Though we lived in the same neighborhood I never had the privilege of meeting him. Maybe that’s okay, sometimes the person can’t live up to the image we have of them.

I was drawn to his writing–a wordsmith with few peers. Reading one of his essays was like hearing an infectious tune on the radio. The melody is so strong that the words don’t matter. That’s what first drew me in. I didn’t care so much what he said, it was the way he said it. Even if I vehemently disagreed with his point, the reading was always a pleasure.

As I learned more about his worldview, I was stumped. How does one go from an avowed Trotsky loving, card carrying socialist to an alleged bloodthirsty, imperialist neocon?

How exactly does that crow fly from Point A to Point B?

He referred to himself always as a Leftist, with a capital L. He felt the American moniker “liberal” was too flimsy a label for his doing.

I just finished Hitch-22, which as the name suggests is a memoir of his life and internal conflict.

To read Hitchens is to sip a perfectly chilled and shaken, dry martini—in a Tsunami. You can’t just have a taste, you get the whole Magilla.His prose strikes the reader like poetry fired from an AK-47.

To say his literary knowledge is powerful is the same as saying Beethoven could carry a tune. His understanding of global politics is first hand, not derived from the writing of modern journalists in the comfort of one’s living room.

His penchant was not “learning so as to absorb,” it was “learning so as to challenge.” He challenged the thinking of colleagues, co-workers, world leaders, subject matter experts, and common wisdom like that unarmed, solitary Tiananmen Square protestor staring down a Chinese infantry tank. That was his style. Many loved to watch it in action; few wanted to be seated in the military tank.

He was a child of the 60’s, which explains a lot to a child of the 70’s. He did the obligatory organizing of workers, sat in on protests, spouted from the microphone on a soapbox in multiple locations on Oxford’s campus. He probably even owned some tie dyed clothing. But he needed to be closer to the action.

A confirmed socialist, he needed to be where the uprisings were taking place. So he traveled to Cuba in the early days of the Castro revolution in search of the perfect socialist system. It was not as he had hoped it could be, but he held the faith.

He traveled to the front lines of the Middle East, to war torn Northern Ireland, to the Balkans, to Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Poland. If there was an uprising (or the social converse), he had to be there to see it first-hand.

His awakening, if there is said to be one, was standing on the hillside with a band of Kurdish rebels, and casting eyes down on the mass graves which were evidence that one of Saddam’s primary lunatics, Chemical Ali, had recently made a drive by.

Many of his former friendswould say he betrayed his Leftist beliefs and became a war crazed Neo-con. Hitchens himself would say, he didn’t leave the Left, the Left left him. (Try saying that three times quickly).

As an outsider in both time and place, I would contend that he didn’t change. If anything his beliefs were as strong as ever, his confidence in tactics changed.

It is one thing to stage protests and mix it up with Bobbies armed with nightsticks. Such is the lore of leftist hero making. It is a whole other enchilada to stand unarmed with protest signs against militant goons in body armor with automatic weapons that they were, shall we say, dying to use.

His belief in the common man, socialist ideals didn’t change I would argue, the response to the enemy changed. And here’s the point. If you attack unrighteousness from the bottom up, you are a Leftist. If you attack unrighteousness from the top down, you are a Neo-con. For Hitchens’ support of the war in Iraq, he was pronounced the latter and rebuffed by his former comrades in arms.

If he became the slightest bit tarnished in his Leftist beliefs it was this. When the revolution ended, the leadership vacuum sucked in those who, well, sucked.  The leadership regimes, like Castro, like Hussein, like Stalin, like Arafat made the common man’s life much worse than the original inciting events. Thus died the cause, thus died the dream for the common man.

Now, how the hell does one reverse the damage done? Hitchens was to quote that of all revolutions, the American Revolution was the only one that turned out okay.

Of course I’m being too simplistic.Fine. But I still miss him. I miss the words he could put on a page. He could make you laugh, scoff, pull out your hair, but at the end, you simply wished he would go on.

Selfishly, I thought he always would.

