On Being Thought a Heretic

One of my best friends says that when she reads my books or blogs she can’t help but think of the poster for the Liam Neeson film Michael Collins, the revolutionary title character standing defiant in the face of British imperialism and fighting for a free Ireland. I own this description of my Irishness. I have to. I also think growing up during the 1970s in hardscrabble Detroit during the rise of punk rock and under the shadow of the MC5 and The Stooges has something to do with it. But it al...