These Children Who Come at You with Knives, and Other Fairy Tales
Jim Knipfel
Delightful derangment, with modern life lessons.
Revolutionary Road
Richard Yates
Is suburbia really entirely to blame?
This Boy's Life: A Memoir
Tobias Wolff
Tough childhood, failures provide lifelong material.
Outliers:The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell
Being fortunate contributes to success—surprised?
More six-word summaries
9 July 2010
Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House
Meghan Daum
From Manhattan to Nebraska to L.A.
She tries to change her life through real estate.
Other people's lunacy
Can be quite fun to see
And her fine writing hits home any day.
20 December 2009
The New Yorkers
Cathleen Schine
Author of The Three Weissmanns of Westport
On this block, whatever the weather
Dog walking brings strangers together.
The story's playful and light
With a bittersweet bite
For neither dogs nor love lasts forever.
30 September 2009
I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era
William Knoedelseder
For comics, the seventies were sunny
Until they realized they should be paid money.
The strike details get dull
But it's nice to recall
The days when Leno was funny.
2 July 2009
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
John Grogan
The cute little Lab in the pen
Becomes man's huge and destructive best friend.
Overbearing and gawky
Describe both the prose and the doggie
But you'll want tissues on hand at the end.
More limericks
9 July 2010
The Vegetarian Myth
Lierre Keith
Acquiring food, for most modern westerners, is a completely danger-free proposition. Yet some people must feel they need to earn their dinner by drawing blood, because nothing stirs up self-righteous anger and wrathful condescension like telling other people that what they eat is Wrong. Keith claims to have destroyed her body from two decades of veganism, and to want to save others from the same fate. But if she really wanted to be helpful she might actually reveal what she was and wasn't eating then, and is and isn't eating now. I get the feeling she might never have eaten a vegetable in her life. But you won't hear "God made animals out of meat" here. In fact, Keith believes that refusing to eat animals, while thinking nothing of eating silent and non-cute plants, is an example of arrogant human anthropomorphism. She takes seriously the idea that plants are living creatures who want to live just as much as we do. She does not dispute the horrors of factory farming. But she says she has finally realized that nothing can stay alive without something else dying, and vegetarians and vegans are misguided to think otherwise—they will ruin their health if they don't eat meat, and soil-destroying agriculture is doing even more harm to the planet than eating meat would. Her solution is to eat animals, and products from them, that she raises, humanely, herself. She says growing your own food is one of the three most important things you can do for the planet, the other two being not owning a car and not having children. But an energy-efficient, non-car-owning lifestyle seldom allows one to live anywhere where it's possible to grow anything more than a pot of basil on a windowsill. And how can she expect humans not to reproduce, when her central argument is that's what all animals and plants live to do? Attempting to divine what is a "natural" diet and separate out romanticization of our hunter-gatherer past (do we really want to give up modern medicine, literacy, and indoor plumbing?) may leave the reader more confused than ever. I'm glad for one thing—this book about the role of food in the author's life isn't another 'memoir with recipes.' Yikes!
9 July 2010
Bike Snob: Systematically and Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling
Eben Weiss (according to the copyright page. On the cover it says the author is "BikeSnobNYC.")
This book is for every cyclist who's ever been yelled at to "get on the sidewalk"—that is, every cyclist. Equal parts manifesto, guidebook, and entertainment, it has something to teach the novice, veteran, and even the non-cyclist about the rules of the road, basic maintenance, cycling history, and all the many varieties of creatures on two wheels. I recognized the cycling archetypes, like the Beautiful Godzilla and the Lone Wolf, even though I'd never given them names. I learned about cycling sports I'd never heard of, including one where you spend part of the time riding the bike and part of the time carrying it (though I shouldn't be surprised that someone decided to take what is possibly the most beautifully efficient invention ever and make it a chore to use). Says BikeSnob, "Cyclocross is something cyclists are supposed to appreciate, and even if they don't like Cyclocross they are generally afraid to admit it. In this sense Cyclocrossers are the cycling equivalent of Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys." Sometimes the author's zeal gets in the way of his generally ample common sense—there's "no reason not to wear a helmet," but thinking you can't get on a bike without one is "buying into the myth that cycling is dangerous"? Yeah, your head injury will really stick it to the man. But mostly he's right on, even as he makes you laugh. Now, can BikeSnob do something about the alarming things I see every day on the bike path? A baby in a snuggli dangling from a rider's chest? A panting dog on a leash tied to a moving bike's seat post? Cyclists on cell phones and joggers plugged into iPods? Helmets hanging from handlebars, presumably to be whipped on by their owners when they see they are about to crash? An astounding number of middle-aged men riding no-hands and looking very proud of themselves? The world would be a much better place if everyone—cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists—read this book.
14 March 2010
Stuff White People Like
Christian Lander
People who write about stuff white people like are actually white themselves, but that's okay because white people like irony (#50). Do not think too hard about a white person making fun of white people for liking self-deprecating humor (#103), or your head might explode. Pretend to agree that mocking people for their race is edgy and smart. Tell them that they aren't like other white people because they can laugh at themselves. They will like to hear you say this, because white people like being the only white person around (#71). If you do point out to them that stereotypes based on race aren't cool, they will just say that they are really laughing at rich people, so it's okay. The problem is that they are really laughing at educated people. Do not point this out to them as it will make them sad.