To read Hitch-22 is to hear the ice cubes clinking in the single malt, to smell the backdraft of cigarette smoke, to hear words spoken and juxtaposed in a manner that hip checked your intellect and your passions.

No small feat.

More frequently than not, I disagreed with him topic by topic, but he made me think. He made me challenge my beliefs. He taught me that properly arranged words on a page can strike the brain like a symphony or a jazz quartet or a solitary six string guitar.

Not many writers can do that or ever will again.

I miss Christopher Hitchens.

Please don’t be angry. Hear me out.

I deeply regret Steve Jobs’ death. I share the pain, sorrow and anguish of his family, friends and co-workers. He was too young. He had too much yet to give. We had become dependent. We had high expectations for him. We looked to him to change our lives.

I never met Steve Jobs, but I think he would have been bemused by our neediness. We were always looking at his products and spent too little time studying him. His commencement speech at Stanford should be required reading for all high school students. I didn’t say college students—high school students.

Here’s why.

Let’s go back to the 1970’s.

The US economy was characterized by two words: malaise and stagflation. World economists predicted that Japan and Germany would soon rocket past the US in GDP and economic growth. Many Americans shrugged and bought into that fate.

Sound familiar?

Two men almost single handedly changed that. Neither one graduated from college–Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Their work, and certainly that of co-workers and others in Silicon Valley changed the world and led the US through a nearly unprecedented era of growth, with heretofore unknown “tech jobs.”

Passion, energy, and belief enabled them. A degree from a university was deemed a waste of time and money to them. Steve Jobs called dropping out of college “one of the best decisions I ever made.” He did not stop learning. He merely framed his learning around his passion.

One could reasonably argue that had Jobs and Gates stayed around to attend their college commencement speeches, we would not be the country we are today.

I’m not against education. I have benefited from it, but education must fuel your passion. A degree does not confer passion, and sadly the pursuit of it can take time off the clock, create debt that stifles risk taking, and actually prevent people from pursuing their passion.

I look out at the protesters on Wall Street and to a degree can sympathize with them. Many have degrees, but can’t find a job. They are angry and dejected, but looking in the wrong place.

Steve Jobs had neither a degree nor a job. After a brief time at Atari he started Apple with Steve Wozniak. Not only did Jobs secure his own employment, he created over four thousand good jobs at Apple in the first ten years. No government loans, no fancy degree on the wall, just passion and unending determination.

He didn’t wait for someone to save him. He saved himself.

Then he did it again after Apple fired him. (Fired from the company he founded—how much would that hurt? It would be like being strapped into the electric chair by your own child who giggles as she throws the switch. I can’t imagine the anguish that employment decision caused. Yet, he was undaunted.)

Then, yet again, Jobs saved himself and the company when Apple brought him back.

Here’s the lesson.

In death we have reflection. The country is reflecting on Steve Jobs today. That is good. It should not be about the products he launched. It should be about the life he lived.

Sadly, the passion that drove him seems to be missing from most of our “best and brightest” today. Maybe in reflection we, as a country, can in some way get Jobs’ passion back.

Don’t wait for the government to help you. Don’t wait for Big Corp to give you a fancy job and make your life cushy. Don’t wait.

If you are a writer. Write.

If you are a painter. Paint.

If you are a salesman. Sell.

We can’t wait for someone to give us permission. It isn’t someone else’s problem to fix. It is ours.

From Jobs’ commencement speech:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

This is why Steve Jobs’ passing may be a good thing for our country. Forget about the I-phone, the I-pad, the mac. The country needs to focus and reflect on the man. If as a nation we did that, the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates might step into the light–or maybe a whole new generation of them.

Steve Jobs would smile at that.

From Jobs: “Death is very likely the single best invention of Life.”

We can be saddened by his passing or energized by his living. The choice is ours.

If you enjoy reading great writing, you should read this book.

If you want to make your life more meaningful, you should read this book.

