The Book Shopper

Mini-Review: David Shields at Georgia State University

Who, Where & When: If you read my previous posting, I think you understand why I took a Monday afternoon off (4/3/17) from my regular job to see David Shields. It was no small task. The weather was lousy and I had to slog thru the rain on the Georgia State University campus to find the Troy Moore Reading Library located  high on the 23rd floor of the 25 Park Building (a veritable fortress). He was one of the few authors that I would make that kind of effort to see. I rarely attend readings anymore.

Attendance.  I estimate about 3o attendees mostly Georgia State English faculty and graduate students. I probably stuck out since I sat in the back and was soaking wet. The room looked over a gloomy Atlanta cityscape and upon request Shields preferred the main ceiling lights to be turned off -- leaving the room shrouded in semi-darkness.  Instead of hiding behind the lectern, Shields read in front of the first row of seats, which I appreciated. Lecterns can act as barricades between speaker and audience.

What He Read: Shields read from his new book Other People: Takes & Mistakes (his 20th), which is a collection of essays that range from his prose as a graduate student to more recent work. Shields said that he meditated about his writings and made some revisions, but I am not sure what he meant by that (organizationally?).  He read short essays about Philip Roth, George W. Bush and O.J. Simpson. Unlike his prose that can seem brash and provocative, Shields reads slowly and thoughtfully,  as if hunting for the right expression.  He read about 30-40 minutes leaving plenty time for questions, again answering each interrogative with great care as if finding an answer instead of giving one.

Photo: Tom Collicott  from author website

What Question(s) Did I Want to Ask But Was Too Shy to Ask.  Again referencing the previous posting, I wanted to ask him whether I understood a quote from his Reality Manifesto: "Genre is a minimum security prison."  Also, as he quietly read his sometimes incendiary prose, I wondered if Shields, who is often autobiographical, distinguishes between his writer personae and David Shields, the son, husband, father and recreational swimmer. I first heard this dichotomy discussed  when I went to a Billy Collins poetry reading where Collins told the audience the narrator of his poems and the reader who was before us, weren't necessarily the same Billy Collins. That's a complicated question to ask somebody in front of an audience and I am sure I would have flubbed trying to articulate it.

Did I Buy the Book?  When I went to the front to examine the book, Shields came up to me to chat for a bit. I told him I had enjoyed the three books of his that I had read and then I asked him my question about genre (what writer doesn't like when you quote a passage from their book?). He acknowledged my interpretation that genre can be confining, but easy to escape. I apologized for not buying his new book as it was a heavy hardback that did not lend itself to my daily train commute and we agreed that I should wait for the softcover.  I gave him a couple promotional postcards from my Down & Outbound book which he accepted gracefully. We ended the conversation with a handshake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini-review: Joseph Skibell at A Cappella

Who, Where & When:  Joseph Skibell, author of My Father's Guitar and Other Imaginary Things, read at  A Cappella bookstore in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon, November 29th.

Why I Went: Skibell's earlier books of fiction have received some recognition, and I was looking for the opportunity to familiarize myself with his work.  I thought My Father's Guitar, which is short collection of personal stories about his extended Jewish family and his growing up in Lubbock, Texas was a good place to start. Moreover,  I am a Buddy Holly fan, who also grew up in Lubbock, and since music plays a role in some of Skibell's narratives I was interested on his take of the legendary rock 'n roller, who perished "the day the music died." 

Attendance: Given it was a Sunday afternoon during the Thanksgiving holiday, I didn't expect a crowd. There were only eight people in the  small reading room at the store, but I am one who thinks the absence of decent crowds reflects more on the (non) reading public than the author.

What He Read: The small turnout did not keep Skibell from reading two pieces, "Irvin in Wonderland" and "International Type of Guy" with as much verve as if he were in  a lecture hall. The Irvin story about being bedside with an ailing father will resonate with anyone who ever has sat beside an aging parent in the hospital.  Another aspect that links the pieces is Skibell's ruminations on personal memory. During the reading he emphasized that all the stories are true to the best of his recollection (though a few names have been changed), but that he even realizes that his interpretation may be different from his sisters' or daughter's account of same family event. 

What Question Did I Ask That Normally I Would Be Too Shy to Ask:  I asked Skibell if he was familiar with the Greil Marcus' essay about Buddy Holly in Marcus' book The History of Rock N Roll in 10 Songs (2014). In the essay, "Crying, Waiting, Hoping,"  Marcus writes about Holly's major impact in music and specifically the day in 1955 Elvis came to Lubbock. In the photo, shown here,  Buddy Holly is the only person wearing glasses and can be seen in the right side of the picture.  Skibell was well aware of the history of the photo, which was very rare until, well, er, the internet. 

