tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55716729443841446102024-02-20T23:23:27.636-08:00Digestible CraniumAmerica Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-69695050795402952732013-04-18T13:32:00.000-07:002013-04-18T13:32:02.631-07:00Recommended: "Point to Point Navigation" by Gore Vidal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>Gore Vidal's second memoir (2006) gives more</strong></div>
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<strong>insights into the man behind the mythos.</strong></div>
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<strong>There are plenty of behind-the-scenes in Hollywood</strong></div>
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<strong>tales, proper gossip and dirt-dishing, more than a </strong></div>
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<strong>fair amount of name-dropping and arrogance, and</strong></div>
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<strong>a slice of life from another time laid bare.</strong></div>
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<strong>Particularly of interest to me were the reminiscings </strong></div>
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<strong>of the final days of longtime partner, Howard,</strong></div>
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<strong>which showed both a vulnerability to Vidal as </strong></div>
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<strong>well as the very dated onus of men who grew up</strong></div>
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<strong>in an era where self-awareness was so clearly </strong></div>
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<strong>not acceptable. This environment impacted </strong></div>
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<strong>even someone as robustly individualistic as Vidal.</strong></div>
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<strong>There's a good bit of intimacy regarding aging,</strong></div>
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<strong>building new identities, loss, and coming to </strong></div>
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<strong>terms with life.</strong></div>
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<strong>There are politics (including some revelations</strong></div>
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<strong>about Vidal's personal political career I was unfamiliar </strong></div>
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<strong>with,) </strong><strong>and above all a sense of survivorhood that is </strong></div>
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<strong>made </strong><strong>clear is accessible to all who seek it.</strong></div>
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<strong>Worldly and shrewd, "Point to Point"</strong></div>
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<strong>is typical Vidal, yet exposed, with a map</strong></div>
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<strong>of an unexpected life laid bare. </strong></div>
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<strong>Love him or hate him--or, alternately, </strong></div>
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<strong>a little of both--Vidal is never boring.</strong></div>
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<strong>His lush command of language and </strong></div>
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<strong>nuance captivate from start to finish.</strong></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>
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America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-63668579933065139452013-02-19T13:06:00.001-08:002013-02-19T13:06:58.632-08:00"And So It Goes" - Linda Ellerbee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>One of my earliest experiences with being duly</strong></div>
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<strong>impressed by anyone in the media, let alone to the</strong></div>
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<strong>point of considering them a role model, had to have been </strong></div>
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<strong>Linda Ellerbee.</strong></div>
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<strong>The stoic, even-paced, high-minded anchorwoman--</strong></div>
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<strong>who had been the antithesis of glitzy and vapid fake</strong></div>
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<strong>news that had already started filling the air waves in the 1980s--</strong></div>
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<strong>was a stellar figure to me, and made a great impression.</strong></div>
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<strong>Reading her autobiography in my teens was an equally </strong></div>
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<strong>meaningful affair.</strong></div>
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<strong>With evocative, deliberate, engaging words which</strong></div>
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<strong>create a picture and tell a personal tale, Ellerbee's</strong></div>
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<strong>written word is as formidable and hypnotic as her</strong></div>
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<strong>speaking voice. Casual strength. Reserved potency.</strong></div>
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<strong>Her riveting--and quite revealing--look of the behind the scenes </strong></div>
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<strong>television market over a lengthy career made for some </strong></div>
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<strong>shocking insights. Remarkably, Ellerbee stimulates you with </strong></div>
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<strong>the personal nature of her victories, her tragedies, and her</strong></div>
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<strong>attacks without becoming a victim or a martyr. It's all</strong></div>
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<strong>just as matter-of-fact as the protagonist's signature </strong></div>
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<strong>tagline;</strong></div>
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<strong>"And so it goes."</strong></div>
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<strong>Even now, a few decades later, there is much that can be learned from </strong></div>
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<strong>the pragmatism and style of this gracious humorist and observer!</strong></div>
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America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-76852046668626510582013-02-12T10:48:00.002-08:002013-02-12T10:48:15.192-08:00"Comfort and Joy" by Jim Grimsley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>"Comfort & Joy" is a novel that continues the story of </strong></div>
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<strong>Dan Crell--</strong><strong>(from Grimsley's "Winter Birds")--</strong></div>
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<strong>a southerner with a hard past who's known poverty</strong></div>
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<strong>and all that is linked to such an origin. The holiday setting is</strong></div>
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<strong>prominent as, in both flashbacks and the present, Dan and his</strong></div>
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<strong>upper crust partner, Ford, are dealing with the demands</strong></div>
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<strong>of a relationship in conjunction with career, family obligations,</strong></div>
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<strong>and awkward uncertainty about pursuing intimacy.</strong><strong></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOMYQwIBuDel3jy6Dyo1btmnMf_3Thvj6IWTRU912oat8OpRAEKwjGFu5fExZ16zrMIXxM3UTLlUJMXJQOrRArQaJ00hlvzt_Ev9cBkaipUDlSuAs_95JxBYLc1w2GqjjnqLYSP-q8n4/s1600/imagesCAP9ZGUH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOMYQwIBuDel3jy6Dyo1btmnMf_3Thvj6IWTRU912oat8OpRAEKwjGFu5fExZ16zrMIXxM3UTLlUJMXJQOrRArQaJ00hlvzt_Ev9cBkaipUDlSuAs_95JxBYLc1w2GqjjnqLYSP-q8n4/s1600/imagesCAP9ZGUH.jpg" uea="true" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Packed with nuance and character, "Comfort & Joy" is</strong></div>
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<strong>not--contrary to the title, in the best of contradictory manners--</strong></div>
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<strong>a happy feel-good piece. It's unpredictable, human, complicated, </strong></div>
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<strong>and real. Things don't go smoothly, people don't act as we would like,</strong></div>
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<strong>and not all the answers come rushing in at appropriate times.</strong></div>
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<strong>Thank goodness.</strong></div>
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<strong>The conflicts arise from a variety of sources, including </strong></div>
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<strong>a class divide in the two men and varying degrees of</strong></div>
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<strong>contentment with their own sexuality. Throw into the mix</strong></div>
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<strong>the normal difficulties of two men being in love (aptly</strong></div>
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<strong>outlined here in both inner monologues and fight</strong></div>
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<strong>sequences,) as well as an HIV diagnosis, and there</strong></div>
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<strong>is a plenitude of engaging material.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfsoda34Lc8JuHF1bKUG7_gnoOdW4z2ZeG1mHlsnAs1JgKqET6IBa-HcqnAF6l7sjeAFPnpxotFlBtq0aWbt5ASt1r-BpEybo4HpKdtlDvLZqrH4pHrb88q3-pihX2BBvGtHUu9dSDXE/s1600/imagesCAWVNDRN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfsoda34Lc8JuHF1bKUG7_gnoOdW4z2ZeG1mHlsnAs1JgKqET6IBa-HcqnAF6l7sjeAFPnpxotFlBtq0aWbt5ASt1r-BpEybo4HpKdtlDvLZqrH4pHrb88q3-pihX2BBvGtHUu9dSDXE/s1600/imagesCAWVNDRN.jpg" uea="true" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>To read a free section preview</strong></div>
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<strong>or to order a copy, go to</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Joy-Jim-Grimsley/dp/156512250X"><strong>http://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Joy-Jim-Grimsley/dp/156512250X</strong></a></div>
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America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-13156515405766670752013-01-26T11:03:00.000-08:002013-01-26T11:07:03.481-08:00"The Good Neighbor" by Jay Quinn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Y09FVoMAj8jBg6HbBVtQIvtoxGy1v3RKcdaVIMxO_DnizPhA6HR0gpoyI0z2f1XADQGuPgCaG90SGY-BqNKe5vR_u3jh0cLjVNwuPUpRU6wKl3yLWnqjOPCWpNj-imMECTdl02ioCEM/s1600/good-neighbor-novel-jay-quinn-hardcover-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Y09FVoMAj8jBg6HbBVtQIvtoxGy1v3RKcdaVIMxO_DnizPhA6HR0gpoyI0z2f1XADQGuPgCaG90SGY-BqNKe5vR_u3jh0cLjVNwuPUpRU6wKl3yLWnqjOPCWpNj-imMECTdl02ioCEM/s1600/good-neighbor-novel-jay-quinn-hardcover-cover-art.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>"The Good Neighbor" is, as one might suspect, </strong></div>
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<strong>not a title given to complete accuracy.</strong></div>
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<strong>There may be a touch of facetiousness involved!</strong></div>
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<strong>Eternal southerner Jay Quinn dishes up a </strong></div>
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<strong>lively and intriguing story of an established gay</strong></div>
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<strong>male couple living well in an indistinguishable </strong></div>
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<strong>home in an upscale Orlando community.</strong></div>
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<strong>Barely averting midlife crises themselves,</strong></div>
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<strong>how will they respond when their new</strong></div>
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<strong>neighbors--a married straight couple with</strong></div>
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<strong>children--become wrapped up in their vortex?</strong></div>
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<strong>I loved that this story effortlessly weaves all aspects together;</strong></div>
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<strong>two very<em> different</em> relationships that nonetheless</strong></div>
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<strong>have parallels, a back story that is indulged in</strong></div>
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<strong>stops and starts, sexual tension that is splitting</strong></div>
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<strong>open everyone involved, and a pot-burner</strong></div>
