Just Three Minutes, Please

Thinking Out Loud on Public Radio

Michael Blumenthal

What's wrong with the contemporary American medical system? What does it mean when a state's democratic presidential primary casts 40% of its votes for a felon incarcerated in another state? What's so bad about teaching by PowerPoint? What is truly the dirtiest word in America?

These are just a few of the engaging and controversial issues that Michael Blumenthal, poet, novelist, essayist, and law professor, tackles in this collection of poignant essays commissioned by West Virginia Public Radio.

In these brief essays, Blumenthal provides unconventional insights into our contemporary political, educational, and social systems, challenging us to look beyond the headlines to the psychological and sociological realities that underlie our conventional thinking.

As a widely published poet and novelist, Blumenthal brings along a lawyer's analytical ability with his literary sensibility, effortlessly facilitating a distinction between the clichés of today's pallid political discourse and the deeper realities that lie beneath.This collection will captivate and provoke those with an interest in literature, politics, law, and the unwritten rules of our social and political engagements.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Table Of Contents
• Blurbs
• Copyright
• Introduction
• Aches and Pains
• Almost Heaven
• Country of the Second Chance
• Of Minds and Mindfulness
• About the Author