The lost-or at least severely underrated-art of the essay makes a comeback in Taking Sides: Opinions and Meditations, in which popular blogger and award-winning essayist Keith McWalter has compiled a varied cross section of his recent works.
In short, easy-to-read essays, he touches on a range of current and recent events, including such controversial and politically charged topics as the Supreme Court's rulings on gay marriage, criminality versus terrorism, and the unusual course of the 2016 US presidential election.
His social and political commentary, while sometimes scathing, is humorous and clever. However, in addition to covering these divisive political and social issues, McWalter also brings to the table some equally entertaining and informed opinions about writing, writers, lawyers, and the law. As both an author and an attorney, McWalter is able to zero in on the right, the wrong, and the ridiculous in each of these fields.
Finally, McWalter ruminates on some more general life lessons, from the regret and grief that accompany the death of a parent to the importance of compassion and being kind to all-even an exceptionally annoying insect.
About the Author: For over a decade, lawyer and writer Keith McWalter has authored the blog Mortal Coil, an online compendium of political, social, occupational, and personal narrative essays. Taking Sides collects thirty-three of the most recent of these wide-ranging pieces. McWalter also writes for Spoiled Guest, a travel-related blog.
In addition to publication in various newspapers, including the New York Times, he also won a Writer's Digest award for his first compilation of essays, The Plastic Bag Will Not Inflate: Letters from a Bicoastal Father. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Ohio, and he and his wife Courtney live in Granville, Ohio, as well as Sanibel, Florida.