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<strong>style that leaves you unsure what dastardly</strong></div>
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<strong>or unseemly thing may happen next.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>The story didn't go where I expected it to,</strong></div>
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<strong>but the ending was nonetheless satisfying </strong></div>
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<strong>and rewarding. Jay Quinn scores again, with</strong></div>
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<strong>another great work that reads like something </strong></div>
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<strong>I would have written to satisfy myself!</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3CnCQzDmA9UtJ4yoFRV9O4Wh1dQk8GMf3Q01hyTQ5QVwi3dhsbBFMUPFfdInXez_UcYsNFYww6HVDoRoF3U-EEbCDbqbSEeuheKH13ulZb42vJDuOpW4gXaN7E9TzQkQ9SN7IJ9WMDA/s1600/quinn01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3CnCQzDmA9UtJ4yoFRV9O4Wh1dQk8GMf3Q01hyTQ5QVwi3dhsbBFMUPFfdInXez_UcYsNFYww6HVDoRoF3U-EEbCDbqbSEeuheKH13ulZb42vJDuOpW4gXaN7E9TzQkQ9SN7IJ9WMDA/s1600/quinn01.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Another aspect of Jay's writing I love is that</strong></div>
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<strong>characters are murky and imperfect and don't</strong></div>
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<strong>fit into neat little boxes, and their motives</strong></div>
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<strong>remain difficult to understand, if not unclear.</strong></div>
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<strong>They're real.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Sexy, lurid, dangerous, and filled with realistic</strong></div>
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<strong>everyday bits that people in and out of relationships</strong></div>
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<strong>will identify with. If you love waiting to see 'what</strong></div>
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<strong>might happen next,' "The Good Neighbor" is for you.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.curledup.com/intquinn.htm"><strong>Interview with Jay Quinn re: "The Beloved Son"</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-63009051451289975022012-12-11T13:50:00.001-08:002012-12-11T13:50:24.536-08:00Best American Comics 2009 (edited by Charles Burns)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmCXpoZzJWzH-fNbt7rBbzpPodI0mCK4ADy2wGFk00SPlmysfFhUeQLOp2yvHtfFHiML9GObJnQSk-HpZtS_bQT_A0DbFGEDFY6CfvzXn0H-WGRx1vdXZMtJOoz2vdiQL4W3HJ34xK_0/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmCXpoZzJWzH-fNbt7rBbzpPodI0mCK4ADy2wGFk00SPlmysfFhUeQLOp2yvHtfFHiML9GObJnQSk-HpZtS_bQT_A0DbFGEDFY6CfvzXn0H-WGRx1vdXZMtJOoz2vdiQL4W3HJ34xK_0/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>"The Best American Comics" series has been producing annual </strong><br />
<strong>volumes </strong><strong>since 2006 for the "Best of" in the comics field for each </strong><br />
<strong>year. It's an excellent </strong><strong>series that highlights predominantly Indy </strong><br />
<strong>and alternative/small press comics, </strong><strong>as selected by the rotating </strong><br />
<strong>editor and series editors Jessica Abel and Matt </strong><strong>Madden, and gives</strong><br />
<strong>readers the opportunity to sample a wide array of lesser-known </strong><br />
<strong>(or less-widely-distributed) talents.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Included in this stellar volume are hundreds of pages of various </strong><br />
<strong>styles, insights, </strong><strong>and viewpoints, including; </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Tim Hensley's oddly </strong><strong>disjointed cross-generational Sixties-send ups, </strong><br />
<strong>(featuring 'Gropius',) </strong><strong>placing sharply-colored cartoonish Archies/Bingo/</strong><br />
<strong>Scooter style kids </strong><strong>comics with politically incorrect/incoherent asides.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Daniel Clowes brilliant as always with a scathing review of a </strong><br />
<strong>fictional film critic (Justin M. Damiano.)</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*A riveting tale of tape dispensers by R. Crumb and Aline Kominsky-</strong><br />
<strong>Crumb. (<span style="color: red;">below</span>)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUaa2rSs2-Q-BJIdN-cnFFCKhCPGYyNyt9X6HQDKQoz3HnF3AB4GmRpNhG6B09r10I8Zi7nwdMC3UocCa3DAzve5khT6Vfc2ObsdKJHwTHj0ZbB7j8jgbcIMX9zRhNErhmqTNEAxjgcg/s1600/imagesCA3ZCCQ1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUaa2rSs2-Q-BJIdN-cnFFCKhCPGYyNyt9X6HQDKQoz3HnF3AB4GmRpNhG6B09r10I8Zi7nwdMC3UocCa3DAzve5khT6Vfc2ObsdKJHwTHj0ZbB7j8jgbcIMX9zRhNErhmqTNEAxjgcg/s1600/imagesCA3ZCCQ1.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>*Michael Kupperman contributes a hilarious and retro copper buddy</strong><br />
<strong>story with beautifully muted colors and crazy 'ads' running alongside the </strong><br />
<strong>feature, Twain and Einstein!</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Dan Zettwoch gives flashbacks to some intricate and bizarre old </strong><br />
<strong>church bulletins he drew!</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Matt Broersma's "The Company" is a mysterious tale with a noir </strong><br />
<strong>quality and a great eye for simplified layouts (think Rizzo from "100</strong><br />
<strong>Bullets" or Sale.)</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Adrian Tomine provides one of my favorite (and linear) lengthy </strong><br />
<strong>stories </strong><strong>about obsession, real life, friends, and reminiscence. (<span style="color: red;">below</span>)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA-72DQCJfAB0yDI8BBekh6XObWGBaV2hwXoGvo7bCx93O3S3uZ1CViE5YxoS3BtFS3cMCsWGt1Fb7JHiw9caS17gSEv3HIsaGBxcCp6hE1dIbn9sWzrLWebBFCMklSPFpYjtnM_aNgo/s1600/imagesCAII2RFO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA-72DQCJfAB0yDI8BBekh6XObWGBaV2hwXoGvo7bCx93O3S3uZ1CViE5YxoS3BtFS3cMCsWGt1Fb7JHiw9caS17gSEv3HIsaGBxcCp6hE1dIbn9sWzrLWebBFCMklSPFpYjtnM_aNgo/s1600/imagesCAII2RFO.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>*Mimi Pond details an artist's search for a place to draw from in</strong><br />
<strong> 'Over Easy.' (<span style="color: red;">below</span>)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCOzsU7Trg__S-J4xEe0EKiMZtnlECICcJqQ2MBeImQQOCtG12ajVhAD1s_ZxgzBtR47TZ3lw29kvS4nL9y5RZQtPUL4S4LU9O_zowecFlG2I53RsWLLDVK24KsUcCBGxs82bLudmCSw/s1600/imagesCAUZU5D4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCOzsU7Trg__S-J4xEe0EKiMZtnlECICcJqQ2MBeImQQOCtG12ajVhAD1s_ZxgzBtR47TZ3lw29kvS4nL9y5RZQtPUL4S4LU9O_zowecFlG2I53RsWLLDVK24KsUcCBGxs82bLudmCSw/s1600/imagesCAUZU5D4.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>*Art Spiegelman does a brilliant job showcasing the abilities of the </strong><br />
<strong>comic as </strong><strong>a morphing, living creation, in short order.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Gabrielle Bell gives a fantastic autobiographical aside with a nice piece</strong><br />
<strong>called "When I was Eleven" (Think 'Alison Bechdel.')</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Gary Panter's "Daltokyo" gave my mind a workout!</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>*Jerry Moriarty's grotesques laid over 1950s imagery (no words) were </strong><br />
<strong>extremely powerful and evocative</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Dash Shaw's "The Galactic Funnels" tells a weird story of Dan Dak and</strong><br />
<strong>Stan Smart with romance, competition, intellectual property theft, </strong><br />
<strong>and science fiction as a few of the cool themes employed.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Jason Lutes' Berlin is excerpted with its devastatingly realistic slice</strong><br />
<strong>of domestic violence in the midst of war-torn Germany. Survival isn't pretty.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Tony Millionare's quirky monkeys and birds never fail to satisfy.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Chapter Two of Sammy Harkham's "Black Death" is a two-tone treat </strong><br />
<strong>of whimsical </strong><strong>art that belies a darker story nature. Some gorgeous work </strong><br />
<strong>(think Herve', Peyo, and other masters.)</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Chris Ware's "Jordan W. Lint" is a massive (seemingly) autobio-</strong><br />
<strong>graphical journey through some </strong><strong>key points of the man's life, with </strong><br />
<strong>extraordinary layouts and structure as </strong><strong>we have come to expect from Ware.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*A warm and nicely developed story of some latchkey kids, "Freaks" by </strong><br />
<strong>Laura </strong><strong>Park is a great piece. (<span style="color: red;">below</span>)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8skYVYGMGGPOTP1hg_Xt4NFR5dzN1_HjgnJH4E3vmvGNZrErX9Kqrdqfhq2ZKlGjSgOLXvapciVazJxIg_kVHaU9RzCnm35dq69H3nY9VAnHoNjVTb-q8x846zYlK_VzL9l5SgaQszY/s1600/imagesCAXGVVJY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8skYVYGMGGPOTP1hg_Xt4NFR5dzN1_HjgnJH4E3vmvGNZrErX9Kqrdqfhq2ZKlGjSgOLXvapciVazJxIg_kVHaU9RzCnm35dq69H3nY9VAnHoNjVTb-q8x846zYlK_VzL9l5SgaQszY/s1600/imagesCAXGVVJY.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>*An excerpt from the awesome graphic novel "Skim" (previewed by me</strong><br />
<strong>here:</strong><strong><a href="http://crazyoncomics.blogspot.com/2009/12/skim-graphic-novel.html">"Skim"</a> ) </strong><strong>by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki is also included.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Appropriately titled (har har!) 'Antoinette' by Koren Shadmi is a hoot.</strong><br />
<br />
*<strong>Al Columbia gives a shocking and subtle insight into a dark side of the</strong><br />
<strong>American dream, with a scant few panels and no words, merely intricate, </strong><br />
<strong>spookily-</strong><strong>detailed art that paints a picture that draws you in.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*A disturbing journey from Gilbert Hernandez called 'Papa' </strong><strong>details a </strong><br />
<strong>man's difficult trip filled with hardships and maladies surreal and scary.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>*Anders Nilsen does a beautiful job of creating a macabre and mysterious </strong><br />
<strong>scene </strong><strong>with a style reminiscent of Moebius.</strong><br />
<br />
*<strong>"Glenn Ganges in 'Pulverize'" by Kevin Huizenga is a wonderful tale of </strong><br />
<strong>the appeal of </strong><strong>video games to grown men, a sliver of the dot com bubble's </strong><br />
<strong>impact, an indictment </strong><strong>of bosses who want to be your friends, and other </strong><br />
<strong>joys of auto-biographical comics. (<span style="color: red;">below</span>)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zuIRYvJQ-zKWf9dacq9mJvMeZhR3sKGfPbaOhuaMgju0cO7dM2PCNK-cHUwY6WHiFoTDb2pf6VQLxKkKk3C-ZfApDwsbKzA2WvulEjmM8q1UxLIZMssZYNKWAMbsNqf204Ohohs5t_4/s1600/imagesCA11Q5MO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zuIRYvJQ-zKWf9dacq9mJvMeZhR3sKGfPbaOhuaMgju0cO7dM2PCNK-cHUwY6WHiFoTDb2pf6VQLxKkKk3C-ZfApDwsbKzA2WvulEjmM8q1UxLIZMssZYNKWAMbsNqf204Ohohs5t_4/s1600/imagesCA11Q5MO.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>Best to read one at a time, so the taste savors. Reading through causes the</strong><br />
<strong>bleed and every tale has such a distinctly different feel it's not as satisfying.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>I do love crazy and discombobulated flotsam and jetsam, and art for </strong><br />
<strong>art's sake, but I'm still predominantly a fan of actual stories, points of </strong><br />
<strong>views, tales. This </strong><strong>has plenty...but it also has anthropomorphic hi jinks </strong><br />
<strong>and acid-tripping wing nuts </strong><strong>depicting chaos-filled minds, too!</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>A splendid collection showcasing the diversity of sequential art story-tellers</strong><br />
<strong>and a great introduction for someone who still doesn't realize the depth that</strong><br />
<strong>'mere comics' can have.</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Comics-2009/dp/061898965X"><strong>Order "Best American Comics 2009" online</strong></a><br />
<br />