Did I Buy the Book?:  I had trouble getting a reviewer's copy of the book  from Skibell's publisher in a timely manner  and we chatted afterwards about this unfortunate  delay.   Since as a reviewer I wanted to read some of the Skibell book before attending the reading, I admitted getting a used copy from Amazon, which did arrive in time. To lessen my guilt and to support a fine local independent bookstore like A Cappella, I did purchase a book there of greater or equal value -- Padgett Powell's latest book of short stories Cries for Help (2015). 

 

 

 

Mini-Review: Billy Collins at the Carter Center

When & Where: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at the Carter Center in Atlanta. Thomas Lux, a poetry professor and poet from Georgia Tech introduced the former U.S. Poet Laureate Collins as “original and accessible.”

Attendance: ~200 people. It was kind of couples night. I will explain later.

Why I Went. My longtime partner Denise is a big Billy Collins fan and after I heard him as the keynote speaker at the Decatur Book Festival a few years ago, I also appreciate his poems and the way he performs them. He does read them, but his delivery and timing are impeccable, which gives the impression that I am experiencing a performance. (Collins admits that as a poet he has a “personal charming” personae that is not exactly himself.) Add the quirky element of humor in much of his poems, it's no surprise that Collins delighted the audience at the Carter Center, except maybe me*.

What He Read. Though he read from his new book of poems Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems, the collection does contain poems from earlier books. Some of the poems that he read included: “A Dog on His Master” and “Hippos” on Holiday, (from Ballistics, 2008), everyone's timeless favorite, “The Lanyard,” from The Trouble with Poetry, (2005), along with many new ones, such as “To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl,” “Cheerios” and “The Sandbill Cranes of Nebraska” to name but a few. He read for almost an hour. Again, I heard him trip over only one word. That's near perfection.

What He Talked About When He Wasn't Reading Poems. Many things actually. A few of his observations that I can decipher from my scribbled notes and memory, was that good poetry requires more than imagination and choosing the right word, (the right word being defined as “sounds better, means more”). But according to Collins, poetry writing requires a study of the masters of poetry as well. Collins knows how the masters have influenced his own work. He also encourages others to read poetry. He says that learning to read poetry is like learning to do crossword puzzles (or Word Jumbles in my case). The more you do it; the easier it becomes.

Q & A: Collins answered questions from the crowd about whether hip hop lyrics are poetry (yes, but..), and his pinch hitting for Garrison Keillor as the reader on Writer's Almanac last summer. Collins said that he did make the final selection of poems that he read on the air.

Did I Buy A Book? Not necessary. The admission for the event, included the price of the book. One of the price savings is that couples who attend together can share one book. (Blog sponsor, A Cappella sold books at the event). As mentioned earlier, many people seem to have brought their best friends with them and Denise brought me.

* Allow me to explain. As a listener, what I find a little disconcerting is that hearing Collins read before a live audience, puts me at the mercy of the audience who collectively chuckles at the appropriate time-- especially during poems like “The Lanyard.” Like a laugh track, you feel a slight pull to smile along even if you're thinking, “Well, it's not that funny.” Collins is very aware of his audiences and like a great comedian, he knows how to pause for the laughter, and then clip it short with his next line. I am not saying that I didn't enjoy myself during the evening, but one of the pleasures of poetry, is that like good novels, the establishment of a one on one relationship between writer and reader is paramount. That relationship seems comprised in those settings. Maybe I just wanted Billy Collins and all his words for myself.

Mini-review: Claire Bidwell Smith's Decatur Reading

By Jim Simpson

Where & When: Decatur Public Library Auditorium on January 8, 2013. Sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book.

Attendance: ~100 people, many of whom were family and friends of the author.

