5 comments about Fargo Rock City : A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota.

1. Personally, Chuck is my top 3 favorite writer. I think he hit me hard with his styles and topics in all of his books. So if you're like me:
   
   - Love Rock and/or Heavy Metal music*****this is very important for this book
   - Enjoy reading about popular culture topics
   - Love sarcastic and funny books
   - is in the age range of 18-30 (I'm 24)
   - Like to explore all kinds od writings and books
   - is not one who tend to OVERTHINK AND OVERCRITISIZE books and writing styles
   - is open minded
   
   Then, this is probably your kind of writer too. Good luck and enjoy!



2. If you grew up enjoying hard rock and/or heavy metal of the 80's and early 90's, or are just a fan of that music, then you simply must read this book. It will bring back fond memories of your developing musical tastes and make you laugh out loud.



3. I bought this on the recommendation of Martin Popoff, and was terribly disappointed. If you want to read an insightful, entertaining, and fair review of heavy metal, this is most definitely NOT your book. Klosterman's "appreciation" of the form starts and ends with glam. He spends most of the book in postmodern smirky hipster mode, which means he continually trashes the music from a musical point of view, and chooses to battle for its "validity" in the more easily defended realm of "what it meant to me as a kid." As cultural studies, this is crap, and as a book about heavy metal it is an utter waste of time. He elevates glam (Poison, GNR, Cinderella, etc) and simultaneously slags Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and the host of other metal bands which were the meat and potatoes of any real metalhead of the time. He has no appreciation for what most metal fans would actually grace with the term "heavy metal". As you will quickly be able to tell, this is masterfully well done, in that he affirms what most of the snobs have been saying all along about metal--all the 5 star reviews are from people who are...gasp...not metal fans--whilst and at the same time pretending to be a true fan. Hipster dreck at its worst. You are better off reading Ian Christe's "Sound of the Beast", or even Walser or Weinstein's books. Better yet, check out Sam Dunn's documentary "Metal-A Headbanger's Journey." Dunn and Christe are real fans of the music, and they don't spend all their time perpetuating all the stereotypes of the form.



4. Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman ****
   
   
   Fargo Rock City in a nutshell is the history of Heavy Metal music with a heavy infasis on 'Glam Metal' or Hair Metal as the rest of the world refers to it. This Chronicles the genres growth from early Black Sabbath all the way up through the late 1990's when bands like Korn, Limb Biscuit, and Powerman 5000 destroyed the genre. All the while we are on the journey with the author Chuck Klosterman as he grows up in small town rural Fargo, North Dakota and how Metal, especially 'glam metal' as he refers to it effected him and the person he is today.
   
   While this book is really, really informative and accurate, it is also very funny, at times I found myself laughing out loud at the humor in his writing and at the hypocrisy of metal in society. It was a very entertaining read which is not some that is easy to do.
   
   The only reason I cannot give Fargo Rock City a five star rating is that in a few spots the book does drag, mostly toward the middle of the second part of the book. This is not through the whole book and only occurs in a small part, and aside from that it was a great read.
   
   For metal fans, especially those who are from small towns (i.e. Fargo, North Dakota) this is will be an entertaining read, but I also feel fans of Klostermans style will enjoy Fargo Rock City as well.



5. For the rest of my days, when someone browses my CD collection and asks how on earth I ended up with a huge number of hair metal albums from the 80s, I'm passing this book on. Chuck has really nailed for me what it was like to grow up in a a blue collar area during that time period and why so many of us kids gravitated towards the fun time rock.
   
   Usually, I'm slightly ashamed of my hair metal roots. It doesn't resemble my taste in music now, and on top of that, it's down right misogynistic. But this book sure made me nostalgic. That's a credit to Chuck's gifts as a writer.
   
   Now, why didn't I give 5 stars to this book? I actually struggled a long time about giving this 3 or 4 stars. This is really more of a 3.5 star book. I gave the round up to Chuck because this book did make me feel good about my childhood as I read it. So here is what's wrong with this book.
   
   First, my eyes glazed over several times as Chuck tends to get pedantic. What is metal? Is it stupid? Is it sexist? Is it bad if it is? He talks himself around in circles and as a reader, I quickly got bored. I realize that Chuck is a music critic, so he feels the need to explain exactly WHY he likes something, but go and ask me (just a year or two younger than Chuck) and any of our other peers who grew up in that time, and we'd just say that the song made us feel good. We didn't need to know if it was tounge in cheek, anti-satanic, or whatever message Chuck seems intent on digging up for each example. It's a lot like explaining why steak tastes good - it just does, and very few people have the words (or the passion) to delve into it. But it doesn't mean that we don't grow up enjoying the same things. For this reason, I pray that I never meet Chuck in a bar. He seems like a chatty drunk, and it won't be good enough to say that the song on the jukebox is merely "OK".
   
