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Stories from Amy Crawford

Constitution of the United States

Should the Constitution Be Scrapped?

In a new book, Louis Michael Seidman claims that arguing about the constitutionality of laws and reforms is the cause of our harsh political discourse

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Why the Best Success Stories Often Begin With Failure

One writer’s unexpected bout of unemployment inspired him to catalogue the misadventures of those who came before him

Superachiever Martina Navratilova competes at the 1989 French Open.

Why Are Superachievers So Successful?

Two authors spoke to dozens of the highest-achieving people in the world. Here’s what they learned

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What Traditional Societies Can Teach You About Life

A new book from best-selling author Jared Diamond tells us how we can learn a lot from people who live like most of us did 11,000 years ago

According to author Kevin Dutton, psychopaths have a distinct set of personality characteristics. Pictured is Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho.

The Pros to Being a Psychopath

In a new book, Oxford research psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that psychopaths are poised to perform well under pressure

About 90 miles north of San Francisco lies Fort Ross, a site chosen to be the Russian empire's only colony in what would later become the contiguous United States. Pictured is a Russian Orthodox chapel at Fort Ross.

When Russia Colonized California: Celebrating 200 Years of Fort Ross

A piece of history on the Pacific Coast was almost lost to budget cuts, until a Russian billionaire stepped in to save the endangered state park

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How Trees Defined America

Historian Erik Rutkow argues in a new book that forests are key to understanding how our nation developed and who we are today

"Most people from the Western world would think that imagery is forbidden in Islam and that Islamic art is fact geometry—the arabesque," says Sabiha Al Khemir.

Sabiha Al Khemir on Islam and the West

The museum curator and author predicts that relations between the United States and the Muslim world will improve

A soup tureen by Meissonnier

Curves Ahead

At the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Rococo experiences a revival

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Mounds vs. Vegans

In drawings and paintings, Trenton Doyle Hancock pits archetypes against each other

“Lending to somebody,” says Flannery, “sends the message that you’re treating them as an equal. It’s a dignifiedway to interact.”

I, Lender

Software engineer Matt Flannery pioneers Internet microloans to the world’s poor

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Faith Healer

Religious historian Reza Aslan calls for a return to Islam’s tradition of tolerance

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Masters of the Storm

Kennedy Warne, author of “The Amazing Albatrosses,” talks about dangerous waters and albatross love

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Outlaw Hunters

The Pinkerton Detective Agency chased down some of America’s most notorious criminals

"I think the most surprising thing was how Hemingway is still so alive [in Cuba]," says Valerie Hemingway.

Barefoot Hemingway

Valerie Hemingway, author of “Hemingway’s Cuba, Cuba’s Hemingway,” talks about pirated novels and Papa’s living legend

With his stylish clothes and powdered wig, Stede Bonnet (in a c. 1725 woodcut) stood out among the bearded, unkempt, ill-mannered pirates with whom he sailed.

The Gentleman Pirate

How Stede Bonnet went from wealthy landowner to villain on the sea

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What’s Up

Tiffany diamonds, Portugal and “Great Britons”

"I think most Americans don't realize how close we came to losing the Revolutionary War," says Ferling.

Forget Independence

John Ferling, author of “100 Days that Shook the World,” imagines an alternate history

"We keep on talking about doing a book together," says Madeleine Nash, of working with her husband, Thomas (above, at the South Pole).

Extreme Persistence

Madeleine and Thomas Nash braved high altitudes and frigid temperatures for “Chronicling the Ice”

General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal

The Swamp Fox

Elusive and crafty, Francis Marion outwitted British troops during the American Revolution

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