Gasp!

Alabama snow: How to make a snow cream

 When my husband, a native Alabamian, first told me about snow creams, I thought it was a countrified idea. But no, he explained, it’s for real. People actually take snow off the ground, mix it with other ingredients, and eat it.

For me, slurping snow was kid-stuff in Connecticut. I did it until one day I realized that there were such things as yellow snow and acid rain. But for Southerners who rarely see snow, the prospect of a genuine snow cream is thrilling.

In honor of the great Southern Snowpocalypse of 2011, here are our instructions on how to make a snow cream. Yes, he pours way too much Vanilla in the batch. And here’s a special tip: Take the snow off of a parked car. If you grab snow from a ground-based pile, a pebble could be nestled inside resulting in tooth breakage.

Play submissions and relationships in theater

Almost four years ago, on January 25, 2007, I published a post called, “Supporting Your Own (Stop Submitting Plays!)”

In it, I made the point that theater companies across the country should invest in the talents of writers in their own area. I wrote:

“Instead of looking for plays in their own backyard - plays that might reflect local or regional culture - small theaters have a wide open submission policy… The plays that these small companies are producing don't reflect the community they purport to represent. Something that plays in (California, New York) will play differently in (Alabama, Georgia, Texas).”

Recently, a theater company contacted me to ask if I would be interested in submitting a play. It was a thoughtful email. They acknowledged that they knew how I felt about flinging work across the country, and they detailed their efforts toward promoting local playwrights. Still, would I be interested in submitting a play to their company?

Quite frankly, I was flattered that someone took the time to research what I thought about all that. Since The Big Quit, (August 2007), I’ve had no contact with theater companies. I quit playwriting, theater blogging and The Dramatists Guild. Instead, I concentrated on writing entertainment stories and book reviews for a newspaper and its website.

It was a good experience, but I knew that something was missing.

After spending most of 2010 wondering if theater was even an option anymore, I wrote an hour-long one-act play. I was surprised and even relieved that I could still write in that format.

Which brings me to the entry I wrote in 2007. Presently, I’m living in Alabama but I’ve also lived in California, New York, Connecticut and Texas. I’m only local to wherever my two feet are at the moment, and these toes are known for traveling. I’ve written (and continue to write) about a variety of regions. Imposing limits like the ones I suggested in 2007 are silly, especially for writers like me who are local to nowhere.

Supporting area artists is a vital mission for any arts organization. I’ve also witnessed the differences in various regions of the country. It is true that what plays on the coast may not resonate in other parts of the country. It is important that the arts reflect local culture.

In hindsight, the driving force behind my ideas in that January 2007 post was personal connections. Relationships consisting of trust, respect and fun are important in theater. Is it possible for a non-local playwright to form a close working relationship with a director or a theater company? It is something I’ve wondered since returning to playwriting. That, I think, is the bigger question. 

Regaining innocence in playwriting and theater

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.” --- Buddha

Maybe it was because of my grandmother’s death and then my father’s death. Or maybe it was because I shuffled around the country, landed in Alabama, and got married.

Those uneasy transitions caused me to leave what I loved, but it was only temporary.

During the past few years, a whole lot has changed, and not just the externals.

I recently began rereading poetry, plays and books that influenced me when I was younger. I wanted to know if those writers still moved me: T.S. Eliot before 1927, Jack Kerouac, and Alice Walker.

But then I drifted toward books on theater, such as Uta Hagen’s “A Challenge for the Actor” and “The Art of Acting” by Stella Adler. I stayed away from modern tomes because I wanted to get back in touch with what made me gravitate toward theater a long time ago.

I was astonished. Much of what I learned over the years has been incorrect. For instance, I was taught that theater was about wearing masks. Hagen’s work was about finding truth. She encourages artists to reveal feelings and regain innocence. 

Hagen’s work, in particular, mirrored much of what I valued in theater. During college, some teachers encouraged students to probe personal experiences and uproot the most painful ones. Rather than processing these experiences in a healthy environment, we dug deep to expose them through our work. Many of us wrote raw chunks of pain that lacked wisdom, meaning or perspective.

Without that balance, our work tended to drift into what Hagen terms “anti-art.”

 We all know people who never seem to deepen. They collect experiences without assembling them into a coherent picture.

I never wanted to be that person, and I never wanted to be that writer. It was better to be silent than to replay that pain.

Growing up is about growing in understanding. It’s also in knowing that I don’t know, and often what I think is a only momentary illusion.

What happened after I quit theater

In 2007, I quit theater. It was easy to walk away. I spent much of my time back then railing against submitting plays, working with directors I didn’t like and complaining about institutional theater. The negativity was killing my creativity. I didn’t like who I was or the endless day-jobs I  worked   so I could devote my “real energy” to playwriting and theater.