   Some of Chuck's analysis just borders on pontification. He's very impressed with himself. I'm sorry, Chuck, but no matter how many big words you use, you will never be able to convince me that breaking down some Guns 'n' Roses videos constitutes as an intellectual activity.
   
   And finally, what was really wrong with this book, was Chuck himself. You get the impression that Chuck honestly believes that he is the smartest person in the room. Rather than discussing or story telling, he comes across as teaching and talking down to you. Those who don't agree with him are instantly branded as an "idiot" and he's done with that person and his/her opinion. You'd think that someone who is writing a book celebrating a genre of music as maligned as hair metal would be a little bit more open minded to varying opinions.
   
   In summary, this book is great if you were born sometime before 1977 and grew up in a more rural, blue collar setting. Even though you may not have been crazy about Motley Crue, you knew someone else who was, and it's a great trip down memory lane.

5 comments about The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson.

1. then this is a must read for you! For those of us that were never blessed (and cursed! :) to have ever met this great man and one of the truly greatest outspoken literary giants of our generation, this is as close as we will ever get to knowing the real man inside the "Gonzo" exterior. Written with love and great humor by Bob Braudis and Michael Cleverly, it is a warm tribute to their friend of many years and allows us inside the "inner circle" of the Owl Farm kitchen. I laughed and laughed, but mostly I cried for having not been able to buy the ticket and take the ride myself.



2. The book tries to show the man behind the myth and by doing so exposes a talented man who comes off none too sympathetic. I suppose there are many that will read this and feel that it intensifies the greatness of their iconic hero. But for me, Hunter Thompson fell a few notches. He often comes off as crude and insensitive. I think the most amazing fact in the book is that he was still partying pretty hardy right until his suicide. I am 53 and I know that if I were to spend even one night of my life the way I spent every weekend during most of the 80's, my heart would explode. The book is filled with some interesting anecdotes. It is not particularly well written, but it is not badly written either. Hunter wrote one incredible book in his life and for that he basically got a get out of jail free card to self destruct and become his fictional self. Most of us in his generation have either quit, died, or went to prison. Sad to say, Hunter died. No one would have dared suggest rehab to him. That, for me at least, is the tragedy behind this book. Sorry to spoil the fun.



3. A good read, though relatively short and unambitious. I found the stories entertaining through I had heard most of them before. A much shorter, more concise edition of Hunter S. Thompson stories than some others that I have read (namely Ralph Steadman's HST Biography, "The Joke's Over", possibly the most dry and mundane book I've ever read. Ralph should stick to his day job, which he is quite proficient at...) Anyway, a good book, but not outstanding. I would recommend buying this only if you are a die-hard HST fan who needs everything ever written by him or about him to feel complete...like me.



4. There is great photo of a half naked girl somewhere in the book by a great Aspne photographer named Sarah diamond. That's all I remember from the little paperback book. The cover photo is kind of weird, though. I guess that's the best they could find.



5. This book is a great counterpart to the book "Gonzo" that Jann Wenner put out. The stories in this book are all based around Woody Creek. It is Hunter as a neighbor and friend. Great stuff

2 comments about Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching.

1. Giddings' biography presents the life of a woman whose courage and intelligence transcends the time in which she lived. Wells story resonates with the troublesome duality of being black and intelligent during a time that most of society saw African Americans as less-than-human. Moreover, Giddings' research builds step-by-step to grow an illustration of Wells resplendent in its examples of unintended consequences. Each violent action by the racists unintentionally shines light on Wells poetic writings that casts each action in its stony hatred for all humanity not only black humanity. Consequently, Giddings' prose flows through each active time of Wells' career as a journalist and writer of civil rights chapbooks almost as though she were channeling Wells herself since Wells story builds from one hair-raising escape from one bigoted southern town to the next. Pick it up.



2. I wanted to read about this wonderful woman I've heard so much about. I also wanted to read about her since she lived during the same time as my great grandparents . I've been studying the family history and I get a great since of what their lives were like. A must read for anyone wanting to know the history of that day. Lots of things happening then apply to our current history. Written in excellent style and great understanding.

No comments about Big Russ & Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life.

5 comments about Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer.

1. Jeal's wonderful biography of Stanley succeeds on many levels, as biography, history, psychology, cultural analysis and literature. The book brings to life his three great African journeys that made him famous but also captures the other parts of his life: his humble upbringing in Wales, his time in America and his later years in England. Stanley was a complicated man and, after reading the book, I felt I understood him.
   
   The book also provides a good picture of Victorian England and the politics of the European powers towards Africa in the late nineteenth century. His book also reflects on the subsequent developments in Africa that color how we now look at the exploration and colonization of Africa.
   
   Jeal was provided access to a vast trove of Stanley's writings that were previously unavailable. A fascinating part of this book is to see how new information, combined with a writer's keen analysis, can completely upend the standard view of a person or historical event.
   
