Red, White, and Blown Up

Just as July 5 follows the Fourth of July, the latter date is reliably accompanied by a slew of articles recounting adults who accidentally blew themselves up lighting illegal fireworks.

During my college days, I began hosting a July 4 celebration on Long Island in my family’s backyard. The year my younger brother Don graduated from high school, he and his friends joined the party. Our mother had forbade the use of…