Articles from the May 30, 2007 edition

Leonard Pitts

I never listened to the stories he told. Either “Speed Racer” was on or the new Fantastic Four was out or the Spinners were on the radio. Whatever. I never listened. Things were not good between us. He had a drinking problem, which meant he had a hitting problem. I tried to stay out of his way. But sometimes, when things were quiet and his mood contemplative, my father just wanted to talk, to tell me who he’d been and what he’d seen in the years before I came along, the yea... Full story