**********************************************************America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-90002658276428910682012-11-12T10:33:00.003-08:002012-11-12T10:33:37.509-08:00Veteran's Day for All<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Pd9qlI7fiQrwsOseYwmKGBLibrRHObhjYyVx4mL_zgMyfDT57b4_NA_dk3StJ1D14ji78G0fpKVuEpOs2zl7lPz-OaMymU-qLe4m5jhZ3s4X1Y1p1EO_3BPd4fUdJjhKRHn9RJzXc9k/s1600/imagesCAEJDRZS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Pd9qlI7fiQrwsOseYwmKGBLibrRHObhjYyVx4mL_zgMyfDT57b4_NA_dk3StJ1D14ji78G0fpKVuEpOs2zl7lPz-OaMymU-qLe4m5jhZ3s4X1Y1p1EO_3BPd4fUdJjhKRHn9RJzXc9k/s1600/imagesCAEJDRZS.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<a href="http://howwewon.com/booksummary/"><strong>How We Won</strong></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXnSNcwoB4DDlskggY9b0Ncc9BnTGO8J8N_aThwZ8FJlnw_uSOS0dfdaQHGKEPmfvWFs502mdnQB-tNf05iG2MwDj-DTqUuN5eELq9H7gie3iHYTYhnUGVMk_tKYorm1ydK1tXpB4j9I/s1600/imagesCA3JOMBZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXnSNcwoB4DDlskggY9b0Ncc9BnTGO8J8N_aThwZ8FJlnw_uSOS0dfdaQHGKEPmfvWFs502mdnQB-tNf05iG2MwDj-DTqUuN5eELq9H7gie3iHYTYhnUGVMk_tKYorm1ydK1tXpB4j9I/s1600/imagesCA3JOMBZ.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/book-review--fear-and-loathing-behind-the-lines-conduct-unbecoming--randy-shilts-penguin-12-pounds-and-gays-and-the-military--ed-marc-wolinsky--kenneth-sherrill-princeton-1095-pounds-1467099.html"><strong>Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military</strong></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GGosM879kAwptQlUlzCcPgR-CH4rTQOmjg0BRNgg7EeeEzY5smu_vQdonbvyQTUSGFh0wGiFxOU6HqGS1ZBYYV6VSNpuU1k-bhJN5VhUnjGBjvUJlCyua2a-ti2EUL5BCmOG_v-WEBE/s1600/imagesCAVRNN8N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GGosM879kAwptQlUlzCcPgR-CH4rTQOmjg0BRNgg7EeeEzY5smu_vQdonbvyQTUSGFh0wGiFxOU6HqGS1ZBYYV6VSNpuU1k-bhJN5VhUnjGBjvUJlCyua2a-ti2EUL5BCmOG_v-WEBE/s1600/imagesCAVRNN8N.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Tell-Lesbian-Veterans-Speak/dp/B005MWS5KS"><strong>Ask and Tell</strong></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjb3SjNqy7JKCJm2LovlA-7VLqa2nbIwv9X7EjxjksrBXjnOGOIivqu0yh504smrSAayeaBVOVkzPLqs0MC4q9RAIXraXyUuy6ZH465DSYa3XnrWx6VfVAw8NTkQ8QA8KZlpVll913IA/s1600/imagesCAQKD8LB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjb3SjNqy7JKCJm2LovlA-7VLqa2nbIwv9X7EjxjksrBXjnOGOIivqu0yh504smrSAayeaBVOVkzPLqs0MC4q9RAIXraXyUuy6ZH465DSYa3XnrWx6VfVAw8NTkQ8QA8KZlpVll913IA/s1600/imagesCAQKD8LB.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/187397-1"><strong>Secret Service: Untold Stories of Lesbians in the Military</strong></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.unfriendlyfire.org/"><strong>Unfriendly Fire</strong></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZeyG8onZmQjVNx5OvHJ0WzlxfOJi3OD-FJD_vjeM7y_KUD3NHBKuo2PQUA1ymec8mknnIZB-1zmlgKqcoeKIc7obIkdbPdf8gc9BF1iZ-iN-Kr8q7iJI9Wt-NnffrINXhBBeZxdTwCU/s1600/imagesCA4QU64P.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZeyG8onZmQjVNx5OvHJ0WzlxfOJi3OD-FJD_vjeM7y_KUD3NHBKuo2PQUA1ymec8mknnIZB-1zmlgKqcoeKIc7obIkdbPdf8gc9BF1iZ-iN-Kr8q7iJI9Wt-NnffrINXhBBeZxdTwCU/s1600/imagesCA4QU64P.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://joshseefried.com/#"><strong>Our Time</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>
America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-73480756528539437492012-11-06T08:01:00.000-08:002012-11-06T08:01:55.981-08:00Books About Mittens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWK2guVyAzX6n0CLOBpQsJoITPNnOJL0PO6T2pZHT3at41PNvKN0dWAn9TPsrlgFd4Kn-JtOL8UElF77fmknGFlAFsOUoEU7WvGtqgs1Yn77Zh6p6fUVsKcfRI08B-Uve2DBXQPy3PjQ/s1600/imagesCAWXZ97L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWK2guVyAzX6n0CLOBpQsJoITPNnOJL0PO6T2pZHT3at41PNvKN0dWAn9TPsrlgFd4Kn-JtOL8UElF77fmknGFlAFsOUoEU7WvGtqgs1Yn77Zh6p6fUVsKcfRI08B-Uve2DBXQPy3PjQ/s1600/imagesCAWXZ97L.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.romneyexposed.com/category/book-review/"><strong>Two Books Reveal Romney's Truth</strong></a></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>
America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-82533872849002332192012-11-03T14:18:00.000-07:002012-11-03T14:21:37.652-07:00"Mississippi Mud: Southern Justice and the Dixie Mafia" by Edward Humes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Ak6cAwQlnXWN6vghH2S3Qfe_b7dE4ny75foSrtakNuvEDGmrakEtEdmsn_09IDaxjmQDanEMXC_5xDRFrvpN8ni8OpCl7Q09_UUR8X-MtUILZ2xLdxcRXk1gYXMgOsEr8OhM-NaXTc/s1600/mississippimud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Ak6cAwQlnXWN6vghH2S3Qfe_b7dE4ny75foSrtakNuvEDGmrakEtEdmsn_09IDaxjmQDanEMXC_5xDRFrvpN8ni8OpCl7Q09_UUR8X-MtUILZ2xLdxcRXk1gYXMgOsEr8OhM-NaXTc/s320/mississippimud.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong>Mississippi Mud is a true story revolving around the mysterious murders</strong><br />
<strong>of two prominent Biloxi, Mississippi residents in the late 1980s. </strong><strong>The book </strong><br />
<strong>painstakingly and dramatically reenacts the goings on </strong><strong>in the underbelly </strong><br />
<strong>of this Southern Strip of corruption and crime (run by the 'Dixie Mafia')</strong><br />
<strong>and the murky interactions of a handful of southern undesirables </strong><strong>that led </strong><br />
<strong>up to the deaths of husband and wife, Vincent and Margaret Sherry.</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><strong>Through the eyes of police detectives, con artists, lifers, hired </strong><strong>killers, </strong><strong>and, </strong><strong>most poignantly--the tireless avenger of the Sherrys, </strong><strong>their eldest </strong><br />
<strong>daughter, Lynne--a storyline is set up that will keep </strong><strong>readers rapt. (At </strong><br />
<strong>one point, the information presented seemed to indicate rather an</strong><br />
<strong>extensive selection of potential suspects.)</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Humes beautifully orchestrates the manipulation of </strong><strong>timeline and massive</strong><br />
<strong>amounts of information. Taken from interviews, transcripts, testimony, </strong><br />
<strong>public records, <strong>newspaper articles,</strong> police reports, news reports, and a good</strong><br />
<strong>bit of detective work, the voluminous information is presented in a pot-boiler</strong><br />
<strong>manner so that you are unable to predict what will </strong><strong>happen next.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>And yet there is a comprehensible, easily-absorbed sense as he makes</strong><br />
<strong>the torrent of information seem effortless. There is such a rich, vast story</strong><br />
<strong>here, painting the humanity of the Sherrys and connecting the readers to</strong><br />
<strong>them as if they were our own family...as though we are the ones gnawing </strong><br />
<strong>and climbing the walls over the frustrating lack of justice and the far reaches </strong><br />
<strong>of the city's corruption.</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil27R2xeFM9C2lUNgRhetE5KYvvMGYMePvv10k-ovTh6KpGnmqkXtFmpV0nXaFykD9RdgTlYGagH1p28Wm8eHPGfMeavQBzS-hUbcAGzwL8eRviV0VhEO4zIvQt4ms8BnAqzmoTmwS4xU/s1600/mississippi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil27R2xeFM9C2lUNgRhetE5KYvvMGYMePvv10k-ovTh6KpGnmqkXtFmpV0nXaFykD9RdgTlYGagH1p28Wm8eHPGfMeavQBzS-hUbcAGzwL8eRviV0VhEO4zIvQt4ms8BnAqzmoTmwS4xU/s400/mississippi.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<strong><br /></strong><strong>This is the exhaustive study of how two lives of essentially regular</strong><br />
<strong>people </strong><strong>can become trivialized by a system filled with corruption, </strong><br />
<strong>incompetence, </strong><strong>and intimidation. The Southern mafia, perhaps seemingly</strong><br />
<strong>a joke at first, </strong><strong>becomes a very real and frightening wall of power that, </strong><br />
<strong>as anyone who has lived </strong><strong>in the south for five minutes can attest, is a </strong><br />
<strong>very real and frightening thing.</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><strong>Kirksey Nix with all his swagger and charm and homilies and smarts </strong><br />
<strong>doesn't have anything on Stalin or Mussolini in the sociopath depart-</strong><br />
<strong>ment, </strong><strong>and he's an all-too common face of the new criminal. The </strong><br />
<strong>devastation of all the </strong><strong>harm done by his schemes--from the comfort </strong><br />
<strong>of a prison cell--is staggering.</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><strong>The heroine of the book, Lynne Sposito (daughter of the murder </strong><strong>victims) </strong><strong>pushes on well past the point most would have dissolved into </strong><br />
<strong>tears or fallen </strong><strong>to pieces; facing </strong><strong>death threats, the concerns for family </strong><br />
<strong>safety, stress and grief, </strong><strong>and a burden that seemed as though it might </strong><br />
<strong>never end...her parents possibly </strong><strong>never receiving closure on their lives.</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInyZcTriLWqcdio89bliumk4RL6aTq31CSe_fZIdunhfX16NJYBi8iRhXGwOKqj7jo_495QfPa-AzRa-wF3a5tMg1tlMnf77i2MbGI2gC_MCy393e43j2eZxZBDgne7jyv1aHk_5otl0/s1600/Humes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" oea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInyZcTriLWqcdio89bliumk4RL6aTq31CSe_fZIdunhfX16NJYBi8iRhXGwOKqj7jo_495QfPa-AzRa-wF3a5tMg1tlMnf77i2MbGI2gC_MCy393e43j2eZxZBDgne7jyv1aHk_5otl0/s1600/Humes.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong><em>(Note of warning: DON'T look at the photos included in the book </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>until </em></strong><strong><em>you've read it! Even though placed in the middle, the captions </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>accompanying </em></strong><strong><em>the photos for the central characters gave away </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>results not found until the </em></strong><strong><em>end of the book, destroying much of </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>the suspense!)</em></strong><br />
<br />America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-82142686034727890792012-09-28T11:30:00.001-07:002012-09-28T11:30:54.323-07:00Banned Books Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeWBQ9aaAfFwTrCfrT8X2EZGecAvCqb8USQuJKNWy9oggSkzSrBUDQMGF10PljVbfaLuXpS-0EvNefpNIsKTp8J9Xtv7IzrqHefqp4hyphenhyphenuSYXlMPDd9uh5xUIduC_bLVKtAcRitSFzUi0/s1600/50statelogowebadge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeWBQ9aaAfFwTrCfrT8X2EZGecAvCqb8USQuJKNWy9oggSkzSrBUDQMGF10PljVbfaLuXpS-0EvNefpNIsKTp8J9Xtv7IzrqHefqp4hyphenhyphenuSYXlMPDd9uh5xUIduC_bLVKtAcRitSFzUi0/s1600/50statelogowebadge.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Do yourself, your mind, your family,</strong></div>
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<strong>and your community a favor and help</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>support "Banned Books Week."</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Order yourself a banned or challenged </strong></div>
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<strong>book you've never read, or pass on</strong></div>
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<strong>a copy of a banned book to a new reader.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Get informed about the extensive history</strong></div>
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<strong>of censorship and the fight against</strong></div>
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<strong>intellectual freedom that has gone on</strong></div>
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<strong>for so long.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Recommend a banned or controversial</strong></div>
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<strong>book for a book club, or<em> start up </em></strong></div>
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<strong>a book club!</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Here are a few of my favorite books which have</strong></div>
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<strong>been censored, banned, or challenged</strong></div>
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<strong>at one time or another:</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby"><strong>"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Separate_Peace"><strong>"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brideshead_Revisited"><strong>"Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye"><strong>"The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird"><strong>"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_trilogy"><strong>"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Cold_Blood"><strong>"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote</strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Order from your library, local bookseller, </strong><strong>or online resource </strong></div>
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<strong>today and support these </strong><strong>great works;</strong></div>
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<strong>Celebrate your right and ability to read!</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Be intellectually free and uninhibited--</strong></div>
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<strong>don't let anyone tell you what to think, </strong></div>
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<strong>how to feel, or what your interests 'should' be!</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek"><strong>ALA.ORG : Banned Books Week Info</strong></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnqMhbG3AYpzP1aFgIhcYmpyw8JZSQF5HlDjA6XAilGuhF6kbVkj4a0U6uJdRnvik78h36yQxWbWeJsi9sD8jSAlgfJuPSc16kuOTN6sAUa8_HqPIGBRZcNOTZPQsL_jaAm78tvnX_2U/s1600/readoutbadge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnqMhbG3AYpzP1aFgIhcYmpyw8JZSQF5HlDjA6XAilGuhF6kbVkj4a0U6uJdRnvik78h36yQxWbWeJsi9sD8jSAlgfJuPSc16kuOTN6sAUa8_HqPIGBRZcNOTZPQsL_jaAm78tvnX_2U/s1600/readoutbadge.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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***</div>