What Claire Bidwell Smith Read: Nearly a dozen pages from her debut book, The Rules of Inheritance, a “grief memoir” as she calls it, about her life from the time she was 14 when both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer, until 2011. (The book was published in February 2012; this reading coincided with the paperback release.) The author, an Atlanta native who grew up in Sandy Springs, would be parentless by the time she was 25 years old. The book jumps around in time covering a period of roughly 18 years and is divided into five parts, following Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief. The excerpt she read takes place in 2003 when she is 25 years old and on assignment in the Philippines for Student Traveler magazine in Los Angeles. She is on her way to the remote island of Malapascua to dive with thresher sharks. This episode is one of many describing semi-dangerous and questionable decisions on Claire’s part (destructive relationships and alcohol abuse, to name but two) that she will later discover are subconscious attempts to bring her dead parents back in order to save her. This diving trip is a climactic event because, as she and her guide are descending into 80 feet of dark, shark-filled water, she suddenly cancels the dive and surfaces. With tears streaming down her face, she sits slumped in the front of the boat heading back to shore. “This is the very place -- with my tear-soaked face, at the front of this little boat in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean -- where I ind a truth that I will test over and over in my life. Nothing is ever going to bring either of them back.” Some parts of the book are almost too much to bear, but you find yourself forging ahead, cheering her on, hoping she will be okay in the end.

Why I Went: Claire and I have both written for the literary collective The Nervous Breakdown for six years, and I have always admired her writing.

Q & A: Questions ranged from those regarding grief (she is a licensed therapist), writing routines, the book title’s origin, to compliments about Claire’s delivery and voice during the reading. I thought she seemed a bit stiff and nervous, but that could be attributed to the hometown crowd and sheer number of family and close childhood friends in the audience; she seemed to be trying to keep her emotions in check, which makes perfect sense.

 
Question I Didn’t Get To Ask Because Time Ran Out But Asked Her When She Signed My Book: “I’ve never been to L.A., but I imagine there are a bunch of motorcycles around. Do you and your husband, (Greg Boose, a freelance/ghost writer) still go around touching motorcycles that don’t belong to you?” Claire responded, “Danger Touch? Not lately, but we were disappointed that it never caught on.” We were referring to a game she and Greg played during a cross-country correspondence (Claire in L.A., Greg in Chicago, the two meeting as writers for The Nervous Breakdown). He invented a game that involved taking cell phone pictures of his hand reaching out and touching strangers’ motorcycles on the street and sending them to Claire; she in turn would do the same and send them to him, and the person with the most “danger touches” would win the game.

Mini-review: Robert Craig's Lecture at the Decatur Public Library

Where & When: Decatur Public Library Auditorium on May 23, 2012. Sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book.

 Attendance: ~40 people with so many architects and preservationists present that Robert M. Craig, a professor emeritus of architectural history at the Georgia Institute of Technology, quipped that he was quite intimidated by the distinguished audience (excluding me, of course).

What He Read: Craig didn't read. Instead he presented an extensive slide show based on his new book from the University of Georgia Press, The Architecture of Francis Palmer Smith: Atlanta's Scholar Architect. For a half a century, Francis Palmer Smith (1886-1971) either designed or influenced dozens of commercial buildings, hotels, elegant homes and churches. Smith was the first department head of the Georgia Institute of Technology's architecture program.

Why I Went: I've always had an interest in history, architecture and gorgeously printed books like Architecture. Craig is correct in saying his book is no coffee table book – though it has over 400 color and black and white photos. The book is chocked full of building descriptions and detailed history about the architecture and architects of Atlanta. I especially liked the appendix that has the list of all the houses, buildings, and churches including addresses where you can drive by and see them for yourself. (Shown at the top of the posting is the Druid Hills First Presbyterian Church on Ponce De Leon Avenue built in 1939-40. And don't worry, Craig's photos are much better than mine.)

What Craig Talked About: Everything. The lecture was divided into four parts: 1.) The early influences of the Ecole des Beaux-Art on Smith ( who grew up in Cincinnati and studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania). 2.) Smith's partnership with another influential Atlanta architect, Robert Pringle. (1922-1934), which included many beautiful homes – many in the Druid Hills area. 3.) Smith's commercial work which began with Pringle and included hotels and Coca-cola bottle plants all over the Southeast. The bottling plant construction supported Smith's work during The Great Depression. 4.) Smith's design of churches including his crowning achievement, The Cathedral of St. Philip, here in Atlanta. Preliminary sketches were began in 1937, but the church wasn't built until 1960-62.

 

Mini-review: Kevin Wilson's Performance at the Decatur Public Library

Where & When: Decatur Public Library Auditorium on April 18, 2012. Sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book.

Attendance: ~30 people including one woman who was doing her knitting.

Why I Went: Both Kevin Wilson's 2011 novel The Family Fang and his collection of short stories Tunneling to the Center of the Earth have received considerable critical acclaim the past few years. (The Family Fang was one of the finalist for this year's Pultizer in fiction.) I missed his earlier visits to the Atlanta area.