   All in all, a thoroughly interesting book.



2. Years ago I stumbled on a book of fiction about Stanley's captaining of the ill-fated relief mission to "save" Emin Pasha in the late 1880's. I simply couldn't believe that what I was reading about the horrors of the journey were real, so began by reading my first Stanley biography. The horrors were real, and the courage required of African explorers was almost beyond imagination. Stanley, more than any man, knew that dark side.
   
   From the beginning I've been riveted by the man's accomplishments and (like T.E. Lawrence, as another review has perceptively noted) his many attempts to 'create himself' for the media to cover up a sad, neglected, Dickensian childhood. The most recent biography of Stanley I read, by John Bierman, depressed me, because it leaned so hard on Stanley's toughness that he came out as a brutal bully with no redeeming features whatsoever. My initial admiration waned.
   
   It is thus a delight to find in such a superb, well-written, and thoroughly researched biography as this, that Henry Stanley was a genuine human being, flawed and fascinating, gentle and brutal, demanding and obsessed by duty. Jule presents a multi-dimensional character and one's respect for other biographers, who've simply beaten Stanley for the sins of his generation, wanes in direct proportion to the realization of all that Stanley achieved in spite of his inner demons. That sad, abandoned child lived in Stanley until the day he died, but what remarkable courage he showed in spite of it! And what permanent changes he helped bring to world history, even if others took his great explorations and made horrible things of them.
   
   Also, with all due respect to many of the earlier, brilliant African explorers such as Burton or Stanley Baker, how remarkably free of racism and paternalistic 'cant' Stanley was. Burton himself was almost a pathological racist. There is no trace of this in Stanley. Again and again, when he lost his temper, it was because his fellow whites invariably treated the natives with (at best) contempt and, at worst, with brutality. The irony that it has become fashionable to portray Stanley himself as a brutal racist, is simply one of many in this biography.
   
   This should remain by far the best, most thorough, and most balanced biography of this remarkable man for the foreseeable future. Thank you, Mr. Jeal, for portraying the whole man again. And what a remarkable story it is, truly starker than any fiction!



3. Allow me state here at the beginning of my review that categorically Tim Jeal's biography of Henry Morton Stanley is a masterpiece. The book is epic in scope and proves to be both a wonderful narration of a life as well as a statement in support of the rehabilitation of Stanley's reputation. The book stands along side of my favorite biographies such as PETER THE GREAT by Robert Massie, AMERICAN CAESAR by William Manchester, and PRINCE OF OUR DISORDER (T.E. Lawrence) by John E. Mack. Much of Stanley's story seems to mirror T/E. Lawrence. Both illegitimate and trying to find a place in the world when the British class system was an obstacle to achievement to those of lowly birth. Both in many ways reinvented themselves but never were able to overcome the circumstances of their birth and childhood secrets. But as amazing as is the story of Lawrence of Arabia Tim Jeals reveals Stanley to be as just as an incredible life. I am not going to go into the various expeditions and events of Stanley's life in this review. You can discover those for yourself. But would like to comment that Jeals biography has a heavy amount of insightful psychological background to his narrative as well as almost a legal brief defense of Stanley's reputation whom Jeal clearly feels has been badly stereotyped, I found this approach exciting and most interesting although at times I wondered if the unfavorable view of Stanley needed an advocate. But this is a warts and all biography and Jeal does present Stanley as most human. In the end Jeal convinced me that my favorite African Explorer, Richard Burton was not the greatest. Stanley gets the nod now. I highly recommend this book to you. I think you will be amazed by this life and by the way it unfolds through Tim Jeal's exceptional writing.



4. This is the finest biography that I have read in some time. The writing is superb and it is based upon the most thorough research on its subject yet. The author is uniquely qualified to write this book as he has also written the definitive book on Stanley's counterpart, Dr. Livingstone. What makes this book so compelling is the subject himself. He was abandoned by his mother and never knew his father. The kind grandfather who took care of him died suddenly when Stanley was five years old and his mother's family had him placed in a workhouse. There he stayed for ten years when he left at age fifteen. His life became an odyssey which took him to America back to England and then to Africa where he achieved fame. Despite his accomplishments as discoverer and author, his personal life was full of disappointment. His attempt to hide his illegitimacy had led him to lie about his background. This coverup came close to unraveling on numerous occasions. Years after his career had ended he returned to New Orleans incognito where he walked the cemeteries looking for a "Stanley" tombstone that would give him a name to use in documenting his story. The irony was that one of the world's greatest discoverers could never find himself. An excellent book about a fascinating subject.



5. Stanley takes you to a place in history where you may have never traveled. A name associated with Africa but never explored. Makes you get up from your reading and reference the World Atlas re the Congo. A terrific adventure story and it's all true.