America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-3873733862677347602012-09-21T12:16:00.002-07:002012-09-21T12:16:50.921-07:00"The City and the Pillar" by Gore Vidal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklf3aGKjfkJp8epBPATJzHXDMK7u6WXHwYjJ1bNfIgDQjW3mqBb841sxSWrnjeZqDeiownr2XNxMarKoPZpkJDNFzVx2IcRt9CS-rNis6cD6A0x9DAOsgpE5xvjMCbdS4W2HSBekAOMA/s1600/TCATP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklf3aGKjfkJp8epBPATJzHXDMK7u6WXHwYjJ1bNfIgDQjW3mqBb841sxSWrnjeZqDeiownr2XNxMarKoPZpkJDNFzVx2IcRt9CS-rNis6cD6A0x9DAOsgpE5xvjMCbdS4W2HSBekAOMA/s1600/TCATP.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>I read the 1965, revised edition, including an afterword and</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>an essay by Vidal, "Sex and the Law," taken from the 1964</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Partisan Review. (The essay is, in itself, worth picking up</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>the book for; like the novel, it is fascinating, and still highly</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>relevant as it discloses how religion and 'morality' colors</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>the law of sex--and why that is inappropriate!)</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>The novel is of historical significance as it is lauded as the first</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>fiction book to deal directly and even explicitly with homosexuality</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>as a matter-of-fact condition, gay relations, and gay sex.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>One consistent thought while reading this prose was how aptly </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>the humanity was portrayed, and how timeless the human experience</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>is; the book was written by Vidal in 1946 and published in 1948, </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>yet remains relatable today..</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaCeT4JOAcvTouyehVrISlNcZ_-TTwfUoKpDtmAlmN1hYCMZ1lF02RLi_G98a1j2L4dH2J_l-wUxIDKbJBO0arY9upZheQS4fRoLo8gjQ3WR8cMwPrjZnb9sMIzc_fHGm-S5JjdOfjQ0/s1600/TCATP2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaCeT4JOAcvTouyehVrISlNcZ_-TTwfUoKpDtmAlmN1hYCMZ1lF02RLi_G98a1j2L4dH2J_l-wUxIDKbJBO0arY9upZheQS4fRoLo8gjQ3WR8cMwPrjZnb9sMIzc_fHGm-S5JjdOfjQ0/s1600/TCATP2.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>I should point out that the depiction of gay life is not only </strong></div>
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<strong>'no picnic,' but there is an unsettling and vile edge to much</strong></div>
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<strong>of the book. The ending in particular is quite unpleasant--</strong></div>
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<strong>to say the least--and this was the <em>revised</em> edition. The original's </strong></div>
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<strong>'resolution' was far more damning.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>(I don't say this to prevent anyone from reading it; I actually</strong></div>
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<strong>feel it's a poignant and truthful view of what growing up</strong></div>
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<strong>as an outsider in one's own body--and own country--does </strong></div>
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<strong>to us. But it is stark, and not for the feint of heart.)</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAjSs1gYjlyAhRhPMuSjZlwQG9bUzjkDHsZRusWuZ9QVQl8QBX4ji8Nb5fF5aduOEEGu6X-dpVBIAM09kRduR-9iyBpBgpJP7VVS_pbDR3EmM92BaZR3fndfYGu8JdQqom-0U0gpzflg/s1600/YoungVidal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAjSs1gYjlyAhRhPMuSjZlwQG9bUzjkDHsZRusWuZ9QVQl8QBX4ji8Nb5fF5aduOEEGu6X-dpVBIAM09kRduR-9iyBpBgpJP7VVS_pbDR3EmM92BaZR3fndfYGu8JdQqom-0U0gpzflg/s1600/YoungVidal.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>The story centers on a young man from Virginia who</strong></div>
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<strong>becomes obsessed about a relationship with a childhood friend </strong></div>
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<strong>in the 1930s/1940s. As the primary youngster (Jim Willard)</strong></div>
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<strong>leaves home and begins to live his life and explore his </strong></div>
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<strong>feelings, his path alters from expectation...but the idealistic</strong></div>
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<strong>notion of reuniting with his first love is never far from mind.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkCzmen_e9DaN0OxiOHxlwx4axw-9JB4L0ITJUWQVdqf4D0bE-_JUYvODG2-7OMuhen32tnmAqVVUcMMPwRkEEz9bGa9vrvisYFuH15_iQcWP7x_N-Vyas2ksIlwxR4UNs2BroH00kCU/s1600/Gore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" hea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkCzmen_e9DaN0OxiOHxlwx4axw-9JB4L0ITJUWQVdqf4D0bE-_JUYvODG2-7OMuhen32tnmAqVVUcMMPwRkEEz9bGa9vrvisYFuH15_iQcWP7x_N-Vyas2ksIlwxR4UNs2BroH00kCU/s1600/Gore.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Throughout the course of several years and several </strong></div>
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<strong>dissatisfying relationships, Jim grows up and becomes</strong></div>
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<strong>fairly hardened by the nature of 'the gay life.' (However,</strong></div>
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<strong>as in real life, he is hyper-critical of others while always failing </strong></div>
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<strong>to see <em>his </em>culpability in these matters! I imagine there's quite </strong></div>
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<strong>a bit of Vidal's hubris inherent there.)</strong></div>
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<strong>I don't want to give away the plot turns, so I'll say no</strong></div>
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<strong>more as to the details. But this is a rich, provocative,</strong></div>
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<strong>simply--yet elegantly--written work that captures </strong></div>
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<strong>your attention and keeps you attuned to the developments </strong></div>
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<strong>in this troubled young man's life, and the lives of those</strong></div>
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<strong>whose path he crosses.</strong></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>
America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-39877008251144770572012-08-09T12:47:00.002-07:002012-08-09T12:47:48.160-07:00"The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain" by Tali Sharot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwsX0HQlCfEEm5jWNTJ_PpFm2mJ5rtF2TDIq-HGPK7jA6QveFDIvwdXvBFAYjr0MdieojQ26TaY6sD8ZQLrPyHOLcu-YYmSIWZYKQGcqJbAMCAlxoTBLbWs27c506zmhQkLihS38MA-s/s1600/TheOptimismBias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwsX0HQlCfEEm5jWNTJ_PpFm2mJ5rtF2TDIq-HGPK7jA6QveFDIvwdXvBFAYjr0MdieojQ26TaY6sD8ZQLrPyHOLcu-YYmSIWZYKQGcqJbAMCAlxoTBLbWs27c506zmhQkLihS38MA-s/s1600/TheOptimismBias.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><strong>"The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain"</strong></u></div>
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<strong>Tali Sharot is a neuroscientist grad from New York University </strong></div>
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<strong>who for years has studied the effect on neural biology and </strong></div>
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<strong>emotional landscapes and how other factors influence</strong></div>
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<strong>and determine people's sense of optimism and hopefulness</strong></div>
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<strong>(or lack thereof.)</strong></div>
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<strong>This book deals with the scientific through studies, surveys, </strong></div>
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<strong>animal research, and other methods including analogy and case</strong></div>
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<strong>studies, but </strong><strong>never becomes tedious. The way she develops </strong></div>
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<strong>her theories and layers her insights is interesting, and the facts</strong></div>
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<strong>and findings are of use to anyone who has dealt with </strong></div>
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<strong>negativity, hopelessness, depression, or passiveness.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_BEeQlzVFMtLRe9oZuRYakBMxjlqHqasU7Cfrg73A_11dJiaMYpRIqxO_2bgliPVBHMmAvQ04_XmE_7f9bPFTjE4LGAqJO0fzFf_fxvMeq-PmyUWW0jRjA8PRXLmTd8IHw-FGQOqWkI/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_BEeQlzVFMtLRe9oZuRYakBMxjlqHqasU7Cfrg73A_11dJiaMYpRIqxO_2bgliPVBHMmAvQ04_XmE_7f9bPFTjE4LGAqJO0fzFf_fxvMeq-PmyUWW0jRjA8PRXLmTd8IHw-FGQOqWkI/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>Some of the findings might seem banal (as well as obvious) on the </strong></div>
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<strong>surface, but then the way the information is applied and connected to other</strong></div>
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<strong>findings is what stands out. For example, one section tells how those with </strong></div>
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<strong>privilege have hope and optimism, more so than those without, and how</strong></div>
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<strong>those without comforts have a realistic view of the world. But despite </strong></div>
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<strong>the insightfulness of a realistic view, is it preferable?</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>This is more than sociology and psychology; this is delving into the</strong></div>
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<strong>workings of the brain, and how it is designed to safeguard us from being</strong></div>
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<strong>whelmed by our human ability to anticipate and expect and plan.</strong></div>
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<strong>What happens when the understood threat of death, disease, frailty, loss, and </strong></div>
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<strong>more become too loud in our heads, no longer distracted by the brain's</strong></div>
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<strong>fail safe of hope and optimism?</strong></div>
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<strong>Depression.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuDB90TTqUEMbfMB59mS6WzIEt4fOJIe3XRnb_h5__Lf1g45qPRKRn4uD6aiQiMJGpO5RUvEVfxdpf3JRaVWCHawI9eqBy1olkxCHiT2i1TKB8bCWnwwTT-ZfIFRnqtNREMv6J9ayydA/s1600/TaliSharot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuDB90TTqUEMbfMB59mS6WzIEt4fOJIe3XRnb_h5__Lf1g45qPRKRn4uD6aiQiMJGpO5RUvEVfxdpf3JRaVWCHawI9eqBy1olkxCHiT2i1TKB8bCWnwwTT-ZfIFRnqtNREMv6J9ayydA/s1600/TaliSharot.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Sharot delineates one of the most masterful explanations of how</strong></div>
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<strong>depression develops and how it can be combated that I have</strong></div>
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<strong>read in the last 25 years. </strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>One area of particular note; Expectations. A person's</strong></div>
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<strong>expectations weigh heavily on outcomes--their own and other</strong></div>
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<strong>people's. Expectation of a positive result breeds more positive </strong></div>
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<strong>mood, despite the actual eventual result. Thus who are falsely positive </strong></div>
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<strong>benefit from reduced anxieties, depressive moods, worry, and other</strong></div>
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<strong>problems that assault someone who tends to picture the worst</strong></div>
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<strong>case scenarios--no matter that it may be more likely!</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>If you've ever wondered why your mindset of worry can't </strong></div>
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<strong>seem to be changed, or just how and why 'Ignorance is bliss,' </strong></div>
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<strong>check </strong><strong>out this fascinating read.</strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tali-Sharot/e/B004ANWOX4"><strong>Sample Reading</strong></a><br /><br /><strong>***</strong></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-67100315265576869202012-07-03T08:52:00.000-07:002012-07-03T08:52:55.131-07:00"Going Solo" by Eric Klinenberg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RIkbKUUQtwLddcFTZIDEpipXpoOZhq7_Y3TJlUUkWJoI6YkE21WH6X5BMpV2DI6LoOQavN5yRQRgIIQbbEYhjNuzxIoFwxDIbNl30rXeyZo4D_lBUwm_EeaYEscs6jcm5TrDH_PbHJw/s1600/arts.nationalpost.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RIkbKUUQtwLddcFTZIDEpipXpoOZhq7_Y3TJlUUkWJoI6YkE21WH6X5BMpV2DI6LoOQavN5yRQRgIIQbbEYhjNuzxIoFwxDIbNl30rXeyZo4D_lBUwm_EeaYEscs6jcm5TrDH_PbHJw/s1600/arts.nationalpost.bmp" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>"Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal</strong></div>