What He Read: A somewhat unconventional selection. For about 25 minutes, Wilson read an excerpt from The Family Fang and three freshly written scenes for the Fang book that didn't appear in the book (requested by his publisher for promotional purposes?). The Family Fang is the story of two performance artist parents who use their children as part of their act with consequences that are detrimental to the children.

 Q & A: At first, the unassumming Wilson nervously zipped and unzipped his hooded sweatshirt, but then relaxed when members of the audience asked specific questions about The Family Fang. (Something comforting when a writer connects to his or her readers.)  Wilson also talked about how he first became intrigued by performance art of Chris Burden as a fifteen year old growing up in Winchester, Tennessee. Wilson admires the work of performance artist Joesph Beuys and network of artists known as Fluxus as well, but said he was careful not to study their work too much because he didn't want to risk tainting the imaginative performances he created for characters in his book.

 Question-I-Was-Too-Timid-to-Ask-But-Didn't-Have-To-Because-Someone-Else-Did (thankfully). One audience member asked about the recent decision of the Pulitzer committee not to award a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2012. Wilson said that naturally he was disappointed that he didn't win (Ann Patchett wrote that Wilson was certainly worthy), but thinks Denis Johnson's Train Dreams was definitely a book that deserved the prize.

Did I Buy Something? Yes. I picked up a copy of his collection of short stories and had it signed. I debated whether to have him pose for a picture for the blog, but Wilson who thanked everyone repeatedly for attending, seemed shy about the whole “reading” experience. I didn't want to be pushy.

Worth Mentioning: Wilson has a different approach to writing that you don't often hear. Unlike some writers who insist that you have to put on a tie and write every day like it is a job, Wilson, who teaches fiction at the University of the South, says he will go months without writing. He lets the story “spend time in my head.” When it's time, he will write continuously for six or seven days, breaking only for meals.

They're Coming to Americapedia and Andisheh Nouraee Is Why

If the melodic refrains of Neil Diamond's “America” stays in my head any longer I must remember to “thank” Andisheh Nouraee, the next time I see him. Nouraee, a former columnist for Creative Loafing kicked off the local tour of his book, Americapedia: Taking the Dumb Out of Freedom, with a medley of songs about America. In front of a full house at Decatur's Eddie's Attic, Nouraee boldly sang his personal Ode to America, which included bits of “El Paso,” “California Girls,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” the theme from the Broadway show “Oklahoma,” “Doraville,” “Jackson,” and the “America” from “West Side Story” to name but a few). The unaccompanied singing was richly apropos considering it was A Cappella Books who partnered with Eddie's Attic to host this book launch (some of the proceeds of the book sales going to the Decatur Education Foundation.)

Americapedia is actually the work of three authors: Jodi Lynn Anderson, Daniel Ehrenhaft, and Nouraee. The book is kind of a humorous junior high level civics textbook, which not only has a satirical edginess that appeals to teens, but to some adults as well. The crowd ranged from junior high students to people who say they remember the political upheaval of the sixties (but have forgotten the adage, “If you remember the sixties, you probably were not there.”). Nouraee believes that history coupled with humor can remove the confusion of how government works or doesn't work. Once that barrier is removed, says Nouraee people will be more likely to get involved. “The heart of the book is activism,” says Nouraee and part of the book (and its website) are dedicated to providing links and information to a multitude of organizations where a reader can connect to like-minded individuals.

The book is divided into seven chapters, which include topics such as economics, American dynasties (e.g., the Kennedy and the Bush families) foreign affairs, and a chapter devoted to hot topics such as religion, gay marriage and global warming. The book is a breezy read with lots of sidebars (“more sidebars than bars,” quipped Nouree) and is printed with colorful photographs and illustrations. One impressive aspect of the book is that the styles of the three writers have been melded into one consistent voice. Nouree explained (he and I chatted briefly at the bar before showtime) that even though the writers were based in different cities, (Anderson in D.C.; Ehrenhaft in New York; Nouree in Atlanta) that they edited each others' contributions, which added to the seamless quality of the book.

Tayari Jones: Review & Preview

Even though Tayari Jones' current promotional tour (which included six different appearances in Atlanta!) is focused on her latest book Silver Sparrow, I just finished reading her first novel, Leaving Atlanta, published in 2002.

I have been impressed with Jones essays (see earlier posting), but I will admit I was slow picking up this book. The thought of reading about the 1979 Atlanta child murders, a two year time period where over 20 African-American children were murdered, is not an inviting subject matter, but I now realize that although the deaths and the fears of abduction cast a shadow, the book is as much about the lives and expectations of three particular fifth grade schoolmates: Tasha Baxter, Rodney Green, and Octavia Harrison.

