelings. however, it is not okay for mr. frey to change his experience from 3 hours in jail to 3 months in memoir. this creates a wholly new and untrue experience. it requires creativity and imagination that is accurate and true in fiction. mr. frey and his publisher may have included a disclaimer in the front of the book that is similar to movie lead-ins, "based on" or "inspired by" a true story. while they have added this note to My Friend Leonard, they are not adding the disclaimer to Pieces.

i think this is unfortunate. the hours in jail may have felt like months, but without disclaimer, the essential truth here is that Pieces is a serious breech of trust.

arik

a sabra plant is a desert cactus, also known as a cactus pear. the sabra has a thorny, thick peel. inside, there is a soft, sweet fruit.

modern israel has largely been shaped by early immigrants and exiles. however, native israelis are israel's heart. the sabra is hardened by our long history, and softened by our still hope.

sharon was only cactus for so long. he was sharp and serious. he was cold and hard and strong. this sharon was steel soldier and stone patriot.

in 1967, armies amassed at the northern and southwestern borders of israel. they blocked israeli straits and increased pressure on the western border. arab armies gathered for an imminent joint attack, but the israeli military struck out early. they surprised the arab forces with large air raids. sharon led a batallion of israeli forces west out of israel and and overran territory into egypt. israel gained complete victory in 6 days, and it officially seized the golan heights, gaza strip, west bank, and sinai peninsula.

however, arabs often refer to sharon as "the butcher of beirut". in 1982, israel invaded the southern region of lebanon to buffer an intense civil conflict. in september, sharon directed israeli forces to control refugee camps in sabra and shatila. an independent israeli commission determined that following the election of bechard gemaryel as president, sharon allowed a christian militia to enter the refugee camps and kill up to 500 lebanese and palestinians.

recently, sharon has cleaned his legacy. while he has brandished thorns, he has also shown sweet fruit. for example, he identfied "demographic realities" and softened his vision of greater israel. while he strongarmed militants, he also strongarmed reactionary conservatives in his former political party, likud. sharon gained traction for disengagement from israeli leftists and palestinian fatah. he also made significant steps towards just peace as prime minister. recent reports, in fact, show grudging admiration for sharon in the arab world.

how do we sort out his history? we clearly must hope for a healthy and speedy recovery. i believe we also must remember that his history, and also our history, includes glory and despair. it includes freedom and injustice.