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<strong>of Living Alone" is a tremendously interesting and </strong></div>
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<strong>(perhaps more importantly) helpful read.</strong></div>
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<strong>Eric Klinenberg uses statistics and the history of</strong></div>
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<strong>Singletons (people living on their own, as he coins it)</strong></div>
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<strong>in such an insightful and fascinating way that you never </strong></div>
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<strong>feel as though you're reading a non-fiction book.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Because it's not a matter of dry textual analysis, but</strong></div>
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<strong>rather an exploration of the sociology behind living solo,</strong></div>
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<strong>and it's populated by tales of people in all manner of situations</strong></div>
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<strong>throughout the past 100 years, delving into minds and </strong></div>
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<strong>emotions and social trends.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>It showed me a whole new aspect of our modern lifestyle </strong></div>
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<strong>as well as the development of this country over time.</strong></div>
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<strong>What it also did, though, was make me feel better</strong></div>
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<strong>about my choice to live single, and solo.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCoa-k74duqbSVu5kflfJABpJcshy-YKHdnzdVg6FiDUPiGTrZNsSNOHFg4ljfRjC5UAXF9g8MNi_6bsgGq_PeUu9JWnlf14iybJU59SIchabbcRkY_OVJtOM-8-eh_MjTUBCQIrG-8U/s1600/emusic.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCoa-k74duqbSVu5kflfJABpJcshy-YKHdnzdVg6FiDUPiGTrZNsSNOHFg4ljfRjC5UAXF9g8MNi_6bsgGq_PeUu9JWnlf14iybJU59SIchabbcRkY_OVJtOM-8-eh_MjTUBCQIrG-8U/s1600/emusic.bmp" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Klinenberg is very adept at walking a middle-ground </strong></div>
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<strong>with his presentation;</strong></div>
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<strong>very fair-minded and even-handed with his findings,</strong></div>
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<strong>even though he does obviously hold his own perspective.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>The reasons for the trend in people deciding to live alone is </strong></div>
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<strong>respectfully handled, and the advocacy for more</strong></div>
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<strong>understanding of the lifestyle is promoted. By penetrating</strong></div>
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<strong>the veil of society's (somewhat weakening) antagonism </strong></div>
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<strong>against people who don't marry/start families/have </strong></div>
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<strong>roommates (it's still alive and well in many areas, </strong></div>
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<strong>including the Bible-swamped South where I live,)</strong></div>
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<strong>there is a new sense of acceptance and tolerance<br />that has been lacking.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>This is definitely a reality of our world that has</strong></div>
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<strong>not seen adequate coverage in media.</strong></div>
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<strong>(From a non-biased POV, at least!)</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavLCcwsZFFzoO8j14WZRTIbtXQYkOIgt1qgc1BWZyL6XwIcUNvjAMEa5odK-ijye8_pb5rYM9W5F5bXcuDXASJDzNbLBCWOqQEcZh349UwjW7UqWwu7M81guf4faR8bNIu95iPRWaPa0/s1600/EricKlinenberg.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavLCcwsZFFzoO8j14WZRTIbtXQYkOIgt1qgc1BWZyL6XwIcUNvjAMEa5odK-ijye8_pb5rYM9W5F5bXcuDXASJDzNbLBCWOqQEcZh349UwjW7UqWwu7M81guf4faR8bNIu95iPRWaPa0/s1600/EricKlinenberg.bmp" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Pretty much all aspects of the phenomenon are covered--</strong></div>
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<strong>from the elderly to post-divorce singles to</strong></div>
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<strong>the new trend for all kids in a family having their own rooms.</strong></div>
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<strong>The way this book helped me was to show me that invisible pocket </strong></div>
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<strong>of humanity that lives and believes and works the same</strong></div>
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<strong>way as I do. Sometimes the idea of being the only person</strong></div>
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<strong>on the planet that feels or lives a certain way can be stifling.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>There is a definite sense of camaraderie in feeling</strong></div>
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<strong>'together in our aloneness!'</strong></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-85533323347258848612012-05-25T10:37:00.003-07:002012-05-25T10:37:56.400-07:00"The Sense of an Ending" - Julian Barnes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXiohgtEUymicnmCuv3bkOIZtH6zIKa8isRVWxhepxSFfc8chvO6jX0DeHU4GOM4OmF4kj6VgM7VS5ckuxs97RYs-fU6SwGStw6zHc86CDD1s2I_sxUJSY5iLZR5tYEXT6ctv_vD6Cro/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXiohgtEUymicnmCuv3bkOIZtH6zIKa8isRVWxhepxSFfc8chvO6jX0DeHU4GOM4OmF4kj6VgM7VS5ckuxs97RYs-fU6SwGStw6zHc86CDD1s2I_sxUJSY5iLZR5tYEXT6ctv_vD6Cro/s1600/images.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>"The Sense of an Ending" is a gripping reflection</strong></div>
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<strong>of a life half-lived, as the title character notes the</strong></div>
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<strong>changes in his life and the impending nature</strong></div>
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<strong>of the grave.</strong></div>
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<strong>In his sixties now, Tony has begun excavating his</strong></div>
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<strong>past in hopes of finding some answers, spurred on</strong></div>
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<strong>by a mystery surrounding a former</strong></div>
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<strong>lover and events of a lifetime ago.</strong></div>
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<strong>What bearing does the suicide of a college</strong></div>
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<strong>friend have on the present? Will history repeat itself?</strong></div>
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<strong>Is Tony's life salvageable?</strong></div>
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<strong>What are the motivations behind his</strong></div>
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<strong>ex and her angry, aloof, ominous presence?</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8n9QF6sHjIO5Qwymi63Mi0q5oz7xmmKtVn6tmyCaTmW8fiiU1Dj9XLYPWFGzOIjjOd0mKrWCfyXS3f2dIfG5Jn3raqJWhSIECRxNnB8DaQqoGTs3ZqYnwmOPD1ENWKtd8eheckKEkcs/s1600/imagesCAHU7YBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8n9QF6sHjIO5Qwymi63Mi0q5oz7xmmKtVn6tmyCaTmW8fiiU1Dj9XLYPWFGzOIjjOd0mKrWCfyXS3f2dIfG5Jn3raqJWhSIECRxNnB8DaQqoGTs3ZqYnwmOPD1ENWKtd8eheckKEkcs/s1600/imagesCAHU7YBE.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Though intriguing, the mystery and the unveiling</strong></div>
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<strong>of secrets actually took a backseat to what was the preeminent</strong></div>
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<strong>feature of the book; Barnes' retrospective of a life</strong></div>
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<strong>half-lived. Or, at least, lived in a fugue state.</strong></div>
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<strong>The commentary on memory, perspective, aging,</strong></div>
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<strong>and obsolescence is remarkable...absolutely </strong></div>
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<strong>spot-on and mesmerizing. Better than any self-help</strong></div>
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<strong>book or psychological treatise on the matter.</strong></div>
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<strong>The honesty and depth of the shares are </strong></div>
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<strong>extraordinary.</strong></div>
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<strong>The circuitousness of the story, flashing back on events--or is </strong></div>
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<strong>it merely remembrances--of time as a college man, of his</strong></div>
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<strong>marriage, of trying to love...it all makes for a beautiful </strong></div>
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<strong>flow, each non-event later underscoring something significant.</strong></div>
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<strong>A beautiful and haunting search for meaning and truth...</strong></div>
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<strong>identity and understanding.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyR1qwWN668FPrPYuH9bGyjyI7e60Z-9CsJgN79oTnIQDd15VAUCa0VwcZakeyr9IE0V6n-cVCFYZkRLxPKbeTypwLfFuw9394o6fiiGjyZRDNt0s7kUvmZ-lZBn9sfXU3e-lEsSPgCO4/s1600/julian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyR1qwWN668FPrPYuH9bGyjyI7e60Z-9CsJgN79oTnIQDd15VAUCa0VwcZakeyr9IE0V6n-cVCFYZkRLxPKbeTypwLfFuw9394o6fiiGjyZRDNt0s7kUvmZ-lZBn9sfXU3e-lEsSPgCO4/s1600/julian.jpg" /></a></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-80896931462438016402012-05-14T10:17:00.002-07:002012-05-14T10:17:48.714-07:00"Lost Saints of Tennessee" by Amy Franklin Willis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WS9sKencE5vxjxygHfhdbxyCvVxjBALKNpi9_m1lYo3EYKPQV7c6VUuZF3JqAYjYRBS_BNcmNXZlJtT-_9-BjXDFAQdjl5256LSH92JFhQdf5kO3B_JSQlz_7Omj1wUX4ad5pcB85to/s1600/lostsaints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WS9sKencE5vxjxygHfhdbxyCvVxjBALKNpi9_m1lYo3EYKPQV7c6VUuZF3JqAYjYRBS_BNcmNXZlJtT-_9-BjXDFAQdjl5256LSH92JFhQdf5kO3B_JSQlz_7Omj1wUX4ad5pcB85to/s1600/lostsaints.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>"Lost Saints of Tennessee" is a story about a man-- who's </strong></div>
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<strong>fallen from grace-- attempting to pick up the pieces of his life.</strong></div>
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<strong>In the wake of his divorce, a high school reunion, an</strong></div>
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<strong>inability to overcome his brother's death, and all the </strong></div>
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<strong>regular hard bits of life, he is running from life and his</strong></div>
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<strong>own feelings.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>That journey takes him to an old safe house where he attempts</strong></div>
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<strong>to reconcile what he wants and how--or whether--he can continue.</strong></div>
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<strong>Through flashbacks and letters, and later through another </strong></div>
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<strong>character's recounting, we discover how a life can become </strong></div>
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<strong>so fractured and lost.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>In the present, he attempts to grow and overcome the </strong></div>
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<strong>burden of his past...with his mother, his ex-wife, his daughters,</strong></div>
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<strong>and his own failures and inescapable grief.</strong></div>
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<strong>It's the ultimate mid-life crisis survival guide!</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeqEfR3vh1sLymB-Sv7SvA397PaRVhDZAktdJHYeKOLIenmLSAa67bZFs0N82ynHj6OwtK_hMCAZagT0GQjjtJg_ojRnDSGzq5vM9UREbmRIgyQZdxOUWnE7ZAuDtxE7ZqZWn-SKD-X8/s1600/amyfranklinwillis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeqEfR3vh1sLymB-Sv7SvA397PaRVhDZAktdJHYeKOLIenmLSAa67bZFs0N82ynHj6OwtK_hMCAZagT0GQjjtJg_ojRnDSGzq5vM9UREbmRIgyQZdxOUWnE7ZAuDtxE7ZqZWn-SKD-X8/s1600/amyfranklinwillis.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>This is a great character piece, delving into true Southern </strong></div>
