ArcaMax

Jerardyn sat quietly on the bus, her mood relaxed as her eyes scanned the fleeting horizon of Southern California one August afternoon.

But as the U.S.-Mexico border wall, a towering barrier of steel pillars, came into view, she began taking big, deep breaths. Her heart began to race as she clutched her immigration documents and tried to hide ...Read more

'THE SMASHING MACHINE'

Rated R for language and some drug abuse.

What it’s about: A biopic of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, following his career in the late '90s.

The kid attractor factor: This is a serious adult drama, not for younger audiences.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Some of those with the most guts don’t get all the glory.

Violence: ...Read more

Q. This is sort of an ethical question. My ex-wife remarried two years ago and even though this sounds a little weird, I find I like him, poor unsuspecting sap. I can tell he cares about my kids and he’s actually a good influence.

Here’s the deal. My ex has always liked her wine, and I suspect it’s causing some problems over there. Her ...Read more

I am an accidental gardener. If anything I plant grows to maturity, and by some fluke of nature becomes edible, it is sheer accident.

If we had to survive on what I grow, we would both be very, very thin. Spaghetti thin. We are not spaghetti thin; we are more like rigatoni.

Several years ago, I dreamed of growing potatoes. I threw some ...Read more

There’s something about a small town that makes it the perfect setting for a thriller. On the surface, you’ve got quiet streets, neighbors who wave as they pass, kids riding their bikes without a care. But scratch just a little deeper and you’ll often find lies stacked as neatly as wood piles, secrets pressed down tightly, hidden well, ...Read more

It’s always a treat as a reader to find a book that delivers a powerful social message as well as tells a good story, and that’s exactly what we get in "Under Their Watch" — Charlie Ketchey’s compelling and moving novel about the challenges facing a pair of dedicated child-care workers.

Child-care caseworker Cameron Springer and John ...Read more

'ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER'

Rated R for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, and drug use.

What it’s about: A former revolutionary has to regain his skills and reunite with his comrades to save his daughter.

The kid attractor factor: This is an incendiary political adult drama — not much appeal for kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons:...Read more

My husband is one of those people who can sleep anywhere, anytime.

He can sleep sprawled halfway on and halfway off the sofa, in a straight-back chair, with three grands crawling all over him styling his hair, and during cross-country flights with severe turbulence.

It’s a gift. The man is so gifted he can even fall asleep while I’m ...Read more

Q. My ex and I were married when we were very young. We had a child soon afterward, but my ex left us, and we were divorced nine months later. I have not seen or heard from him in 8 years. I remarried a wonderful man when my son was a year and a half old and he is the only father my son has known. Today I got a phone call from my ex’s aunt who...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Amid a nationwide “masculinity crisis” that has caused boys and young men to gravitate toward traditional gender roles and often misogynistic content, researchers, columnists and political leaders have sought to understand a simple question: What’s up with boys?

To Jim Steyer, the CEO of the media literacy company ...Read more

The art of the con is just as much a part of human nature as the need for food, shelter, water and clothing. People have been attempting to get something for nothing, or get by with something, for as long as humans have been contemplating the meaning of life.

In "Anatomy Of A Con Artist," author and podcaster Johnathan Walton, himself a victim ...Read more

With the new school year underway, you’ve likely heard new names — and requests to have friends over.

For elementary schoolers, typically that means getting the other parents’ contact information and setting up a playdate. However, things change for middle school and high school students.

Making your home a place where older kids and ...Read more

Why do we root for people we’d cross the street to avoid in real life? Fiction is crowded with liars, schemers, stalkers, even killers … and somehow, they have fan clubs. Whether it’s Tom Ripley’s suave cons, Amy Dunne’s razor-sharp vengeance, or Joe Goldberg’s murderous devotion, these characters inspire not just fascination but ...Read more