For the past three years, I’ve been working at a daily newspaper. It has given me time to sharpen my skills as a writer and gain perspective on my experiences in theater.

Here’s what I learned: I’m unhappy when I’ve giving my creative life the silent treatment. I have to write plays. It’s a part of who I am, and there’s no point fighting it.

I also figured out that I can write them on my own terms. I don’t have to indulge in the American Institutional Theater System. I don’t have to stuff an envelope and mail my work (with a $15 check) to a bunch of strangers. I don’t have to work with directors who have no idea how to work with me. I don’t have to discuss what’s wrong with theater to a point where I’ve forgotten what I like about it.

My only responsibility is to write.

This new phase in playwriting goes against everything I’ve learned previously. I’m supposed to care about marketing myself and career-enhancing production opportunities. Now that I don’t, I can take risks because I feel safer as an artist.

I was reluctant to go public with where I’m at with all this because it’s quite personal. On the other hand, if someone else needs to know that there is another way to honor yourself as a playwright, then it’s worth mentioning publicly.

Unemployed? Free book on getting health care

My review of "The Healthcare Survival Guide: Cost-Saving Options for the Suddenly Unemployed and Anyone Else Who Wants to Save Money," by Martin B. Rosen and Abbie Leibowitz, M.D. was published in The Birmingham News.

An excerpt:

"If you have recently lost your job, navigating through our health care system can be daunting. Many people choose to forgo health insurance, believing that their choices are too few or too expensive.
 
  But there may be more options than you think. Authors Martin B. Rosen and Dr. Abbie Leibowitz describe health care alternatives for the unemployed in 'The Healthcare Survival Guide.'"

The authors are offering a free download of the book on their site. But hurry, it is only for a limited time.

Book Review: What Do I Eat Now?: A Step-by-Step Guide to Eating Right with Type 2 Diabetes by Patti B. Geil and Tami A. Ross

My review of "What Do I Eat Now?: A Step-by-Step Guide to Eating Right with Type 2 Diabetes," by Patti B. Geil and Tami A. Ross appeared in Thursday's edition of The Birmingham News.

An excerpt:

"In "What Do I Eat Now?" Patti B. Geil and Tami A. Ross teach type 2 diabetics how to enjoy food while controlling their blood glucose level.

  The book features a four-week plan that aims to educate newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics. The authors explain how insulin resistance and obesity play a role in type 2 diabetes, and they assure readers that lifestyle changes can slow the progressive nature of the disease."

Read the rest of the review.

Book Review: Book Review: Bake Deliciously! Gluten & Dairy Free Cookbook, by Jean Duane

My review of Jean Duane's book, Bake Deliciously! Gluten & Dairy Free Cookbook was published today in The Birmingham News.

An excerpt: "Using her baking background, Duane created and modified recipes to suit her needs. The result is a book filled with easy-to-follow recipes for cakes, muffins, breads and pies.
 
  It might be difficult to imagine gingerbread muffins, blondies or peanut butter cookies without soy, cholesterol, artificial sweeteners,  refined sugar or egg yolks. However, it is possible."

Bottom line: If you have food allergies, check out this cookbook. 

Book Review: The Power of 4 by Paula Owens

My review of "The Power of 4" by Paula Owens appeared in today's edition of The Birmingham News.

An excerpt:
"Reading Paula Owens' book, "The Power of 4," is like having a holistic nutritionist as a best friend. Once you get hold of this book, you'll want to keep it around for a long time."

In short, I loved this book and I think you will too.

Read the whole review.

DVD Review: 'Denise Austin's Best Bun And Leg Shapers'

My review of Denise Austin's Best Bun and Leg Shapers appeared in yesterday's edition of the Birmingham News.

An excerpt: "If you are plagued with a pear-shaped body, then toning your hips, thighs and legs can seem like a daunting task. Fitness expert Denise Austin’s latest DVD, “Denise Austin’s Best Bun and Leg Shapers,” features seven workouts that will help firm up your lower half."

Read the whole thing.

Book Review: Once a Marine by Nick Popaditch with Mike Steere

My review of "Once A Marine: An Iraq War Tank Commander's Inspirational Memoir of Combat, Courage and Recovery"  by Nick Popaditch with Mike Steere was published in today's edition of The Birmingham News.

This was one of those books that made me wish I had more column space. In all, readers get a clear view of Marines - the training, the values, the reasons why someone would join. He makes it *understandable*, even to those people who have no family members in the service.

Anyway, Popaditch was wounded in Fallujah. He writes:

"'After the ssst, the whole world goes blinding white like I'm inside a camera flash," Popaditch writes. "Then comes total darkness and a horrible electric-sounding hum in my ears. ... The RPG -- a four-pound missile going 300 miles an hour, more or less -- hit and blew up on my helmet.'"