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<strong>living as family drama, small town worries, and earlier</strong></div>
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<strong>days are the inspiration for a captivating tale.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>(Willis is an eighth-generation Southerner, and </strong></div>
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<strong>many of the stories are based on her father's stories</strong></div>
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<strong>of his life.)</strong></div>
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<strong>Taking place in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia,</strong></div>
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<strong>there is plenty of adventure and drama throughout,</strong></div>
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<strong>and in one of my favorite writing 'tricks,' we</strong></div>
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<strong>get to see events from the different perspectives</strong></div>
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<strong>that make up the whole.</strong></div>
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<strong>We get to see how our subjective views so often distort </strong></div>
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<strong>reality.</strong></div>
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<strong>A beautiful story of redemption, soul-searching,</strong></div>
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<strong>fear, forgiveness, and love.</strong></div>
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<strong><br /></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-Saints-Tennessee-Novel/dp/0802120059/ref=br_lf_m_1000769151_1_17_img?ie=UTF8&s=books&pf_rd_p=1348040402&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000769151&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0YP5ENMTNWMBDVYE4RSF"><strong>Read an excerpt from the book</strong></a></div>
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***</div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-15303200389749485612012-05-12T11:35:00.003-07:002012-05-12T11:35:42.962-07:00Books; The only positive binding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ku1WNHR9tqDVsgNtOyvlDVq9S8DdT52tlbrXifmXdM0sXOghrJsmy_y16z3ybAY9eZcH7gt8LQwzVQYcvEbpw9ZlWI804rr6vOzVHvjibuXENTAF1e4DRIRMXfv3hC2rTAQzqfxjK1o/s1600/banned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ku1WNHR9tqDVsgNtOyvlDVq9S8DdT52tlbrXifmXdM0sXOghrJsmy_y16z3ybAY9eZcH7gt8LQwzVQYcvEbpw9ZlWI804rr6vOzVHvjibuXENTAF1e4DRIRMXfv3hC2rTAQzqfxjK1o/s1600/banned.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>Free access to all works, always.</strong></div>
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<a href="http://banned-books.com/bblist.html">Banned Books & Authors</a></div>
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***</div>
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<br /></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-11259965200242195792012-05-12T11:31:00.000-07:002012-05-12T11:31:34.237-07:00Insight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31gkEs4YqwRVRe1Q0u_ILfRJ7d84HN9G0_TsHiA22vUQJca-khjj354U7whzhFsIxQbAo3cY6cogtXCSDPAZENxnMg6ZDt-AnSO1OCZw5eJodF__ZeLzYxNZnLWY-KC5GKTKNDQP8Q6E/s1600/censor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31gkEs4YqwRVRe1Q0u_ILfRJ7d84HN9G0_TsHiA22vUQJca-khjj354U7whzhFsIxQbAo3cY6cogtXCSDPAZENxnMg6ZDt-AnSO1OCZw5eJodF__ZeLzYxNZnLWY-KC5GKTKNDQP8Q6E/s1600/censor.jpg" /></a></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-3456129417734783902012-05-12T11:30:00.000-07:002012-05-12T11:30:15.875-07:00A Novel Concept<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdLE1bZx99qGg_Cf0cy_NnA8xqBowAFeBEAVLArICvcxjta5qWCzTrFIqw_N5O0EOK3PXNYh-0vrBWWmhk3WHQ97AV6QVl09Q28Xd4D71UU1EL9yJNXWhUDwwKfVmb7nqPWuO_Lk2qrs/s1600/BannedBooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdLE1bZx99qGg_Cf0cy_NnA8xqBowAFeBEAVLArICvcxjta5qWCzTrFIqw_N5O0EOK3PXNYh-0vrBWWmhk3WHQ97AV6QVl09Q28Xd4D71UU1EL9yJNXWhUDwwKfVmb7nqPWuO_Lk2qrs/s1600/BannedBooks.jpg" /></a></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-50087758591551862782012-05-12T10:31:00.001-07:002012-05-12T10:31:51.540-07:00The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgfxnD-e6TLYb1tLivUI12W9PjVxhrUQo8e9-O9F_uRPeexDFPLGz5ehtUK10m9kGnOmy9NS-JdQaJuauRAvMeO9H-kKXlIvcwH7vcFy2gxm6qlKXvU83L0sMG7qZBHaia2hlLzNkpvc/s1600/Hunger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgfxnD-e6TLYb1tLivUI12W9PjVxhrUQo8e9-O9F_uRPeexDFPLGz5ehtUK10m9kGnOmy9NS-JdQaJuauRAvMeO9H-kKXlIvcwH7vcFy2gxm6qlKXvU83L0sMG7qZBHaia2hlLzNkpvc/s1600/Hunger.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>I'm not usually one for following fanfare to discover a new </strong></div>
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<strong>book, but I heard so many <em>adults</em> proclaiming what an</strong></div>
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<strong>addictive treat this series was, I finally gave it a try....</strong></div>
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<strong>and I'm thrilled I did.</strong></div>
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<strong><em>The Hunger Games</em> is a wonderful allegory for class</strong></div>
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<strong>warfare, and the timing of it's advanced popularity (and movie</strong></div>
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<strong>release) is appropriate, with the '99' and anti-Wall Street/Big</strong></div>
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<strong>Business sentiment sweeping this country.</strong></div>
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<strong>Like its predecessor, <em>1984</em>, it's a dystopian future where </strong></div>
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<strong>the problems of the present socio-political landscape have</strong></div>
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<strong>worsened in a science-fiction landscape several years removed </strong></div>
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<strong>from our present. (But really, the modern-day similarities</strong></div>
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<strong>are chilling!) It's an apt indictment of our lop-sided economic</strong></div>
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<strong>system through a creative and blunt allegorical bent.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwcfvDsfkm2unqT6FmrJKh4Q0_Ok8OZkUejNge_LKsmOP72BGNvoPFqCWAT-_LItfbtkiJqTYEO5iJkIZYkb1u_rLFrhRSsTZKoC6qSTwJqy5D5w6lG3bUIA8nwbW-0Dj_jbW5ae4zgQ/s1600/Games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwcfvDsfkm2unqT6FmrJKh4Q0_Ok8OZkUejNge_LKsmOP72BGNvoPFqCWAT-_LItfbtkiJqTYEO5iJkIZYkb1u_rLFrhRSsTZKoC6qSTwJqy5D5w6lG3bUIA8nwbW-0Dj_jbW5ae4zgQ/s1600/Games.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<strong>Given the proclamation of the individual's strength and the</strong></div>
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<strong>outsider status of the lead character, Katniss, being celebrated,</strong></div>
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<strong>you can easily imagine why conservatives and religious sorts--</strong></div>
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<strong>the very ones whose totalitarian rule is questioned and challenged</strong></div>
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<strong>in the series--are against kids reading the series.</strong></div>
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<strong>There's a reason books like <em>The Hunger Games</em>, <em>1984</em>, <em>Lord</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>of the Flies</em>, and others are attacked; it's the same reason they</strong></div>
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<strong>are selected as required and recommended reading by</strong></div>
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<strong>educators. They speak to the very nature of the human</strong></div>
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<strong>experience. That's enough to make some folks very uncomfortable.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>The problems inherent in the series are not those singularly </strong></div>
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<strong>experienced by tweens and teens, whom the book features/and </strong></div>
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<strong>targeted; it addresses family obligation, unfairness of life, brutality,</strong></div>
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<strong>oppression, finding one's voice, facing what comes, determining</strong></div>
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<strong>one's worth, and, yes...love.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lP8Ptd2zmSgcv8kInMEFLUT3Z5Ux4woBTzcASrVMM4dDm1rTdIFba5J8gh6Tnnn_WOmdyqLTOj0wecF9QJ_4KkghQMFCWt9uH3zI4FjZPWwtyFmZrXXY3HF3LUHSTFoYXFkV-afBywY/s1600/Collins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lP8Ptd2zmSgcv8kInMEFLUT3Z5Ux4woBTzcASrVMM4dDm1rTdIFba5J8gh6Tnnn_WOmdyqLTOj0wecF9QJ_4KkghQMFCWt9uH3zI4FjZPWwtyFmZrXXY3HF3LUHSTFoYXFkV-afBywY/s1600/Collins.jpg" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Although a little over 300 pages, this was an especially quick read </strong></div>
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<strong>since I was so captivated I could <em>not</em> stop reading.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/"><strong>Behind the Scenes</strong></a></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-68318703344825060032012-04-25T09:43:00.003-07:002012-04-25T09:43:40.443-07:00"Food and Loathing" by Betsy Lerner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2561GYQikbyUGQhWKcuWJxWnfcRXNpoR2Ysx5wn81HnKYGLQsSOxutJq3haFaDh7eR3wzc2OorhlWz8BXsXsLyCynrCH2dgor-HHZksRcF_L_OYqFSVCN2KguvwLzTjG-rcpxo4QTq5E/s1600/imagesCA9JBGI2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2561GYQikbyUGQhWKcuWJxWnfcRXNpoR2Ysx5wn81HnKYGLQsSOxutJq3haFaDh7eR3wzc2OorhlWz8BXsXsLyCynrCH2dgor-HHZksRcF_L_OYqFSVCN2KguvwLzTjG-rcpxo4QTq5E/s1600/imagesCA9JBGI2.jpg" yda="true" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Betsy Lerner presents a deceptively simple tale </strong></div>
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<strong>of her life over many years as it relates to </strong></div>
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<strong>addiction, recovery, and self-discovery.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>It is not a pretty story.</strong></div>
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<strong>It's brutally honest, giving a front row seat</strong></div>
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<strong>to her self-loathing and generalized discomfort, detailing</strong></div>
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<strong>in excruciating accuracy how one can feel so totally</strong></div>
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<strong>displaced while often not understanding why.</strong></div>
<strong><br /></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGk12GZejz5zp86F5w15a-5G3sPEobgp-f3juubB4N8cjaKS_88W36kxGbifbAZyg0pSS83jQtWvCPluWnN1v9G38QaJZQ3DQKJDCPTmu4T_nxqj1kH1ia3SMdRuBz7HWRjihM5wXlBY/s1600/imagesCAYBK999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGk12GZejz5zp86F5w15a-5G3sPEobgp-f3juubB4N8cjaKS_88W36kxGbifbAZyg0pSS83jQtWvCPluWnN1v9G38QaJZQ3DQKJDCPTmu4T_nxqj1kH1ia3SMdRuBz7HWRjihM5wXlBY/s1600/imagesCAYBK999.jpg" yda="true" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Her saga covers food addiction, substance abuse, </strong></div>
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<strong>and other self-harming issues, and tells the story</strong></div>
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<strong>of how people tend to be cross-addicted in a</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>matter-of-fact way that doesn't preach, judge,</strong></div>
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<strong>nor pull punches. She gets to what's behind</strong></div>
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<strong>the problems that manifest; self worth.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>Mental illness and the struggle to find a correct</strong></div>
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<strong>label so she could receive appropriate treatment</strong></div>
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<strong>is also a big part of the picture. Just as much</strong></div>
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<strong>abuse happened during her institutionalization</strong></div>
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<strong>as it did at her own hands.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TDyyy1wMriw_fZoB_9RDSkunUMdLJQJFaG5UZ3r8WpjyzB2YhzK-WrLbhfbFKe65XWLrBvWOYQio3-Aqj9wzRxP8YwSrqV7j1Xr9S_kLnvyunZZTK6m6wzgbLTvuB3GOVxU1Oj_dvps/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TDyyy1wMriw_fZoB_9RDSkunUMdLJQJFaG5UZ3r8WpjyzB2YhzK-WrLbhfbFKe65XWLrBvWOYQio3-Aqj9wzRxP8YwSrqV7j1Xr9S_kLnvyunZZTK6m6wzgbLTvuB3GOVxU1Oj_dvps/s1600/images.jpg" yda="true" /></strong></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>Learn what it took for one women to find her</strong></div>
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<strong>voice, her truth, and her life.</strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong>***</strong></div>