5 comments about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Other American Stories (Modern Library).

1. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson
   
   Hunter Thompson practiced total immersion journalism. This form of reporting is called gonzo journalism.
   
   Hunter Thompson drove to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race and ended up writing a story about himself writing a story about a motorcycle race. If he would have written a conventional report on motorcycle racing it would have been interesting to motorcycle enthusiasts for a few days. Since he wrote a gonzo story he had a very wide canvas and he used it well to create a classic.
   
   The reader might be turned off by the obstreperous behavior, extreme self indulgence and offensive inconsiderate language. If you can look past this offensive conduct and you will see that Hunter Thompson gave us an insight into the American character of the 1970's.
   
   See also: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)
   
   I completely enjoyed this book and recommend it to others.



2. Up there with Bukowski as "must read but be prepared", I've been avoiding Fear and Loathing for a while for no particular reason. I'm glad I finally broke down and read it, it's really a great book!



3. For the uninitiated (do you exist?), Hunter S. Thompson was a man famous for drugs, brilliance, and hard-living -- and in roughly that order. This story is 'journalism' in that it actually happened(!!), sorta... Thompson would embellish profusely, but in life he was fully capable of Fear and Loathing's boozy, head-on, wildly narcotic journalism.
   
   This is Thompson's masterwork. Within the vague framework of "Gonzo" journalism, he packs in surges of cultural subversion and hallucinatory absurdity-as-humanity. Reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a singular experience, a rarity in contemporary lit. You will be shocked and amused. You will both yearn for mind drugs and fear them. You will, at times, feel as if peering into the soul of humanity. And you will laugh, always. Don't miss out.
   
   Also, a secret: This is a *tremendous* book to read aloud.



4. I went into this novel thinking about all of the other publicly spoken peer reviews I have heard. Of course the drug crazed part sounded hilarious, but also after my very brief prior knowledge to Thompson's writing, i knew it would have some redeeming literate values. Picking up strong from the start, the novel made me laugh in disbelief at some of the experiences the reporter and his lawyer went through. Some of them even made me question reality.I am not a psychadelic enthusiast so I cannot judge if it is actually possible to hallucinate to the point of actually seeing huge lizards devouring humans.
   
   This piece works in very strange ways, almost putting you in the journalist's position. It made me feel very "strange" to say the least. Overall, this novel is a fine choice whether you are looking for anything from a bathroom read all the way up to an analysis. A warning though is to not be too closed-minded when reading this novel. Expand your thought train and think about what the 2 are going through, whether you approve or you don't. My best comparison would be to read this tale as you would listen to Dark Side of the Moon.
   
   Pick this visionary piece up and enjoy it for yourself.
   there are so many things in this book that you can stretch out and mold in your mind to better suit your imagination. It was a great read.



5. This is one of the great books. This Modern Library hardcover edition is beautifully made - good paper, clear font.

5 comments about The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967.

1. This book is the first stop on my discovery of Hunter S. Thompson. While being a fan of many of those he had inspired and befriended throughout his years, I randomly picked this as a starting point, and I'm glad I did. While a good chunk of his bibliography is already on order, I believe this glimpse into the man of a cock and [mostly] broke individual from his childhood up until just after his first real break at the money provides a foundation upon which the rest of his catalog can be interpreted with a little more detail and insight then just going in it blind.
   
   It is a giant volume to read no doubt, clocking in at about 660 pages worth of letters, and even more to come. Invaluable to anyone that is intrigued and a fan of HST, and ripe to be torn by those that feel the fear and the wrath of his contempt.



2. i loved this book. i'm pretty new to HST's books having 1st been introduced to his writing thru a friend who gave me a copy of Fear and loathing in las vegas. i didn't know he'd written other works but found that vegas book really funny. i bought a copy of it yrs later. the proud highway is a really interesting look into hunter's life on a daily basis. the "debt letter" on page 114 is hysterical! a great piece of writing. i've framed a copy of it and hung it above my pc. i love reading it.



3. This book, more than anything, collapses under its own weight. I genuinely enjoyed the read, but in retrospect there were too many times when I skipped to the end to see how much longer the book would go. With exhaustive editing it would be a formidable volume, but certain personal and business letters do no benefit to the collection as a whole.
   
   It almost functions as an autobiography... almost. I have a much better understanding of the late Mr. Thompson now, and admire his unhinged style of correspondence, but could have gotten the same point from less letters covering the same period of time. Like any good punk rock band, the shorter the song the better.
   
   The highest points are his moments of prophecy, which I will not ruin for those who plan to read this book. Hunter's ability to identify patterns and apply them to the political arena is astounding, and his observations on such are the best parts of the book.
   
   This is a good read for a patient reader who is rabid about the godfather of gonzo.