Read my review here.

Book Review: The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson by Rob Simone

The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson
by Rob Simone
Lulu, 39 pages, 2009. $10.88 paperback, $5 ebook

It's very possible that Rob Simone's book, "The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson" is the first publication on the pop star's death. Rather than being a retrospective of  his life, Simone has written a 39-page tome on why he thinks Jackson died.

Under most circumstances, such observations or thoughts would be irrelevant. After all, the coroner has yet to speak. The toxicology reports haven't come back. 

Rob Simone is a Los Angeles talk show host. He discuss all subjects on his show, including the unexplained. Leonard Nimoy, Janeane Garofalo, Charlie Sheen, and former CNN anchor Cheryll Jones have appeared on his program. Simone has connections in Hollywood, and he's outside the mainstream media. Not a bad thing these days.

Simone alleges that Jackson had a condition called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder which can show up in young adulthood. It can cause early-onset emphysema. If it becomes severe, it may require a lung transplant.

Though he says his source is a doctor who treated Jackson, Simone is not the first person who made this claim. Ian Halperin made similar statements in an interview with In-Touch magazine. The Jackson camp denied that Michael had a health condition.

After further describing the disorder, Simone pieces evidence together media reports of Jackson's doctor visits. He believes that Jackson wore a surgical mask in public because he had this genetic disorder.

Simone believes that this deficiency, along with an addiction to prescription painkillers, is what caused Jackson's demise.

Considering the fast turn-around time of this book, anybody would have low expectations. Perhaps Simone is just trying to make a quick buck off a dead man. But there are two things that Simone does well: He doesn't disrespect Jackson and he shatters the veil of silence. For too long, people around Jackson were silent. If he was addicted to painkillers, then that silence only enabled him to continue.

The people around Jackson were doing him a disservice. Many times, family and friends of addicts would prefer the addiction to continue. Stoned and drunk people are far easier to manipulate and control. Like many other cash-cows and idols, Jackson had far too many leeches glued to him.

I strongly suspect that Simone has had pieces of this booklet in his back pocket for a while.It feels more like a radio show than a book. That's not a bad thing. After all, the guy is a radio show host. And this booklet might help satisfy grieving fans who are beginning to crave answers. If Simone is right about the genetic disorder, it will cast a whole new light on the life of Michael Jackson.

For more info on Rob Simone's show

"The Mysterious Death of Michael Jackson" by Rob Simone, available in print and ebook editions on Lulu. 

Farrah Fawcett's Early Life

It's hard to believe Farrah Fawcett is gone. Stranger still, to look through newspaper archives and see her life before she went out to Hollywood. If you are lucky enough to access the Corpus Christi newspapers, you occasionally glimpse old pictures of Farrah.

• October 28, 1959: The cheerleaders of St. Patrick's School Shamrocks, in green and white costumes, will lead the yells at 2:30 p.m. Saturday when their team meets the 'eleven' from Our Lady of Sorrows. Farrah is the one on the far left.
  
• February 14, 1965: Farrah is voted the most beautiful girl at Ray High School annual favorites dance.
  
• April 1, 1965: "Four W. B. Ray seniors will be honored at a punch party from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at 352 Palmetto. Hostesses will be Mrs. Louis J. Wehmeyer and Mrs. Edward P. Thomas." Farrah was listed as a member of the house party.
  
• May 17, 1965: Farrah is listed on the permanent honor roll at Ray High School.
  
• April 2, 1967 in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times: "Miss Farrah Fawcett, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Fawcett, the Cliff House, left Saturday for Acapulco. She will spend her ten-day spring vacation from the UofT with classmates in Mexico. She has been named Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps sweetheart at the UofT. Mrs. Fawcett will join the group in Acapulco Monday."

• July 3, 1970: An ad for the film Myra Breckinridge, playing at National Twin I in Corpus Christi lists Farrah as one of the stars, along with Rex Reed, May (sic) West and Raquel Welch.

• August 30, 1970: "The Houston Astros seek a new "Miss Astro" to represent the ball club today in final ceremonies at home plate at 1:30 p.m." Farrah and Kristina Allen, each a former Miss Astro, received movie contracts. Clearly this position is a stepping stone.

• January 23, 1973: From Dorothy Manners: "I was on their first date together so it is of particular interest to me that Lee Majors and Texas beauty Farrah Fawcett, after five years of togetherness, will be married on June 28th. Both are doing very happily in their careers as well as in private life. Farrah recently appeared in "The Great American Beauty Contest" (20th-Centurty Fox) and Lee is finishing a pilot, "Cyborg," about an astronaut.

