"My father was a Marine who fought in the Pacific in WW II. He was a very tough guy, but after the wa..." — George Pelecanos

I had met many wounded veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center when I was researching my 2009 novel 'The Turnaround,' and I continue to be very interested in how returning servicemen and women deal with their new lives back home and how they're treated by America.

I go to church for the cultural element. It's where you go to see Greek people once a week. It's real important to me, and I hope my children see they're part of something bigger than just this family.

As far as I'm concerned, the voices of Washington, black Washington, it's poetry, man. There's beauty in it.