4. As a big fan of Mr Thompson for many years, I became very excited when I heard about this volume. And I was not disapointed when I read it. It is as good as any book he himself has ever written. Although not about any subject in particular, the book tells the story of Hunter S Thompson more interestingly than any biography I've ever read anywhere else. It is also far better than his autobiography "Kingdom of Fear".
   
   It obviously covers a lot of ground, but it never gets boring. Mr Thompsons letters, although not written in the same gonzo style of his books, are still very entertaining and very eloquent. They are obviously more candid, but also a lot less burdened by the "image" of Hunter S Thompson than his post-Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail publications (this is especially true for the second volume of letters, "Fear and Loathing in America"). In his letters, he writes as Hunter Thompson the man, not HST the Legend.
   
   You don't have to be a fan of Hunter S Thompson to enjoy this collection of his correspondings from between 1955 and 1967, but you will love it even more if you've read some of his other works. Then again, people wanting to buy this book are most likely to have read his other works as well.
   
   Higest possible recommendation.



5. Although I enjoy much of Thompson's work and think of him as a necessary part of our country, I can't help but feel he only let us behind a curtain he carefully crafted for us to see.

5 comments about Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century.

1. Make no mistake the late, lamented Hunter Thompson was always something of a muse for me going way back to the early 1970's when I first read his seminal work on outlaw bikers, The Hell's Angels. Since then I have devoured, and re-devoured virtually everything that he has written. I have reviewed many of those efforts elsewhere in this space. As I noted recently in reviewing his 2004 work Hey, Rube, a screed on the misadventures of a gambling freak (himself), not all his efforts have been equally compelling. That was the case in my panning of Hey, Rube but here we are back on much more solid `gonzo' style from the old days. Maybe it is because this work is in the form of a memoir and thus intentionally places the good Doc's actions in the center of the writing that puts this effort in the mold of his better compilations like the Great Shark Hunt and Songs of the Doomed.
   
   Thompson uses his patented stream of consciousness trope to create amusing stories starting from the then present (early 2000's) and his then current doings and splices them together, in some segments randomly, to events as far back as his childhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Along the way we find him at age nine in trouble with the FBI, and none the worst for the confrontation. Later, it is down and dirty in Rio with the crazies. Throughout, we find him incessantly testing his beloved guns and various `hot' motorcycles at various and sundry appropriate and inappropriate times.
   
   Additionally, we have some compelling and insightful stories as this radical journalist tours the news breaking global spots, taking trips to places like Vietnam just before the fall, Cuba, Grenada just after the invasion and elsewhere wherever the journalistic action might be and a story, in the Thompson style, might develop. Needless to say there is plenty of ink about sex, drugs and rock and rock including his deeply affecting and traumatic tangle with the law in Aspen the early 1990's. That, my friends, was a close call.
   
   And throughout, as usual, there are pithy political comments about the various idiots-in-chiefs, their henchman and hangers-on that he spent his life hammering. Maybe not hammering your way, definitely not my way, but his way. His fateful run for Sheriff of Aspen on the Freak Power ticket in 1970 probably accurately set the tone as a lifelong description of his politics. For those who have read other works by Thompson some of the signature language may be old hat as he meanders along in this volume. For others it is a chance to learn the lingo. Damn, especially this election year, I miss him. Read on.



2. Mr Thompsons autobiography is somewhat lacking compared to his other works. It seems, that he in his later years didn't have that much new to say, and this volume shows it very clearly. It deals with the legend of HST, not the man Hunter Stockton Thompson, and only plays the same tune that we've been hearing since F&L in Las Vegas, only in a strongly diluded form.
   
   A great drawback is that he recycles a lot of stuff from his earlier work, which if you're a fan/reader of his you can't help but feel a bit cheated about. The book isn't that long as it is, but when half the material already has been printed before, and therefore probably, for fans at least, is on your shelf already, it gives the feeling of the good Mr Thompson not really making an effort writing this volume.
   
   It's not all bad though. There are highlights in the book. His description of his childhood is enjoyable and very biographical. The last chapter is also very enjoyable, although not that good as biographical material, it does for a good reading.
   
   It starts out legitimate enough, but quickly turns to his rambling and at times incoherent style of writing. Worth reading if you're a completist. I would recommend the compilations of his letters "The Proud Highway" and "F&L in America" as biography instead. They are much better.



3. This book (2003) and "Hey Rube" (2004) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), this book is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush. There's even a chapter from "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972," one of the finest political books ever written.
   
   The quality of the writing on the recent pieces is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.
   
   As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"
   
   "Indeed," as Doc would say.



4. It's true, there are lots of parts of this book that can be found in other books, but this is still the best HST book I've read. It's sort of like a greatest hits. The new parts however, are the best part of this book.



5. By far simply one of his best collections. It seems the good doctor saw what was on the horizon and unforunately he was right. The world is a lesser place without him and we should all cherish every word. His insight was frightening an accurate. BUY THIS BOOK!