• March 15, 1974: On an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, airing at 8 p.m. in Corpus Christi: "Seems Steve (Lee Majors) is assisting the first female to go into space as an astronaut. She is played by Farrah Fawcett Majors, Lee's wife. There is a problem in space, so they must rendezvous at Skylab. Turns out Steve is no longer .invincible up there. Some good effects,  realistic dialogue and science editor Jules Bergman as himself to add authenticity."

We tend to remember life in moments rather than spans of time. When I think of my life in San Francisco, I think of walking down Market Street in the late afternoon, dodging pigeons and homeless people. I remember the crisp air and  slanted sunlight on brick buildings. It's spooky to think that when I die, I might feel all that again, for one more fleeting moment.

Farrah's death is a reminder of a lost world. Maybe it's hit me harder because of my Dad's recent death. I've spent a lot of time lately, considering death. What  happens when we die? The more I think about it, the less I'm inclined to think of time as a rigid construct. I'm also thinking that the live people are less alive than the dead.

Book Review: Ghost by Fred Burton

Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent
by Fred Burton
Random House, $16, 288 pages, Released: June 9, 2009

"The bodies fell out of the sky and plummeted into a shepard's field. A Greek peasant, minding his flock of sheep, discovered them battered and smashed almost beyond recognition. Before this horrible day, the trio had been a family: one grandmother, one daughter, one infant granddaughter. These were terror's latest targets."

Fred Burton served in the Diplomatic Security Service, part of the Department of State. From the mid-80's to 1998, Burton investigated terrorism acts against the United States. He advised the government on ways to protect assets and personnel. Burton also shuffled world leaders around town, protecting them as they met with American officials or appeared at public events. In his memoir, "Ghost" he remembers with stinging detail both the perpetrators and victims of terrorist attacks.

Burton takes readers by the hand, leading them a variety of events. Making calls on a scrambled, high-security phone system, he becomes familiar with Oliver North. We see Terry Waite, hostage negotiator, asking to speak with Oliver North on the phone.

"I look at the number. It is a direct White House line. I glance down at the STU-III and wonder what I should do next. Something doesn't smell right here. Why is Waite tied in with the NSC? Is Waite the administration's go-between with Hezbollah? I thought he was working on behalf of the archbishop of Canterbury."

Later, we learn: "Terry Waite was just a cover for the real negotiations,ones that treated each hostage as capital that the Iranians and Hezbollah could use to buy TOW missiles."

 Burton investigated the death of Pakistani President Zia, and provides evidence on how the KGB took his plane down. He also discusses Ramzi Yousef and the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, and how he assisted in the capture of Yousef.

These episodic stories are structured in a whodunit form, fraught with tension. Burton describes his own role with humility. He is not heroic in these stories. Rather, he presents himself as a public servant who cannot forget the innocent men and women who have been killed. It is reminiscent of "Dragnet", except in this case, the protagonist has more personality.

Burton makes certain that readers identify with the victims of terrorist attacks. It will be difficult to forget the sad details of the attacks, along with the sociopathic mentality of the terrorists. While presenting new information about historical events, Burton manages to involve readers emotionally. "Ghost" is a compelling book.

DVD Review: Dance Off The Inches: Country Line Dance with Amy Blackburn

My review of Dance Off The Inches: Country Line Dance with Amy Blackburn was published in today's edition of The Birmingham News.

"From the moment Amy Blackburn says, "Hey, y'all!" you know that "Dance Off the Inches: Country Line Dance" will be a hoot. Armed with an infectious smile and a super-short denim skirt, Blackburn makes fitness a whole lot of fun. "

Read the rest. ¶

Bill Bonner's address to the Class of 2009

Bill Bonner from the Daily Reckoning, gives a fabulous view of the screw-job that the college graduates of 2009 are facing.

"The luck of one generation is the curse of the next. Like Pericles, your parents inherited a dollar; they leave you a peso. They took over the strongest, richest, most competitive nation in the world. And like Pericles they minded everyone’s business but their own."

Book Review: Suture Self by Leo Cullum

My review of "Suture Self: A Book of Medical Cartoons" by Leo Cullum was reviewed in today's edition of The Birmingham News.

An excerpt:

"People will recognize Cullum's drawings. His cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker since 1977. His work relies on the juxtaposition of normalcy and the ridiculous.

For example, a doctor tells the Scarecrow from 'The Wizard of Oz': 'We can do a brain transplant but you seem to have become a big celebrity without one.'"

Read the rest.

Book Review: X Saves the World by Jeff Gordinier

When Generation X was first marketed to twenty-somethings back in the early 90's, no one I knew identified with the term. Just out of college myself, I resented the implication that all of us could be lumped into one tidy category. We're not a group. We're individuals.

 

We decided that Generation X was a marketing scheme to get us to buy something. Buy the clothes, the lifestyle or the ideas. After all, corporatism moved the world. Fuck that.

