Gallimaufry: (n.) A jumble, hodgepodge, or medley of things. How else might one describe the theme of author Keith B. Darrell’s blog, or the essays collected from it within this book? Darrell capers from humorous anecdotes to philosophical musings to insightful commentary on today’s societal concerns. It’s impossible to keep from laughing while reading his essays May I Speak to Amber, Powerball Fever, Betrayed by My Kindle Fire, and A Letter to the NSA. Yet, with equal deftness, Darrell tackles such hot button issues as racism and the government spying on its own citizens in posts like Guilty of Walking While Black and 1984 Is Not an Instruction Manual. Darrell displays a writer’s thought process in This Was a Mistake and On Being a Writer. But while all of the essays contained within are composed with literary flourish, Darrell’s desultory approach precludes finding a common theme within these pages. This is a collection of random thoughts consigned to paper: some witty, others profound, enlightening or entertaining, but all engaging, well written prose.Five essays in particular stand out as required reading: The Voyage of Discovery, Chicken Little Was Right, The Dark Night Rises, Independence Day: Patriots vs. Plutocrats, and American Exceptionalism: George Washington and the Deerskin Torah. Penned with panache, they serve as a concise, yet powerful example of Darrell’s abilities as both writer and philosopher. Savor his prose with your morning coffee; welcome it as your companion on the ride to work; or bring it to bed as your nighttime reading.
