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LITERARY HILL
A Compendium of Readers, Writers, Books, & Events
by Karen Lyon Jonah at Work It’s always the way. When James Herbert finally had the time to share the benefit of his work experience with his children, they had long since flown the nest. So he focused on his grandchildren’s generation. In “To Jonah, When You Are Twenty-Five,” he distills a lifetime of wisdom into a series of letters addressed to a hypothetical grandson. “Jonah,” he writes, “by the time you are twenty-five, I hope you’ll still want to hear about what I learned, and not just in 140-character spurts.” Herbert’s discourse is learned and wide-ranging, from soaring thoughts about fulfilling a humanist agenda and committing to moral equality, to practical workaday tips such as “do the hardest thing first.” Using anecdotes and real-life examples, he wrestles with the distinction between rules and principles and struggles with mastering the art of constructive communication.
James Herbert offers workplace advice–and more–to the next generation. Photo: Virginia (Tilla) Durr
While Herbert evokes an impressive backup group of experts, such as Erikson and Buber, he takes their ideas a step further. “You could say, Jonah,” he writes, “that much of these letters has been about going from the ‘knowing that’ of a liberal education to the ‘knowing how’ of working in a modern organization.” And if anybody knows workplace ins and outs, it’s James Herbert. After a career in university teaching, he served on the College Board in New York City and as a senior official at the National Endowment for the Humanities. His advice is hard-won, and, whether you’re a new graduate or a seasoned professional, well worth heeding.
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Christopher Datta’s new thriller explores the darkness that one man carries inside him.
Heart of Darkness When his old friend Bill challenges Kevin Houdek to join him at his medical clinic in a war-torn corner of Africa, Kevin expects a dose of “dangerous and depressing” reality. What he doesn’t anticipate is that he will return a changed man. In “The Demon Stone,” a new supernatural thriller by Christopher Datta, the age-old spirit of a “red-eyed beast” follows Kevin back home, menacing him and the people close to him. “It’s like a virus,” he tries to explain to his friend Liz. “I brought it back, God help us all, and I don’t know how to stop it.” In chapters that alternate between Africa and a camping trip in Minnesota—where Kevin has fled with Liz and his daughter Beth in a desperate attempt to escape the evil he carries with him— the horrifying story slowly unfolds. And even the pristine lakes and woods can’t hold back the encroaching threat. “There are doors that no one should open,” says Kevin. “Things you see that you will never unsee. Things you learn that you can never unlearn.” Don’t read this one before you go to bed. And, if you do, leave the lights on. Christopher Datta served as a civil conflict specialist with the US State Department, most recently in South Sudan. His previous novel, “Touched With Fire,” was inspired by the true story of Ellen Craft, who escaped slavery by disguising herself as a man. Find him at http://touchedwithfire.org.
Stories with a Bang Luther Kane is plagued by a recurring nightmare where his legs are blown off by a landmine in a snowy field in Kosovo. Except that when he awak-
ens, his legs are still gone. In “Damaged Goods,” a new story by Quintin Peterson, the former UN Police officer is now a detective with an office above the Last Stop Liquor Store on South Capitol Street. He’s got a new life, a new set of state-of-the-art prosthetic legs—and a new job that has landed him knocked out cold on the floor of a house owned by a Russian mob boss. How will he manage to get out of this one? Will he ever avenge his client, a prostitute who has had her leg cut off as punishment for trying to escape? If you’re seeing a theme here, it’s not coincidental. Peterson’s story appears in a new chari-
Quintin Peterson has an explosive new story in an anthology dedicated to wiping out landmines. Photo: Andre E. Myrick
ty anthology, “Explosions,” edited by Scott Bradley, created to raise money for the Mines Advisory Group (www.maginternational.org), an organization dedicated to eradicating the deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance. Other contributors include Jeffrey Deaver, John Sayles, Peter Straub, James Grady, and the late Amy Wallace. The stories expose the horrors of what Bradley calls “our landmined world,” and while sometimes dark, they all convey “a powerful sense of humanity and understanding.” This is noir with a heart—and “Damaged Goods” is a first-rate example. Quintin Peterson served as a DC police officer for 28 years, and has published three DCbased crime novels, a book of poetry, and several short stories, including “Guarding Shakespeare,” about the Folger Shakespeare Library, where he currently works.
This Month on the Hill The Literary Hill BookFest Reading Series presented by the DC Public Library features Garrett