 

I now know that Generation X never identifies itself as Generation X, and the fact that I refused to be lumped into that corporate culture term means that I'm uber-Generation X.

 

Follow me?

 

My generation refuses to identify itself as a generation. We don't wear pants that splay the word "juicy" across our asses. That kind of tackiness is best left to the Millenials. We've also left them alone with  their lip-syncing singers and blond chick narcissists.

 

We don't need to have our self-esteem propped up by receiving a trophy for participating. We believe trophies are meaningless if given to everyone.

 

It's safe to tell you that Jeff Gordinier thinks the same thing. His book, "X Saves the World" dives straight into the issues of being sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and the magnificient Millenials. One generation drones on and on about how they changed the world. The other believes they are just too fabulous for the rest of us.

 

"In spite of what we've been trained to think, Generation X has done a lot already. The more the boomers talk about bringing the world together, the less they succeed at it, but a thousand Woodstocks couldn't touch what Generation X has already accomplished through the shrewd and inspired use of media and technology."

 

It's true! We're not just a bunch of slackers. Chad Hurley and Steve Chen - both Xers - founded YouTube so Xers can catalogue our favorite videos. College juniors Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson founded The Onion in 1988, making Xers laugh with it's unique brand of irony. Google was also founded by us.

 

Gordinier wants us to know that we've accomplished quite a bit in our old age. Though we'll never get trophies from the media, Xers need to be reminded that we have a reason for being here. Gordinier encourages us to find ways to change our own corner of the world. The ripples will spread outward.

 

Yes, I'm telling you to read the book.

Video of a Dog Licking a Cat

I don't think I've ever uploaded a video of our beagle licking our cat. Molly and Angela have a periodic love affair. It's mutual.

CD Review: Everyday Meditation by KRS Edstrom

My review of KRS Edstrom's CD "Everyday Meditation" was published in today's edition of The Birmingham  News.

An excerpt: "Edstrom gently guides listeners to mentally scan each portion of their anatomy. After noting how each region feels, the listener can imagine tightness or discomfort dissipating."

Read the rest.

Book Review: Drawers & Booths by Ara 13

Drawers & Booths by Ara 13
Covington Moore, 228 pages, $15.00.

In a city occupied by the American military, a villager is beaten by vigilantes. Trapped in a ring of tires, the man is burned alive.

"Drawers & Booths" begins as a story about military officers who are seeking to "win the hearts and minds" of its citizens. The story is abruptly interrupted by the narrator who mocks readers as he explains himself.

"Well reader, you might as well follow me since you've come this far. I'm not quite sure what you expect to get out of all this. Maybe you're just killing time. But you'll have to excuse me if I don't analyze your motives any further. I've got a job to do."

The storyline then moves to Auschwitz for a brief visit with victims of Josef Mengele. The chapter - three pages - ends with a juxtaposition of Mengele's evil and the love that the victims have for each other.

The narrator is looking for a murderer. Once he figures out that his character name is an anagram, he realizes who he needs to capture and bring to trial... God. With gentle references to Law & Order, God is brought to the courtroom.

Is he responsible for man's inhumanity? Does one need to believe in God in order to have morals? These are a few of the questions debated during the trial.

Metafiction is defined as fiction that never lets readers forget they are reading a book. Through constantly calling attention to the story, the role of the author and the non-existence of the characters, readers are forced to go beyond their normal assumptions and expectations.

Under a less skilled hand, "Drawers & Booths" could have been an indulgent exercise in preciousness and self-righteousness. However, Ara 13 checks his agenda at the door. Consistently steering clear of easy answers, he raises the possibilities of metafiction to a new level.

"Drawers & Booths" is an exciting debut by an author who is one to watch.

Book Review: A by Curt Eaton

A by Curt Eaton
AuthorHouse, 460 pages. $32.99. Released 2008.

I don't usually put subtitles on reviews but I am making an exception for this one. It is this: I wish I edited books for a living. The first book I would dismantle and make anew would be "A" by Curt Eaton.

The benefits to giving your book away

Publishers Weekly has an interview with Chris Anderson, author of "Free: The Future of a Radical Price." Anderson describes how the concept of giving your book actually helps promote sales.

"For example, Neil Gaiman, the science fiction writer, gave away American Gods as a digital download for four weeks in 2008. The usual fears and objections were presented at first: that it would cannibalize sales in stores or, at the other extreme, that a limited availability was counterproductive since by the time many people heard about it, it would be gone. The second worry is hard to check, but the first turned out to be mistaken."

Of course, there are resisters. Be sure to read the whole article to find out the meaning of the word for today: webscabs.

Book Review: Larry's Kidney by Daniel Asa Rose

My review of "Larry's Kidney" by Larry's Kidney: Being the True Story of How I Found Myself in China with My Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Skirting the Law to Get Him a Transplant -- and Save His Life, by Daniel Asa Rose was published in today's edition of The Birmingham  News.