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<br /></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-6941006324637845952012-03-24T10:40:00.000-07:002012-03-24T10:40:19.018-07:00"Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>("Some Instructions on Writing and Life")</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAJUYcAnNhwcfbEQnIw-9qZqnRZ9vfLUb8HjXAea9RPJIbvIcclLgSNHdU1a7YTyNQMHNUlvx9NepuJpvSenjKpwMryKkx4iC76KUWBZl0vhHYTlfUB5l_CBh3TF_RbENlFsjkjZZTSc/s1600/imagesCAKLFA0U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAJUYcAnNhwcfbEQnIw-9qZqnRZ9vfLUb8HjXAea9RPJIbvIcclLgSNHdU1a7YTyNQMHNUlvx9NepuJpvSenjKpwMryKkx4iC76KUWBZl0vhHYTlfUB5l_CBh3TF_RbENlFsjkjZZTSc/s1600/imagesCAKLFA0U.jpg" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Anne Lamott has an incredibly engaging style </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and a simple descriptive narrative that truly</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>feels conversational, like you're right there in </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>the room witnessing her insights yourself.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>"Bird by Bird" is about stories from her life,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>from teaching, from others, as she explores</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>what makes a good story (and what the process</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>of writing entails to actually produce a good story.)</strong></div><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDeUx2CLOGVdQN79g9qMyEpRtiOCS0btjZw5YLlM0H6hyphenhyphenBBKMU09Y1qdXN6gBVCUFVg-k1Zihlzns4qkaeITnK0xoFOs5vzarek7lIRow0N6zmR2IUDFcDo64h88o7FAyMKul5VdxF24/s1600/imagesCAYQPTTB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDeUx2CLOGVdQN79g9qMyEpRtiOCS0btjZw5YLlM0H6hyphenhyphenBBKMU09Y1qdXN6gBVCUFVg-k1Zihlzns4qkaeITnK0xoFOs5vzarek7lIRow0N6zmR2IUDFcDo64h88o7FAyMKul5VdxF24/s1600/imagesCAYQPTTB.jpg" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>It isn't all sunshine and roses, but it's always refreshing</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and honest and necessary. It's an intervention when </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>seeing things as they are may not be what you're after.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>She's clever and incisive without being preachy or smug,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and plenty self-deprecating (not, as some imagine, a </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>trait all writers share...and certainly not one they </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>reveal to others!)</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>This is a great read whether you're a writer, a lover of books,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>curious about the creative process, or simply enjoy life stories.</strong></div><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioueXc0OsrCR3YM6wsql1qiweaLapk8FQpyL0UL9Pr8H-iIRhh6xZrNiABOyUHfaKK9-zmE1sekmCJhr1SG3MV7rF9_NTNp7W3h3ZfhZqBlCMopFG4wQVU9blv4p86Ni4DVhEQSMN3Jj4/s1600/imagesCAN11M9N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioueXc0OsrCR3YM6wsql1qiweaLapk8FQpyL0UL9Pr8H-iIRhh6xZrNiABOyUHfaKK9-zmE1sekmCJhr1SG3MV7rF9_NTNp7W3h3ZfhZqBlCMopFG4wQVU9blv4p86Ni4DVhEQSMN3Jj4/s1600/imagesCAN11M9N.jpg" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>****</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-55812378897476843162012-03-19T11:37:00.000-07:002012-03-19T11:37:28.118-07:00"Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYuXasnQWO5rBrPzLNFpQyNQD2X8nz5vjvhTpx-9ZpgL125SKJ56-lhFWPjyV-vzYT5Fh9h2sXevXfCc7qbk-ZDbxujn_3909M-1aN7BxrBAw1N0BZIdB7TF0wJMuTh79a_gCbPErBwQ/s1600/Outliers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img aea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYuXasnQWO5rBrPzLNFpQyNQD2X8nz5vjvhTpx-9ZpgL125SKJ56-lhFWPjyV-vzYT5Fh9h2sXevXfCc7qbk-ZDbxujn_3909M-1aN7BxrBAw1N0BZIdB7TF0wJMuTh79a_gCbPErBwQ/s1600/Outliers.jpg" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Many of us have notions about what makes a success </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>that are long held and possibly outdated (or just plain wrong.) </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Others give no conscious thought to what pushes some</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>people to succeed while others languish.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>The studies incorporated in this book reinforce some old</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>adages, shatter others, and present some new spins on </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>things that have been revolutionary.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Have you considered the importance of the time of year you </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>were </strong><strong>born in determining your potential success?</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>What about your family of origin?</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Your geographic location?</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>The number of hours you work at something?<br />
(Well, okay, that last one is sort of a given...although</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>perhaps not so much in today's instant-success media </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>flukes.)</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3S6gKkLDJDcE-hO06Yen6J_TkJtoqgr1eKd9bPWKauQKwxbai3_G7c9nV9_L9-RyELz3xyzQkji8PSj6X3XmPW81WdtsHGIks9bmpM0_CaZmchLlivTtW4nhHM1ia99b7vs_K1bYTy8/s1600/realsuccess.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img aea="true" border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3S6gKkLDJDcE-hO06Yen6J_TkJtoqgr1eKd9bPWKauQKwxbai3_G7c9nV9_L9-RyELz3xyzQkji8PSj6X3XmPW81WdtsHGIks9bmpM0_CaZmchLlivTtW4nhHM1ia99b7vs_K1bYTy8/s320/realsuccess.gif" width="320" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>The entire book is fascinating and compelling in its exploration of </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>the reasons behind success, but one bit stood out for me in particular.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>As a child of the South, Chapter Six in the book (dealing with Legacy,)</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>and in particular the whole "culture of honor" that is outlined,</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>was remarkably revealing.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>The intensity behind generational imprints, decades-long feuds, </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>anger at the drop of a hat, and much of the south's insanity</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>is explained in a gripping way. I was unfamiliar with this </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>particular aspect of our history, though I have been </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>unfortunately well-apprised of the end results.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDNDvzzQU67_qQvBrGdA-wXibocUaC6ADQwFylRM8m2EiTKhEugZaTx5jPti1A9GdWLasV2NIa8N0vzSt5A7sHU262CTZbvkjQBXOGvSBp-V1MWmc7y7_AfZag-IdaY_ta_asiopc8N0/s1600/MalcolmGladwell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img aea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDNDvzzQU67_qQvBrGdA-wXibocUaC6ADQwFylRM8m2EiTKhEugZaTx5jPti1A9GdWLasV2NIa8N0vzSt5A7sHU262CTZbvkjQBXOGvSBp-V1MWmc7y7_AfZag-IdaY_ta_asiopc8N0/s1600/MalcolmGladwell.jpg" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>The point of this book is not to deduce that you </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>don't have a shot based on statistics or studies,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>but rather to understand the prevailing factors and </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>learn how to achieve and accomplish in spite of</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>the odds. Persistence is, after all, at the heart of</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>most every success story, no matter the history or </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>resources available.</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><div align="center"><strong>***</strong></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-66410442004111335472012-03-07T11:19:00.000-08:002012-03-07T11:19:02.265-08:00"Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>("A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction")</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwMOTMbNpXxkzrDClpiipwc2mbhtPoM1cwUkQBPnQF4GsrQuMDsrKBIDb_wu6kfTBHq2_EIatrK5v4Yjv7La5PllOl9iikO7uXghdUpx0vJlInmaKh_LjnmhhS-QMsyHrb3fJCNDeR74/s1600/imagesCAEDHUI3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwMOTMbNpXxkzrDClpiipwc2mbhtPoM1cwUkQBPnQF4GsrQuMDsrKBIDb_wu6kfTBHq2_EIatrK5v4Yjv7La5PllOl9iikO7uXghdUpx0vJlInmaKh_LjnmhhS-QMsyHrb3fJCNDeR74/s1600/imagesCAEDHUI3.jpg" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>"Beautiful Boy" is a riveting and unapologetic true story</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>about David Sheff and his son, Nic, and their years of struggle</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and heartache dealing with Nic's methamphetamine addiction.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>It is also the story of Daisy and Jasper and Karen and Vicki,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and all the other loved ones affected and abused by Nic's</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>choices in active addiction.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>It is a story of lives, before, during, and after addiction,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and how quickly things change. During the course of his own</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>personal path of worry and fear and chaos, David seeks</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>balance to keep his own life going, and deals with an</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>avalanche of questions and guilt.</strong></div><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kHxqDT3j97-P9uysinc6aCQul5jUyNOuXgu3rQxcIK6LnTG4yM6fqB6vwHuH2BV9wZYLAFMni_nJyvs0RMDqFtWmzGEfjJi6zBv_2X551HgxxOp_xOmGfFZbcduHNVenfLW3zoFNsdk/s1600/imagesCANDNTUC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-kHxqDT3j97-P9uysinc6aCQul5jUyNOuXgu3rQxcIK6LnTG4yM6fqB6vwHuH2BV9wZYLAFMni_nJyvs0RMDqFtWmzGEfjJi6zBv_2X551HgxxOp_xOmGfFZbcduHNVenfLW3zoFNsdk/s1600/imagesCANDNTUC.jpg" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>This story grabbed me on several levels; from the exquisite portrait</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>of a loving and affluent family (a life unknown to me,) to the </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>intimately detailed </strong><strong>particulars of a young man's downward </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>spiral in his progressive </strong><strong>illness (all too often witnessed by me </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and millions more,) to </strong><strong>the honest sharing of a father's journey </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>through guilt, resentment, and </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>soul-wrenching love.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNRAad_Aadwp5X62ztbB4KdFeh_Zd4l0WBN2maEQXGiL9J55_HWajbl80pgsEGfK6_e-KbuDPvE7YcLhEFxm6iTtD_9uNxQpRNf982TgVyJ4jckXpOKPkDtxbJYN747xr738tkDhglxk/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkNRAad_Aadwp5X62ztbB4KdFeh_Zd4l0WBN2maEQXGiL9J55_HWajbl80pgsEGfK6_e-KbuDPvE7YcLhEFxm6iTtD_9uNxQpRNf982TgVyJ4jckXpOKPkDtxbJYN747xr738tkDhglxk/s1600/untitled.bmp" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Whereas Sheff has a very different view of some matters (like 12 </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Step programs) than I do, his convictions are well spoken,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and--again with that exception--well researched and well documented.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>(He does explore the disease model of </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>addiction, but unfortunately comes out with a</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>perspective I don't share.)</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Equal time seems given to all sides and all persons,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and he does a good job of showcasing just how cruel</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>drug use and addiction are, as well as how unique every</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>manifestation of it can be.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>A gripping exploration of addiction, meth, a man,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>his family, and the tenuous nature of life.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>And thankfully, a lot of hope and learning.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>***</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br />
