At Large

Goodman is a columnist for the Boston Globe. This collection of columns was published the year after she won a Pulitzer (in 1980). Her material is family life, relationships, and some politics and general social commentary. The columns here are grouped under headings like "Women in the Age of Transition", "The Hard Questions", and "Our Daughters, Our Sons". She's a fairly good writer, sometimes a little repetitive and less incisive than I think she could be. The obvious feature of this book is that it's 20 years old, so its columns about Kramer Vs. Kramer, John Lennon, Anita Bryant, passive smoking, and dietary fads can't be read the same way you'd read current columns. On the other hand, a lot hasn't changed in the social arena since 1981 -- men and women, communication, parents and children.... You can read this with nostalgia or not. It's not a bad way to spend some time.