"Larry Feldman had been on kidney dialysis more than two years and needed a transplant. Since he was on a list behind 74,000 others looking for the same organ, Feldman decided to try his luck in China... Rose and Feldman had been estranged more than 15 years. Reuniting over Feldman's ill health, Rose reluctantly meets him in Beijing. Because it is against Chinese law for Americans to receive organ transplants, the two cousins must dodge the police and government spies to save Feldman's life. Through a series of coincidences and clandestine meetings, a hospital in a town outside of Beijing agrees to perform the illegal surgery."

Read the whole thing.

Farrah Fawcett in Corpus Christi, 1964

In the May 3, 1964 edition of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times is an advertisement for the Lichtenstein's Hootenanny and Teen-Age Style Show. The Greenwillow Singers were the headliners. But if you look closely, you'll recognize a famous name...

Farrah Fawcett, 17 years old,  beginning her career in show business. Good luck, Farrah.

Book Review: Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards

Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities by Elizabeth Edwards
Broadway Books, 224 pages. $22.95. Released: May 8, 2009

From media reports, one would assume that Elizabeth Edwards' new book, "Resilience" is about victimhood and survivorship.  That is not the case.

Perhaps it is the fact that she has incurable stage four breast cancer that makes her go far deeper than one would expect. But this is not a book describing titillating events. Rather, it is a poetic and heartfelt story about dealing with circumstances that go wildly beyond your control.

Edwards picks out memories from her life that demonstrate how others have processed tragedy. A Japanese woman, about to become a geisha, experienced the atomic explosion in Hiroshima. Scarred with burns on her arms, she was no longer celebrated for her beauty. Instead, she became a dance instructor. As a child, Edwards learned how to move gracefully under her tutelage. The woman also taught her acceptance.

"She accepted her life as it was. If she bore resentment or hatred, she found a way to bury it, to not let it define the rest of her life. And she found the happiest ending now available to her in the pleasures of a simple life, the dignity of her remarkable civility and the absence of pain."

Book Review: The Little Book of Pandemics by Dr. Peter Moore

My review of The Little Book of Pandemics by Dr. Peter Moore was published in today's edition of The Birmingham News.

An excerpt:
"Inspired by the avian flu scare several years ago, Moore set out to write a guidebook about these illnesses. Using simple language, he describes the origins, symptoms and treatment of such maladies as influenza and hepatitis A. Moore also outlines the possibility of each disease being used as a bioweapon."

Can you tell that I'm totally into pandemics? Read the whole thing.

Quote on book reviewing by W.H. Auden

"One cannot review a bad book without showing off."
--- W.H. Auden

Book Review: Reaching Climax by Gary Gladstone

Reaching Climax: And Other Towns Along the American Highway
by Gary Gladstone
Ten Speed Press, 144 pages, $19.95. 2007

People who reside in oddly named towns, such as Dickshooter, Idaho and Idiotville, Oregon probably have a sense of humor. After all, it takes guts to live in a locale that lends itself to jokes. "Reaching Climax" by award-winning photographer Gary Gladstone features insightful and humorous images of these unusual places and the people who inhabit them.

Each portrait creatively illustrates the name and personality of the town. The picture of Two Egg, Florida centers on a retired tobacco farmer holding two eggs. For Hooker, Ohio, Gary Zuck stands next to the giant silver hook on a tow truck.

Other times, Gladstone juxtaposes the town's name. An image for Hell Hollow, New Hampshire features Mary Mills holding two plastic containers of strawberries. Nothing hellish there. The picture of Fickle, Indiana features a couple holding each other - very much in love.

For each portrait, Gladstone includes commentary about the characters in the image. Usually quite complimentary, these stories also highlight stories of how these unusual towns were named. Erect, North Carolina received its name after three other attempts to name the town were rejected by the postal authorities. "... the town fathers threw up their hands and, in a defiantly flippant gesture, named the town Erect, supposedly after the extremely upright posture of their very tall group leader, Tom Bray."

Reflecting on the experiences of working on his similarly-themed first book, "Passing Gas" and this project, Gladstone writes that he expected to see "cartoon towns populated by cartoon people. I expected to have to manufacture outrageous situations or arrange over-the-top settings and backgrounds to do justice to my idea of a fitting portrait. What I found was that I had not only brought cameras, film and root beer with me, I was also hauling foolish expectations, prejudices, and a bit of snobbery." It's refreshing to see the American Heartland depicted as a place of character, humor and wisdom.

Grief and a Writer's Block

At the end of August, my Father was diagnosed with incurable liver cancer. On November 2nd, he died.

I haven't been able to write anything since.