</strong></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-82329702956703696662012-02-28T12:35:00.000-08:002012-02-28T12:35:23.268-08:00"god is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwutjbcLnkWLmsvbZoqk9LSCUasrTNvOwk_DHSh5XPLlLigIRVPrEV8qo-w9j2NjeaU0iHTleg62cq2ZmQ79-wPLCTxCXZJ6MyQtd_Wx_lXr9aPlknZNDDRLMLb4kfYidOPgomGCMliE/s1600/thumbnailCA7KQW5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwutjbcLnkWLmsvbZoqk9LSCUasrTNvOwk_DHSh5XPLlLigIRVPrEV8qo-w9j2NjeaU0iHTleg62cq2ZmQ79-wPLCTxCXZJ6MyQtd_Wx_lXr9aPlknZNDDRLMLb4kfYidOPgomGCMliE/s1600/thumbnailCA7KQW5D.jpg" uda="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><strong>"The level of intensity fluctuates according to time and place, but it can be </strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><strong>stated as long as a truth that religion does not, and in the long run cannot be </strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><strong>content with its own marvelous claims and sublime assurances. </strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><strong>It must seek to interfere with the lives of nonbelievers, or heretics, </strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><strong>or adherents of other faiths. It may speak about the bliss of the next world, </strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><strong>but it wants power in this one."</strong></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>I think that rather succinctly introduces one of the core concepts</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>so adeptly pinpointed in this book.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Christopher does seem more than capable </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>of tearing down the efficacy of religion and belief</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>by addressing historical inaccuracies, </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>the doublespeak of supposed believers,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>the notion that atheists and agnostics are somehow</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>less moral, and other misinformation so often</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>assumed to be true by virtue of repetition.</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprxYEvO0XFRegNp-_ZwVYxFNmpA6VkQasnOghxTeQHKNmngKTPWYThdE1hLlWs86HaH52zTF-WHoi9zEFAV9yWoyCQIWVw2QLN87YRFEnRrXuPrmqCFhgqML-FMUw7pXYwqFqSJ1N6g4/s1600/thumbnailCAVNM2WD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprxYEvO0XFRegNp-_ZwVYxFNmpA6VkQasnOghxTeQHKNmngKTPWYThdE1hLlWs86HaH52zTF-WHoi9zEFAV9yWoyCQIWVw2QLN87YRFEnRrXuPrmqCFhgqML-FMUw7pXYwqFqSJ1N6g4/s1600/thumbnailCAVNM2WD.jpg" uda="true" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Of particular interest to me were the bits on the abuses of children </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>through the cocoon of religious living, denying kids</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>the world over even a<em> chance</em> at free thought.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>I </strong> <strong>know firsthand,as Hitch did, the evils done in the name</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>of good at the catholic schools. And it is merely</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>representative of the greater evil--or poison--that the</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>church and 'believers' engage in regularly.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>It's good to have a voice and a new, tireless, incisive </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>view of just how much religion does taint. An</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>equal opportunity offender, he lambastes judaism and islam as </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>easily as he does the American-based christianity.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>A wonderful exploration of all the things you may have</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>wanted to have an explanation for, all the things you </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>were afraid to address, and all the skeletons you </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>didn't even know were hidden.</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6c63Ry82eGyZpnspwt3i7-WicFSbj6hTRfd6wd5fzDH6M5QMeDHBrc636lfof0fuTKpiGZX8NFkN52eS2uoC60rnNa6TChXrWvt0khjqhc1pBDTFw7Y6TQPzM5igKOsnLwinFqlwrVoE/s1600/thumbnailCA2BCB2K.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6c63Ry82eGyZpnspwt3i7-WicFSbj6hTRfd6wd5fzDH6M5QMeDHBrc636lfof0fuTKpiGZX8NFkN52eS2uoC60rnNa6TChXrWvt0khjqhc1pBDTFw7Y6TQPzM5igKOsnLwinFqlwrVoE/s1600/thumbnailCA2BCB2K.jpg" uda="true" /></a></div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-26291059518526597322012-02-21T10:27:00.001-08:002012-02-21T10:27:59.350-08:00"How Alcoholics Anonymous Failed Me" by Marianne W. Gilliam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zuefrMGlVjiArLgMTDXPkjUYyIY8wbrCi7RCU_nW1lJOJ-qjEans8rNbeH6VlEtFijHAFz0UnzrJUD9hANj98eWDr3R7l3N6xnkWrhX1n-wyEmtQ29jd36a73Q-On5edLRZN6m79WOU/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" gda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zuefrMGlVjiArLgMTDXPkjUYyIY8wbrCi7RCU_nW1lJOJ-qjEans8rNbeH6VlEtFijHAFz0UnzrJUD9hANj98eWDr3R7l3N6xnkWrhX1n-wyEmtQ29jd36a73Q-On5edLRZN6m79WOU/s1600/books.jpg" /></strong></a></div><br />
<table id="metadata_content_table"><tbody>
<tr class="metadata_row"><td class="metadata_value"><span dir="ltr"><strong>"How Alcoholics Anonymous Failed Me: </strong></span><br />
<span dir="ltr"><strong>My Personal Journey to Sobriety Through Self-Empowerment"</strong></span><br />
<strong>by Marianne W. Gilliam</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Even after I had long-since discovered the lacking within</strong><br />
<strong>the program of AA, I still had all the requisite Catholic</strong><br />
<strong>school boy worries of speaking out against it. I also had</strong><br />
<strong>been so completely buffaloed by a few particular folks and</strong><br />
<strong>a then-believed need for companionship that I wasn't</strong><br />
<strong>even capable of articulating why I felt a lot of the discomfort</strong><br />
<strong>and anxiety with the group's practices.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>When I found Marianne's book, it was when I was struggling</strong><br />
<strong>to decide what to do; I felt so alone and yet I was diametrically</strong><br />
<strong>opposed to AA's beliefs and practices. This book helped me </strong><br />
<strong>to better articulate the reasonable apprehensions regarding the</strong><br />
<strong>group, as well as make a decision for my own welfare.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Marianne's book is tremendous not only because she </strong><br />
<strong>expertly delineates why the organization's approach is flawed </strong><br />
<strong>(and </strong><strong>the negative impact it has,) but because she also does so </strong><br />
<strong>without a fiery, </strong><strong>rhetorical splash that could be easily dismissed </strong><br />
<strong>as bitterness </strong><strong>(even though the book's suggestive title deceptively</strong><br />
<strong>doesn't </strong><strong>reflect that!) Of course, for AA apologists, anything that</strong><br />
<strong>doesn't sing the praises and promote the agenda is an 'evil lie.'</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>She's moderate and good natured and works out how her </strong><br />
<strong>journey took her elsewhere, and how her health, happiness,</strong><br />
<strong>spirituality, and sobriety did not need to be tied up in the 12 Step</strong><br />
<strong>model to be achieved or maintained.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Fascinating stuff, whether you are yourself in recovery, faced </strong><br />
<strong>addiction in the past, have a loved one suffering from it, or have</strong><br />
<strong>lost someone to the cult of AA. Or perhaps you have had </strong><br />
<strong>questions and concerns about the group simmering for some time, </strong><br />
<strong>afraid to voice them and view the dirt under the carpet.</strong><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Alcoholics-Failed-Me-Self-Empowerment/dp/0688170137">http://www.amazon.com/How-Alcoholics-Failed-Me-Self-Empowerment/dp/0688170137</a><br />
<br />
<strong>**********************************************</strong></td></tr>
<tr class="metadata_row"><td class="metadata_label"></td><td class="metadata_value"><a class="primary" dir="ltr" href="http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Marianne+W.+Gilliam%22&source=gbs_metadata_r&cad=4"></a></td></tr>
<tr class="metadata_row"><td class="metadata_label"></td><td class="metadata_value"><span dir="ltr"></span></td></tr>
<tr class="metadata_row"><td class="metadata_label"></td><td class="metadata_value"><span dir="ltr"></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5571672944384144610.post-26369316987847528742012-01-22T12:04:00.000-08:002012-01-22T12:04:11.350-08:00"THE VELVET RAGE" by Alan Downs, PhD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFMNbcOI1BOgzPmqW73dkFF2ZOSdfEcQmNYW1ooxFBrwasP1Js8m6Q0rQwl8phwwuhn_KhL8qgG8VNd4W-PK4SorgFAgB_EKw_nEAG3kISiceOq-QB1-GoR0Dsal-fsKqkxR0oo3S06k/s1600/465554-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" height="320px" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFMNbcOI1BOgzPmqW73dkFF2ZOSdfEcQmNYW1ooxFBrwasP1Js8m6Q0rQwl8phwwuhn_KhL8qgG8VNd4W-PK4SorgFAgB_EKw_nEAG3kISiceOq-QB1-GoR0Dsal-fsKqkxR0oo3S06k/s320/465554-L.jpg" width="211px" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>THE VELVET RAGE is about the difficulty of overcoming </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>the duality inherent in gay men raised in America.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>It traces how we are not afforded the normal childhoods</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>we deserve because of stymieing an important aspect of</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>ourselves, and how that 'shut-down' manifests itself throughout life. </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PEYL4TV9dcy8jd2EmNLx0nhEsq-N_W483KDxfulXfxvpwyXt4e2_t9JtuTS_w8kB7t3LXE7loPi_eaC-XsLoCEboDf5kElS_1vvB2V3FJPLfpDdL03iZ-fp3lpuBpVRZ9wxXjqia0QU/s1600/Velvet-Rage-273x365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" height="320px" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PEYL4TV9dcy8jd2EmNLx0nhEsq-N_W483KDxfulXfxvpwyXt4e2_t9JtuTS_w8kB7t3LXE7loPi_eaC-XsLoCEboDf5kElS_1vvB2V3FJPLfpDdL03iZ-fp3lpuBpVRZ9wxXjqia0QU/s320/Velvet-Rage-273x365.jpg" width="239px" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>There is some truly wonderful work here, dealing with the self-hate</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and denial that most every gay man has dealt with. As </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>mentioned in the intro, it is exclusively targeted at gay men and</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>their unique journey, although the story certainly has merit</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>and applications for lesbians and even straight men, as it deals </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>with the search for identity and authenticity.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>There are Three Stages to coming to terms with self, and they</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>are brilliantly labeled and discussed by Downs (who has </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>been dealing with gay men as patients in therapy for </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>some time, as well as being gay himself.)</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>One of the best insights has to do with the issues of</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>shame and invalidation, which are beautifully explored.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Much of why homophobia and down-low activities</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>exist is covered in these insights (if not explicitly</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>intended!)</strong></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhb89-IJP0pjo__kOotKUbF5fe3gBO3Y7PQw5cOv_eBGfSjIyup8w8Fs9YupBvFWSbkXs9cy76KyJi8DHYQeMMoLsZhNJVSODBVzMX2jz2nUAPEwk5nK9DyRr-H1ZL3bdL3LCw-IZmFE/s1600/145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhb89-IJP0pjo__kOotKUbF5fe3gBO3Y7PQw5cOv_eBGfSjIyup8w8Fs9YupBvFWSbkXs9cy76KyJi8DHYQeMMoLsZhNJVSODBVzMX2jz2nUAPEwk5nK9DyRr-H1ZL3bdL3LCw-IZmFE/s1600/145.jpg" /></strong></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>I hate to mention it, but I fear I must. This book is</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>chock-full of typos and grammar problems. If, like</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>me, that really grinds you, please don't let it dissuade</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>you from trudging on. After several frustrations and </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>nearly putting the book down, I kept at it because the </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>material is so wonderful, and I was very glad I did.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>It's worth it.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>(As an aside; if the publishers need an editor for the</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>next edition, I would give my services at a reduced rate!)</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>**********************</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>America Wokehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07770940546018783151noreply@blogger.com0