More recent reviews
Archives
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005
2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
1999 1998 1997
I've always loved a page-turner
Literary Limericks
Six-Word Summaries
Buy-Nothing Songs
Books Reviewed
Ten Little Indians Sherman Alexie
The...Mormon Singles Halloween Dance Elna Baker
A Box of Matches Nicholson Baker
Big Trouble Dave Barry
One! Hundred! Demons! Lynda Barry
Personals Thomas Beller, editor
Bike Snob BikeSnobNYC/Eben Weiss
Postville Stephen Bloom
Passionate Minds David Bodanis
Mystery Ride Robert Boswell
The Climb Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt
My Husband Betty Helen Boyd
Drop City T.C. Boyle
The Inner Circle T.C. Boyle
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson
Kindred Octavia Butler
Long For This World Michael Byers
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
The Skeptic's Dictionary Robert T. Carroll
Heart, You Bully, You Punk Leah Hager Cohen
Mrs. Bridge Evan S. Connell
Mr. Bridge Evan S. Connell
River Thieves Michael Crummey
My Misspent Youth Meghan Daum
The Quality of Life Report Meghan Daum
The Gift of Fear Gavin de Becker
Burnt Bread and Chutney Carmit Delman
American Voyeur Benoit Denizet-Lewis
Brother Iron, Sister Steel Dave Draper
Crunchy Cons Rod Dreher
Turbulent Souls Stephen Dubner
House of Sand and Fog Andre Dubus III
Bait and Switch Barbara Ehrenreich
Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich
Travels with Lizbeth Lars Eighner
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Anne Fadiman
Kick Me Paul Feig
True Story Michael Finkel
Time and Again Jack Finney
Still Life With Husband Lauren Fox
Bad Times in Buenos Aires Miranda France
The Corrections Jonathan Franzen
Jew vs. Jew Samuel G. Freedman
Jews Without Judaism Daniel Friedman
Muscle Samuel Fussell
The Country of Marriage Anthony Giardina
White Guys Anthony Giardina
Baby Proof Emily Giffin
Love the One You're With Emily Giffin
Something Borrowed Emily Giffin
Stumbling on Happiness Daniel Gilbert
Committed Elizabeth Gilbert
The Last American Man Elizabeth Gilbert
Stern Men Elizabeth Gilbert
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress Susan Jane Gilman
Blink Malcolm Gladwell
Bee Season Myla Goldberg
The Search for God at Harvard Ari Goldman
Awake Elizabeth Graver
The Curious Incident of the Dog... Mark Haddon
Holy Days Lis Harris
The Believers Zöe Heller
What Was She Thinking? Zöe Heller
Confederates in the Attic Tony Horwitz
Waltzing the Cat Pam Houston
Nocturnes Kazuo Ishiguro
The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro
Le Divorce Diane Johnson
A Death in Belmont Sebastian Junger
John Stuart Mill in Love Josephine Kamm
The Vegetarian Myth Lierre Keith
Subwayland Randy Kennedy
The English Teacher Lily King
The Pleasing Hour Lily King
Seven Blessings Ruchama King
Ultimate Fitness Gina Kolata
Into the Wild Jon Krakauer
Under the Banner of Heaven Jon Krakauer
The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri
Close to the Bone Jake Lamar
Stuff White People Like Christian Lander
The Girls Lori Lansens
The Devil in the White City Erik Larson
The Body of Jonah Boyd David Leavitt
Random Family Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Mystic River Dennis Lehane
The Geography of Time Robert Levine
Indecent Sarah Katherine Lewis
The Inn at Lake Devine Elinor Lipman
Absolutely American David Lipsky
Inconspicuous Consumption Paul Lukas
Lonesome Dove Larry McMurtry
After the Workshop John McNally
The Early Arrival of Dreams Rosemary Mahoney
Shopgirl Steve Martin
The Family That Couldn’t Sleep D.T. Max
Home Comforts Cheryl Mendelson
The Trouble with Diversity Walter Benn Michaels
The Outside World Tova Mirvis
Starting Out in the Evening Brian Morton
Short Girls Bich Minh Nguyen
Her Fearful Symmetry Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club Laurie Notaro
The Last of Her Kind Sigrid Nunez
The Orchid Thief Susan Orlean
The Bigness of the World Lori Ostlund
The Dive From Clausen’s Pier Ann Packer
Truth and Beauty Ann Patchett
The Murder of King Tut James Patterson, Martin Dugan
Little Children Tom Perrotta
The Botany of Desire Michael Pollan
Blue Clay People William Powers
Whispering in the Giant's Ear William Powers
The Wild Trees Richard Preston
Blue Angel Francine Prose
A Changed Man Francine Prose
Music Through the Floor Eric Puchner
Don’t Get Too Comfortable David Rakoff
In the Little World John H. Richardson
Out of America Keith B. Richburg
Stiff Mary Roach
Them Jon Ronson
The Israelis Donna Rosenthal
Kissing in Manhattan David Schickler
The Three Weissmanns of Westport Cathleen Schine
Time of My Life Allison Winn Scotch
Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris
A Return to Modesty Wendy Shalit
The Dangerous Husband Jane Shapiro
The Size of the World Joan Silber
American Wife Curtis Sittenfeld
The Man of My Dreams Curtis Sittenfeld
Prep Curtis Sittenfeld
Before the Knife Carolyn Slaughter
Name All the Animals Alison Smith
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith
A Ship Made of Paper Scott Spencer
The Man Who Ate Everything Jeffrey Steingarten
High-Tech Heretic Clifford Stoll
Evening News Marly Swick
The Mismeasure of Woman Carol Tavris
Blankets Craig Thompson
A Complicated Kindness Miriam Toews
Summer Blonde Adrian Tomine
The Men and the Girls Johanna Trollope
One-L Scott Turow
Working Fire Zac Unger
My Own Country Abraham Verghese
The Tennis Partner Abraham Verghese
The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls
Girls Like Us Sheila Weller
He Is...I Say David Wild
The Right Stuff Tom Wolfe
Old School Tobias Wolff
Marjorie Morningstar Herman Wouk
Youngblood Hawke Herman Wouk
Generation Kill Evan Wright