Miller is working on a screenplay of his memoir Blue Like Jazz. The problem is that his life is too boring for a movie, so they have to change his life in the script. Miller wonders about applying the same screenwriting techniques to his own life. Besides just thinking about it, he puts it into action. With humor and poignancy reminiscent of Dave Eggers, Miller crafts a beautiful, if disjointed, story that will make you examine your own life.

I won’t give you any spoilers, but if you love thrillers with a distinctive, edgy voice and want to see story structure in the purest form, read Bait and Switch. You won’t be disappointed and if you are a writer, you will learn a thing or two.

Dear Mr. O’Brien,

I am one of the teachers to whom you were kind enough to provide a class set of books.  I wanted to write to you and let you know what a wonderful teaching tool “Elijah’s Coin” was in my classroom this year.  I designed and entire unit around the book for my 7^th and 8^th grade Intensive Readers along with a graphic organizer package to help them with comprehension and vocabulary.

I read the book aloud each day and stopped throughout each chapter for discussion and relate to life opportunities.  My classroom consists of variety of types of students and behavior is often a factor.  However, during the read aloud of “Elijah’s Coin” I had NO behavior problems.  Students could not wait for me to begin. They listened intently and asked questions to better understand the book.

When I came to the point in the book about Elijah giving Tom the coin I tossed the coin to the student who asked and answered the most questions.  From that point forward the coin in each class changed hands based on the student with the most effort and understanding.   You would not believe what a motivator that coin became.  Each student participated in each lesson trying to earn the right to take the coin home for the day.  I even had one student, who had been at four schools during the past year due to behavior issues, earn the coin.   He promptly lost the coin and refused to come to school.  After a call from his mother who said she could not be upset with him due to the fact he never cared what a teacher thought or liked a book so much.   A quick phone call and a new coin he was back in class answering questions and participating once again.

At the point where challenge coins were discussed I gave extra credit to anyone who knew a member of the military to ask them to explain about the coins.  The feedback was amazing, students told of family members who were so excited to tell their story to my students. The reactions when they realized who Vic was and why he didn’t get the coin from Elijah were amazing.  When I finished the book each student was given the assignment of writing an essay about my purpose for sharing this book with him or her.  The student I mentioned above wrote me the most amazing insightful essay about how this would change him and his decisions he will make from now on!

You gave me the opportunity to share with my students, and in turn it gave me the best lesson of the year. Reading the essays that the students put so much effort into was so rewarding for me.  After I read each class’ essay I chose the student with the best insight into the book and gave them the coin to keep.  Sharing this book with my students provided me with the most rewarding gift as a teacher – undivided attention and loving my lesson.

Thank you for allowing me to give the gift of reading to my students.  I would enjoy any future books you write to share with my class.

MS, Intensive Reading Instructor

Florida

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From the Publisher: If you are interested in using Elijah’s Coin in your classroom, please contact us at info at AandNPublishing.

http://www.brooklynbackstretch.com/2011/04/29/steve-obriens-bullet-work/

Bullet Work, released March 22, 2011 has received numerous positive reviews. Here are links to two of the more recent reviews. Leslie Wright’s review in the Seattle Post Intelligencer and Elizabeth Breau’s review in ForeWord Magazine.

www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Book-Review-Bullet-Work-by-Steve-O-Brien-1320773.php

http://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/bullet-work/

In addition to numerous other literary awards, Elijah’s Coin has been named:

Winner, Teen-Young Adult Fiction by Reader Views Literary Awards.

Winner, Fiction and Literature, Young Adult Fiction by National Best Book Awards.

Winner, Novella, Next Generation Indie Book Awards

To be eligible for to participate in this program, a request must be made on behalf of a US or Canadian educational entity (delivery can only be made to the school address), and we ask that you provide some feedback on how the book was used in the class room and perhaps some book reports or other information regarding what students liked and appreciated about the book. (We do not want any information that might identify a student, only their thoughts and impressions. This is for a project to develop workbooks and materials to support the book in a classroom setting. None of the information will be used for marketing or publicity without written approval in advance).

