Hilton Als' essays about gender identity, race awareness, African-American gay men and masculinity will give readers severe whiplash. He does indeed discuss several white girls, Flannery O'Connor for one, but then he also explores the white-girlness of Truman Capote, Michael Jackson and Eminem. The chapter on Richard Pryor is my absolute favorite and is followed by a confusing and bizarre fictional rumination about Richard Pryor's sister. Don't try to find a rhyme or reason to White Girls, just enjoy.
A Chilean poet gives a young woman a writing desk full of drawers and cabinets and secret compartments and then disappears under Pinochet’s dictatorship. Later, another woman requests that the desk be returned, and so begins a grand and sorrowful story of the writers who share the desk as it moves from one recipient to another.
Kids really do say the darnedest things, but so do parents! From the eye of the storm, comedian Jim Gaffigan reports on the trials of raising five young children and celebrates the absurdities, embarrassments, and joys. He begins by reflecting on his early perceptions of being abducted by aliens (aka, babies) and then recounts his own recent adventures in sleep deprivation, family vacations, juggling schedules, and the power of ice cream. Gaffigan pokes at his own fathering foibles and sings the praises of his wife’s mothering and family management, even if there is some c
Ryan Dean West, Winger to his friends, is determined to take control of his junior year. In the Venn diagram of life, most people overlap, or at least most junior guys at Winger's school, it is that little crescent outside that makes us stand out. For Ryan Dean, it is that he is a 14 year old junior, two years younger than his other classmates. That means he doesn't need to shave, hasn't hit his growth spurt, and has no skill with the ladies.
Perhaps the best essay in Wild Comfort is the piece that launches the collection, The Solace of Snakes. It’s possible that it’s my favorite essay because of her cunning implementation of snake tins (sheets of metal) to give snakes a proper home in a cleared field. Kathleen Dean Moore further explains her recordings each day as she carefully lifts the snake tins and examines the life beneath: “A large vole. . .
In The Husband's Secret the lives of three Australian women are intertwined in ways they would never have thought possible. For years, the tragedy of a teenage daughter’s death has haunted one of the women and unknowingly affected another. The third woman, faced with a marital earthquake, takes her young son to her hometown of Sydney.
The smell of baking cookies brings back memories of mother's kitchen...Biting into a fresh tomato recalls the garden behind your childhood home...Watching the yellow powder and milk combine to create delicious macaroni and cheese reminds you of your first apartment. For author Lucy Knisley, as for many of us, food is a trip down memory lane. With a caterer mother and foodie father, her life has been defined and marked by some of the best (and worst food).
Victoria Jones has just aged out of the foster care system, and her case worker is transporting her to a transitional home. In alternating chapters, the reader watches Victoria make her way in the world while learning about her past. Whether looking forward or back, her past, present, and future are riveting.
In the 14th Century, Klaus lives the life of a simple woodcarver who begins to carve toys for all the children of his village after the Black Death strikes his village. In the years to come, his fame spreads through out the region. So much so, that it becomes impossible for him to deliver all the toys on one night. Here begins the magic and whimsy that will influence Klaus for the rest of his natural life...and beyond! Here starts the legend of Santa Claus!
For years, Batman has protected Gotham City from the darkness that seeks to destroy it. Within this darkness is the Court of Owls, an urban legend that tells of a shadowy conspiracy ruling Gotham City for centuries. Now the Court has placed the Batman in its sights, to take back their city from the Caped Crusader. Can Batman, the Dark Knight, survive the maneuverings of the Court or will he watch Gotham burn around him?
