Viertel tells many backstage stories about how the directors and composers managed to avoid a disaster, sometimes only a few hours ahead of opening night.

McFarlane says that she is “drawn to moments when people do things that are mysterious even to themselves.” The best-realized stories here are charged with these moments.

'If I were to summarize Henri Nouwen in one word, it would be love.'

If the Christian intellectual is dead, has a Catholic cousin survived?

Besides having a great mind, Jefferson had a great ego—also for good and ill.