5 comments about Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories.

1. I went into Learning to Drive as a fan of KP's essays in The Nation and remain so. The author's keen wit in there front and center. Some of the reviews tried to put across that she was some kind of a loon for cyberstalking the ex-boyfriend. But it wasn't just that he walked out--he seems to have been living a bizarre double life, which included intimacy with women they both knew. I think KP's post-breakup "research" was just her way of trying to process a deeply weird scenario. Yes, we'd all like to think we'd be above it but miles & mocassins, &c. Anyway, the bad breakup is only a small part of this book, and it's always a delight to read KP holding forth on politics, culture, and the infinite number of ways Americans can be hypocritical on the subject of women's roles from daughters to wives to mothers.



2. It's hard to know in whom I am more disappointed, in Random House for publishing "Learning to Drive," Ms. Pollitt for writing it, or me for buying it. I bought this book with the expectation that I would learn something about women, a class of persons, as a heterosexual male, I have dealt with extensively and seem to have lacked a great deal of understanding of for many years.
   
   Instead what I encountered was superficiality, vindictiveness, incoherence and hypocrisy.
   
   The book starts out with a promising metaphor. ppp, portrayed as a well-meaning but rather bumbling person, is being taught to drive by a patient, knowledgeable soul. In a parallel way, the reader might think, ppp in writing this book is going to teach us in a patient, knowledgeable way, about the soul of women.
   
   But no. Instead we are treated to the most banal of stories, the forsaken lover who hurls the venom of her disappointment hither and thither, strangely much more so at a woman friend she calls Judas, pardon, I mean Judith, than at the man she believes betrayed her, whom she labels "G" (given that G is the only person in the book who gets a capital letter instead of a name, one must wonder what other capital G entity she may have been thinking of when she so designated him).
   
   The book then proceeds to wander all over the map, the opening metaphor and original romantic betrayal seemingly forgotten. Meanwhile we get sparkling insights into male-female relationships such as this: when G left her he told her he was going to live alone. But a friend of hers told her that was a lie because men can't stand to live alone for more than 10 minutes. And in fact it turned out he had left her for a younger woman! So there you are. The friend said it and her prediction turned out to be correct. What more proof could you want that men are just that way.
   
   Beyond her superficial observations, ppp oozes hypocrisy. As noted here is a putative feminist who blames the woman in the quadrangle she describes but not the man who betrayed her. At one point, she even in effect forgives G for leaving her for a younger woman because after all if it's available why not take it. But her claws are out razor sharp for Judith who did just that with G.
   
   Here's another strange thing: in the opening pages of this book, Ms. Pollitt per the title is, in the present tense, learning to drive. But about 150 pages later she is blithely discussing how she used to drive to her home in Connecticut apparently from New York - no mean trick for someone who later has to learn to drive. Thus the whole premise of the book seems to built on a fiction or a distortion. Very inspirational.
   
   Here's my recommendation: Don't buy the book. Better to spend your time and money on As the World Turns re-runs. At least dumb there is the expectation.



3. Katha Pollitt is perceptive and funny, and describes some of the issues women have these days. I like her humor, and good writing, and highly recommend the essays in Learning to Drive.



4. As a general rule I have found that books that consist of previously published columns and suchlike material bundled together to make a book usually aren't all that good; that they tend to be a "greatest hits" compendium of the author's (supposedly) best work in the opinion of some publishing house book editor. Pollitt's book Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories is the rare exception to my rule.
   
   Learning to Drive is a coherent and tenderly personal progress report of Pollitt's private life and growth as culled from assorted columns published in the Nation and the New Yorker magazines. As someone or other once famously said: "The personal is the political." And Pollitt goes on to show exactly how true that observation really is.
   The "personal is political" meme therefore says that our personal lives are in considerable part politically delimited and determined so that improving our personal lives means we must collectively address our lives and relationships in political terms.
   
   The choices we make personally have political implications. Obviously the choice to be an activist or not or to support this or that political project has political implications even though it is personally undertaken. But as Pollitt shows, so do our most personal relationships. All the choices we make, even the ones that seem totally apolitical and personal, have political implications. The choice to wear make-up or not, to watch TV or not, to eat this or that or not, to wear this or that item of clothing, to use a bank or not, or as in Pollitt's case, whether to put up with an obviously unfaithful boyfriend, is a personal choice, but it is also a political one.
   
   Pollitt's mini-memoir is also replete with refreshing and honest insights about the limits of ideological purity when one's chosen ideology founders in real life practice. One of the best ongoing themes in this work is the story of her parents and especially Pollitt's father, who although a dedicated card-carrying member of the Communist Party, gives up the famous line from Stalin about having to `break eggs to make an omelet', that (paraphrasing from memory here), "I saw a lot of broken eggs, but never any omelets." Pollitt observes that her father never gave up his Marxist ideology, but he could honestly admit to its failures and shortcomings. That observation is quite Orwellian and in the most positive and affirming of ways, too. As in the way that Orwell, as a man of the Left, had no compunctions about saying what he really thought or saw, regardless of his chosen ideological leanings.
   