Oh, I've written reviews and snippets of news stories. I've rewritten ten pages of a novel, but I can't bring myself to focus. Everything is dormant now.

My resistance is based on the idea that to continue on with life would be disrespectful to my Father. But it is a block that makes no sense. He put me through college, bought me a Writer's Market before I moved to New York City. Every time I spoke with him, he'd ask, "Have you submitted your work lately?"

Continuing to write would honor him. Yet, I can't do it.

"Making stories up" in any form - plays or books - requires writers to pull the lid off their emotional lives. I am forced to feel things that, in reality, don't exist. Maybe the extra emotional baggage is too heavy right now.

When I found out that he had cancer, I made a promise to myself and him that I would be present for him. All of me, including my emotional life. Subconsciously, I knew my time with him was limited. Each conversation, including the last one, needed to be remembered.

In his final days, I imagined what it would be like to be him. How would I feel about my life? What would I remember? What was important? Would I have a sense that I was going somewhere? Would anyone be there to comfort me?

At the end, what would I have to say about my life?

I don't know.

I aged more from his death than from any other event in my life. In the meantime, I try to provide comfort for my Mother, who is suddenly interested in talking about the details of own death; where she will be buried and how. She's not that old, I say to myself. I'm not that old. Still, I notice wrinkles on my face, or how easy it is for my Mother to fall asleep in her reclining chair. Just like her Mother before her.

"I'm her now," my Mother says. "I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

For me, writing has been a refuge, a safe way to release words that needed to see light. Words are energy. Creation matters.

My Father is dead, and I've been afraid to tell you how that feels.

A Faster Book: Chesley B. Sullenberger III and the Miracle on the Hudson

An article in today's  New York Times describes the quick process for publishing a book about Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III's landing of US Airways Flight 1549. Farrar, Straus & Giroux expect a November release “Fly by Wire: The Truth About the Miracle on the Hudson,”  by William Langewiesche.

A quote from editor, Jonathan Galassi: “In the old days, it would be ideally a year from delivery of the manuscript to publication, but now I’m hoping we can do books in four months,” he said. 'Because today readers’ interest is intense and immediate — and sometimes it dissipates.'”

Good. A faster process will make books more relevant. Decades ago, (and I'm talking maybe 40 years), books were an intregal part of public discussion. These days, quickie books are usually a rehash of news reports. If these books/ebooks present something new, then this is an exciting development. Let's hope that the words 'quick' and 'quality' go hand-in-hand.

Where is Dominick Brascia?

Dominick Brascia used to be the afternoon talk show host on Birmingham's 960 WERC. His thick New York accent reminded me of my friend Sal, who used to live in Little Italy. Dominick was conservative, but his sense of humor outweighed his politics. Even people who disagreed with him couldn't help liking the guy.

I loved listening when he talked about his days in Hollywood. He had bit parts on shows like, "Night Court," "Knight Rider," and "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning."  The first time I heard his show, he had Johnny V, Scott Baio's wingman, and I laughed until I cried.

Why do I feel like I'm writing an obit? Because WERC took Brascia off the airwaves and put Glenn Beck in his place. As if Beck doesn't have enough coverage.

No one knows why Brascia's gone, but I hope he finds his way back to the local airwaves.

Book Review: American Girl's 'Is This Normal?' by Erin Falligant

My review of American Girl's new book, "Is This Normal?" by Erin Falligant was published in today's edition of The Birmingham News.

"Girls have a million questions about puberty, many of which are too embarrassing to ask. It isn't easy to think about breasts and bras, especially when your body is growing in ways you never thought possible."Is This Normal?," edited by Erin Falligant, teaches girls how to care for their changing physiques."

Read the whole thing.

Book Review - Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector

Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector
by Mick Brown
Alfred A. Knopf, 2007, 464 pages. 2007.

For those of us born several decades later, Phil Spector might be a has-been and a "who again?" wrapped in an enigma. But anybody familiar with music from the '50s and '60s will tell you that Spector created a new technique of record production called "The Wall of Sound." It's lush sound was created through using layers of instrumentals in such a way that listeners would get happily lost in the music. Think of "Good Vibrations" sung by the Beach Boys or "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" from the Righteous Brothers. Both were produced by Spector using his Wall of Sound techniques.

Spector's version of that Righteous Brothers hit was declared the "most played song of the 20th Century" by BMI, Inc. It's hard to reconcile the 20th Century Phil Spector with the 21st version. It's not the same man. Or is it?

It's a question that Mick Brown considers in his book, "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector."

Hanging out with a Wolf Spider

 

A view of a Wolf Spider hanging out on our bathroom window in Alabama. I estimated that it was about one to one and a half inches long.

Oh, and it was on the *outside* part of the window.  