This book does what all good serious fiction does, it takes you into the world of these middle-school kids who, in addition to the tense atmosphere created by the abductions, also struggle with the usual awkwardness of puberty, classroom rivalries, and relationships with mothers and fathers (or absent fathers). Jones presents the different strata of the black working class – where people may be defined by whether they live in the projects or near them, can afford good clothes or not, or have brown skin pr “black, black as night” skin. (One student hangs the nickname “Watusi” on Octavia because she resembles a black African with unruly hair that “stuck out around her face like rays of the sun in a children's drawing.”) The book is divided into three sections following each child, but Jones melds these separate lives with skill. Jones' crafted prose is simple and strong and once a while she poleaxes you with a line that crushes then numbs you. (“You lose your child not like you lose your watch. You lose your child like you lose your sight. Lose your mind,” says one of the mothers.)

 

Sarah Vowell's Unfamiliar Fishes: A Review

As a contributor to NPR'S This American Life, and with appearances on Jon Stewart and David Letterman, it is no surprise Sarah Vowell has accumulated a legion of fans over the years along with a string of bestsellers. Her most recent book is Unfamiliar Fishes, a history of Hawaii that focuses on the Protestant missionaries who brought religion to Hawaii in 1820, which eventually led to the islands' 1898 American annexation.

My question is: Does anyone who isn't already a big fan of Vowell's thinks this is a very good history book? I liked her Assassination Vacation, but Unfamiliar Fishes sounded like a continuation of The Wordy Shipmates and I had enough of that book during her reading here in Atlanta a few years ago.

In short, Unfamiliar Fishes reads like one big riff on Hawaiian history reminiscent of the “native Hawaian” Ula's (played by Rob Schneider) rant in 50 First Dates (“Okay you haole you think you can come to this island, eat our pineapple, bang our women, and make my sister clean your hotel rooms.”) Coincidentally both the movie and the book pay homage to late Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole's (known more as Iz) rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”

Comparing to Unfamiliar Fishes to 50 First Dates may be silly, but the book has a few shortcomings as a history book, especially for an author who has made it her mission to translate history to the masses. It's has structural faults: The book has only one map (but I am a map junkie). The book has no chapters, no subheadings, no index, no chronology of events, and no family tree of the Hawaiian Royal Family (which would have been really helpful). I know it's unfair to criticize a book for what it doesn't have, but if Vowell's impetus to write the book is to educate us why not provide us with a few reading aids? (See Comments)

 

Crossroads of Conflict: A Review

To mark the beginning of the Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration, almost hundred buffs came out on a chilly night last month to hear Barry L. Brown and Gordon R. Elwell at the Decatur Public Library introduce their book Crossroads of Conflict: A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia. It was a seasoned crowd who has been going to the Cyclorama since they were kids, (Elwell made a solo bus trip from Orlando when he 11 years old to see the large oil painting) and an audience who knows the real story on whether Confederate President Jefferson Davis was wearing his wife's dress when the Federal cavalry captured him near Irwinville, Georgia on May 10, 1865. (Davis was wearing Mrs. Davis' shawl.)

Published last fall by the University of Georgia Press, in association with the Georgia Civil War Commission, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and the Georgia Humanities Council, Crossroads of Conflict is a comprehensive guide to the battlefields, markers, houses, relief maps, monuments, statues, museums, mills (mill ruins at Sweetwater Creek shown here), churches, depots, cemeteries, bridges, forts, parks, visitor centers, ferries, courthouses, capitols, prison sites, campsites, trenches, plantations, archives, arsenals, and lighthouses located in Georgia. All is all, 350 sites are included in the book, an increase from the last compilation, which listed 150 sites.

What is impressive is that Brown and Elwell's expansion of Crossroads' scope means the book covers more than just generals and campaigns. For example, they include the site where Atlanta barber and freed black, Solomon Luckie, died from injuries when a Union shell landed near him in July, 1864. (Luckie Street was named after him.) Another story, which Brown and Elwell told at their presentation, features Theophile Roche, a French national and mill owner in Roswell who tried to declare neutrality by hoisting a French flag as the Federal cavalry approached his mill. (Nice try, but to no avail as the Yankees torched the mill anyway.)

Book Organization

The sites are divided by the nine tourism regions of Georgia where individual sites and towns are grouped together geographically. For example, the Historic High Country region features the battlefield at Resaca (which has recently been expanded), and the surrounding areas of interest: the Duncan Norton House, the Resaca Confederate Cemetery and the Oostanaula River Bridge.