   Katha Pollitt's book succeeds in much the same way; she never renounces her political views, but she isn't blindly trying to superimpose ideology in place of reality by trying to call a circle a square, either.



5. Katha Pollitt has long been known for her sharp wit and her rare ability to take an issue that confounds most social and political commentators and get right to the heart of it. I have always felt a little awestruck at her talents as an essayist, but this book impressed me, and moved me, in a totally new way. I was reminded of a quote from bell hooks: "It is easier to stand before a public world and demand justice (equal pay for equal work, reproductive freedom and more) than it is to stand in the space of our private longings for love and connection and call for a change in how we make love, how we create partnerships." In "Learning to Drive" Pollitt turns the lens onto herself, her relationships and her vulnerabilities with candor and remarkable courage, but her work of memoir is distinguished from others by her skill at making the connections between her private longings and the society that shapes them.

5 comments about If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska.

1. I lived for several years in Alaska and my wife thought I would enjoy this book, which she got through Paperback Swap. I read the book during a recent illness and only finished it because I felt I had to, not because there was any epiphany to be gained in the last few pages. I realized this early-on, but kept reading only to learn more of the well-described and interesting people that are part of Lende's social circle. Alaska seems to bring out the best some of its citizens- and I have known some really funky and admirable Alaskans. A story about them or folks like them would have been a better goal for Lende. She has the talent to pull-it-off and she certainly has the presence of mind to jot-down relevant comments made by others. Her recollection of quotes and comments borders on the spooky. I wonder if her friends will ever be so frank again. Her ability to use quotes to capture a "life" is exceptional.
   
   This book could have been edited better. A good editor would have guided Lende in a more cohesive arrangement of her content to support any one of the supposed goals of the book: a narrative about death as it shapes how we view life, a first-hand account of life in small-town Alaska, a collection of profiles of Alaskans, how marriage is shaped by life's experiences and challenges, the development of the conflict between her secular (permissive) view of social freedom and the role of prayer and religion in her life, how liberal or conservative views shape a culture or a small community in the face of modern challenges, or a narrative that explores gritty details of life from the feminine (or maybe liberal) perspective. Any of these goals would have been admirable, but not all at once. A good editor would have made her choose, and fully develop it. What she created was a collection of disjointed vignettes, with a heavy overlay of first person. It is readable and fun, but not a very important literary achievement.
   
   Her technique of using the Duly Notes column as a launching pad for each chapter was interesting, but not very helpful to the reader, since those details were not further developed by the examples in the following chapter. Further, the digressions placed in the middle of her profile-obituaries seemed like more of a distraction rather than a technique to introduce or bolster some larger meaning. Heather Lende's story about Haines is really a first-person memoir. All the vignettes, obituaries, and profiles seem to provide some direct reflection on Lende or her family, or seem to be used to validate her own social or political viewpoints. So it is not as much about Haines as it is about Lende's perception of how Haines reflects on her life. A true narrative about Alaskan life would have less first person pronouns in it. Her view of Haines is one from privilege; though it is endearing to read her self-critical commentary during her visit to the trailer of a native (in her Patagonia jacket) it falls short for the very effort she uses to convince us that she is trying to understand. Sensitivity towards modesty would have prevented her from dropping "elite" details of her life that set her apart from the mainstream. Those very details betray her motive.
   
   As other reviewers have mentioned, her version of Haines, and of small town life in general, is one of a well-healed community leader in one of the best places to live if your are a millionaire. But not everybody there will be a millionaire - we can expect a full-on pluralistic society. I imagine few folks in Haines have the resources to be flying in and out of Alaska as often as she does - even if you stretch all those trips over 15 years. Her story might make me want to visit Haines again, but what would I find? A town of "haves" and "have nots" So this book is a "teaser" in many ways. It trades the neutral excellence of a John McPhee with first person impressions of a narrator that gives us just enough of her opinion and emotion to betray her own credibility. You want a piece of Heather's Haines, but you'll never get it because you can't afford it.
   
   I recommend others read this book, but not because it will give them some Alaskan Lake Wobegon fix. Read this book to get a voyeur's glimpse of what small towns look like from an ivory tower viewpoint. Just don't be teased into believing it is possible to have it yourself.
   
   M.A.'s husband, Chris



2. Heather Lende is a freelance writer, commentator for National Public Radio, and obituary writer for the Chilkat Valley News in Haines, Alaska. "If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" is a portrait of life in Haines--a small isolated Southeast Alaska town dominated by awe-inspiring wildlife, majestic mountains, and 1,800 people (give or take) who manage to tenaciously hold onto their rugged individuality yet know when to set their individuality aside for the sake of greater goods (e.g. families in need of assistance, strong relationships with neighbors).
   