Limit 20 books per school. Audio books are also available.

The original book has two coins sealed in the back cover of each book. We also have a hardback edition that does not contain the coins. Some instructors have found the coins to be a distraction, so you may opt for either edition.

If you are interested, please send your request to info at AandNPublishing.com.

Act now. When they are all gone, they are gone.

For more information about Elijah’s Coin click here.

How’s your title?

Do you want a new one?

Try this one on—Social Arbitrageur.

Sounds cool, doesn’t it? What does it mean? What do I have to do?

Well, let’s start with the concept of social entrepreneur. This is a person who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize and manage a venture to create social change. In other words, they create a sustainable enterprise to remedy a social problem. Perhaps the most famous social entrepreneur is Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Yunus started a micro lending bank that provided capital to poverty stricken communities in Bangladesh. Despite conventional wisdom, Yunus found these borrowers to be good credit risks. His lending allowed micro businesses to be started and created the opportunity for jobs and economic activity. The social entrepreneur attempts to build an enterprise to address social issues. They see opportunity where others see irreconcilable problems.

We don’t all have the ability, vision, time and capacity to build sustainable organizations to address social problems. So what is one to do? Just sit on the sidelines? How about taking on the moniker of Social Arbitrageur?

Arbitrage is a financial transaction where an investor finds a discrepancy in markets for the same or similar goods. If widgets are selling for $2 in the US and $1 in China, the arbitrageur will buy widgets in China and sell them in the US. Actually, the deal takes place instantly and exploits the inefficiency between the two markets. If the price can be secured and there is enough margin for commissions and transaction costs, a profit is guaranteed. The arbitrageur makes money on the transaction, and proceeds to look for another opportunity.

Okay, then what is a Social Arbitrageur? Just like the social entrepreneur applies business acumen to a social problem, a social arbitrageur spots opportunities to address social problems by investing in the lower market price. Huh?

Social entrepreneurs operate a business to remedy a social problem. Social arbitrageurs make individual investments to bridge the gap between two markets. Social arbitrageurs engage in the “give to get” philosophy by transferring value from one market to bridge the gap with another market.

How about an example? Homelessness is a serious social problem in many cities. A social entrepreneur might raise capital and build housing or seek grants and other funding to provide housing for the homeless. A social arbitrageur will focus on a transaction and attempt to help one homeless person find a place to live or provide resources to secure a safe place for a homeless person to live. The social arbitrageur recognizes the difference between homelessness and those with a home. The social arbitrageur invests time or money to remedy the difference.

I did not invent the phrase social arbitrage. That has been coined by others, most notably, Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz in their book, “Never Eat Alone.” Their use of the phrase applies to social networks and leveraging relationships to assist members of one’s network. In a sense this is a horizontal social arbitrage. My application of the concept is about giving to get, bridging two vertically aligned markets. “Giving to get” is a philosophy and practice where one selflessly gives to another with no expectation of return. The social arbitrageur seeks to remedy a social problem by giving of time, money, interest, or encouragement—one transaction at a time.

A social arbitrageur does not have to run an enterprise or build a structure. A social arbitrageur is an independent free agent who gives to bridge a gap between two markets of “human condition.” It does not have to be about money. A social arbitrageur can be attempting to remedy despair, lack of confidence, or lack of appreciation. In those cases a kind word or a selfless act can bridge the gap. A social arbitrageur is not always successful, but they always try. They “give to get.” Their reward comes, but it is unknown at the time of giving and the act is done from a spirit of service, not with an expectation of return.

Here’s the best part. You can be one. There is no fee to join, no degree necessary and no experience required. You just start. Identify a social inequity—a gap between two markets of human condition—then work to remedy it. It will not be perfect every time, but if you try you may well succeed. You might also convince others to become social arbitrageurs and your efforts expand. But first you have to start.

So, the next time someone asks you what you do, just reply “I’m a social arbitrageur.” They will be stunned and impressed. Then, of course, you have to live up to it. You’ll be glad you did. Just remember to “give to get.”