“Writers are fearless—we’ve heard it said so often it has become a cliche. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a courageous few who really are drawn to grapple with issues that are so vexing the rest of us shield our eyes and skulk away.”

“I didn't grow up here in the United States, I came here from Germany when I was in my early twenties. I first came in 1989 on a Fulbright grant to Oregon, and no sooner than I got here the Berlin Wall fell and it felt like the entire world changed.”