   Lende writes from a first person perspective and thus Haines life is told from her idiosyncratic point of view. Many anecdotes revolve around Lende's vocations of stay-at-home-mother, school board member, member of the local Episcopal church, environmentally-conscious citizen, and (especially) obituary writer. As she presents Haines life from these angles, she often juxtaposes the complex emotions surrounding Haines. She presents examples of the breathtaking beauty of her town, but then tells the story of how their son almost died of appendicitis as they raced through a blizzard to a Canadian hospital. She writes about her divisive attempt to institute a mandatory gay sensitivity workshop at the local high school, but then writes about the unity she experienced with one of her most bitter rivals as they cooked a benefit meal together to help defray the medical bills of another town resident. She effectively shows that life in Haines, Alaska, is as complex as life anywhere.
   
   A major theme running through "If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name" is death--or to be more accurate, the cycle of life. This should not be surprising since one of Lende's vocations is that of obituary writer (and every Haines death gets a full treatment). Writing about "good deaths" for people who lived life fully to a ripe, old age is easy; writing about a twenty-year-old who drowns when his fishing boat sank isn't nearly as easy; why? Each death is totally unique; each death fits the pattern of life-and-death that had been established since the world began; how is this reconciled? And then, how do the related issues of birth, ageing, growing, loving, and how one spends his life come into play? Lende manages to be poetically reflective even while she avoids the temptation of being simplistic about death. She allows it to be mysterious, fearsome, natural, and expectedly complex. Even still, her last chapter, "I Am Not Resigned" surprisingly ties up a lot of running themes and brings a feeling of completion without presenting "solutions."
   
   In my reviews, I try to present both positive and negative aspects of any book. For this book, Lende's memoirs, it is difficult to condemn her life experience. I never get the sense that Lende is being less than totally truthful (even when she portrays herself in a bad light). This reader appreciates her honesty, even to the point of admitting that those on different sides of various "issues" have valid points. Being one on the other side of these various issues, I do have trouble identifying with Lende at times. Crying, she comforts herself by imagining a future in which a homosexual from Haines becomes President of the United States; when writing an obituary of a Tlingit, she is overcome by "white guilt" because of what all the "people who look like her" have done to American Indians; she indulges in religious pluralism as she is a leader of her Episcopal church, seems to believe Tlingit creation stories, writes laudably about a wedding in which the "eternal spirits of the universe" are invoked, writes equally highly about a totally secular wedding, and experiences the joy of praying the Rosary. With all of these, this reader and Lende are so far apart, that I simply can't put myself in her shoes and say, "I understand what you're feeling, even if I disagree."
   
   However, as previously mentioned, this is Lende's life experience and it is well told. I was fascinated as she mused on life during the winter months (where the sun doesn't rise until 9:30 and sets by 3:00!) and summer months (where the sun stays out well past midnight!). Her relating tales on the process of smoking fish, picking wild berries, raising chickens, cooking meals for thirty from scratch, and the like are fascinating. She succeeds in getting this reader to envision what living in Haines would be like...and in fact envy the people of Haines (until I remember the lack of hospitals and winter sun). In all, this book is highly recommended as it provides a great balance of enjoyment and forces to the reader to contemplate things common to us all--life, death, family, vocation, and what's really important.



3. Though I enjoyed reading about Haines and parts of this author's life, the preoccupation with death throughout this book was overwhelming. Death of relatives, strangers, friends, animals. Accidental death. Death by falling, by weather, by cancer, by boats sinking, by airplanes crashing. Fear of death. Near death. Funerals. Researching and writing obituaries. Anniversaries of loved ones dying. Even when it seems a chapter is going to be about a different subject, within a few pages it seems like death always sneaks in there.
   
   I'd like to see another book by this author, this time devoted to life and living, instead of death and dying.



4. I have been wanting to move to Alaska for about 15 years but my family won't come with me, so after the kids are through college and I have put in 20 years on my job, (I have 7 years to go) Haines, AK, here I come. During the past 15 years I have been reading about different towns in Alaska and there is always something that turns me off. Not one thing about Lende's descriptions about life in Haines has turned me off. I am sure this is the place for me. I am going to take a road trip in the summer of 2008 to Alaska and will definately spend time in Haines. I can't wait. One thing for sure, I won't be getting on any planes there until I am ready to go meet my maker.



5. Heather Lende writes the social column and obituaries for the small town paper in Haines, Alaska. You get to feel you know all of the residents there through her eyes and the columns she tells about that she has written. A book well worth reading. It will show you the joys and sorrows of a small town in Alaska and help you appreciate that small town where you may have grown up any where else.