Book Review: The King Rat and His Court by William Arthur Bruno

The King Rat and His Court: Lesson in Corporate Greed by William Arthur Bruno. Illustrated by Eduardo del Rio.

Booksurge Publishing. 252 pages. $15.00. Released March 19, 2009.

 

"Having observed management consultants for over three decades, what became apparent to me was the similarity of their playbooks. Indeed, I observed that their methods were borrowed from those used by corrupt regimes on prisoners, and even on their own people," writes William Arthur Bruno in his new book, "The King Rat and His Court: Lessons in Corporate Greed."

 

Through comparing the behavior of unethical business leaders to rats, Bruno describes troubled corporations. Once these rat nests are identified, readers can take steps to expose or avoid the beasts.

 

Bruno describes each pivotal position in an organization - from CEO to Human Resource Officers and Management Consultants. Each "rat" is a spoke in the wheel of a dysfunctional system. Through working together, corrupt management teams keep the King Rat - the CEO - in power. The King Rat takes as much as he can from the company and its employees before leaving. Whether he leaves willingly or is fired, the system is set up so that he will be well compensated for his non-performance.

 

This description might sound familiar, but Bruno also details the conduct of rat-like CEOs. "Employees outside of the Inner Court rarely see the King unless the event is highly programmed in advance by a member of the Court... Members of his Court have grand offices that surround the King, rather than being located in the departments they oversee."

 

To determine the degree of rat infestation in their place of employment, readers are invited to take the "Degree of Rat Infestation and Deviance" test in the Appendix. It consists of 50 questions about the behavior of senior management.

 

Many readers will feel startled when they recognize their place of employment in this book. People who have either been scapegoated or suffered because of these rats will feel relieved when they realize that they didn't cause the problems in the workplace. As Bruno writes, "If you thought that you would be promoted on merit, forget about it. You are needed to do the work. When your worth has been extracted, you will become expendable. In other words, your cheese will be moved." Rats usually get rid of good employees to make room for cronies.

 

Through interspersing facts about rat behavior throughout the book, Bruno makes the rodent comparison less of a gimmick. In fact, readers may be left wondering if there isn't something primal about unethical business behavior. Is it animal instinct that has made corporate leaders into rodents, or is there another sociological cause?

 

Before these questions are answers, the problem must be diagnosed. 'The King Rat' is an effective guidebook for employees who find themselves surrounded by rat-faced leaders.

Book Review: The Day We Lost the H-Bomb by Barbara Moran

The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History by Barbara Moran
Ballantine Books, 336 pages, $26.00. Release date: April 28, 2009

On January 17, 1966, an American B-52 bomber carrying four unarmed thermonuclear weapons exploded during an airborne refueling operation. Three bombs landed in Palomares, a farming village on the southern tip of Spain, but where was the fourth? Barbara Moran's new book, "The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History" deftly describes a military operation fraught with terrifying consequences.

Out of the three top-secret H-Bombs that fell on land, only one was found in relatively good condition. The two others had cratered the earth, spreading pieces of the weapon along with contamination for hundreds of yards. "The SAC's final report of the accident said that most of the weapon was so mangled 'that you couldn't tell what is was or where it came from.'"

Authorities expected fury from the Spanish villagers. Instead, they were greeted with concern. Men from the village helped recovery body parts from the seven airmen who died in the explosion. Others, like Pepe Lopez, found one of the bombs near a small brush fire and stomped it out with his foot. Francisco Simo Orts, a fisherman, witnessed the explosion and tried to help the military recover the fourth bomb.

The Spanish government, under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, worked with the U.S. military to cover-up the incident. They never wanted to see the word "nuclear" in connection with the accident, lest it call into question why Americans were flying over Spanish airspace in planes loaded with nukes. As Moran explains, the Strategic Air Command performed flyovers to deter a sneak attack by the Soviets. Both the military and the public agreed that peaceful coexistence with the Communists could only be achieved through strength.

The international press, however, knew a cover-up when they saw it. News leaked out about the flyovers, a missing bomb and men in radiation suits testing the soil. The military continued plodding along, despite the attention. Engineers tried to calculate the location of the device by running formulas through an IBM 7090 computer.

Pictures of the North Myrtle Beach Fire in South Carolina

I'm with my Mother this week in Myrtle Beach. We're on the other side of town, but it was hard to avoid the plumes of smoke coming from North Myrtle Beach. I took some pictures, but stayed far away from the area that's burning.

Last thing I heard, it will take several days to put the fire out. 

From the Myrtle Beach Mall near Barefoot Landing.

Again, near the Myrtle Beach Mall.

A view from Bypass 17.

Once more at the Myrtle Beach Mall.

More with Comic Writer Len Kody and Chicago: 1968

In Part Two, Len Kody discusses his work is Chicago: 1968, a weekly webcomic featured at Image/Shadowline. Jenny Frison andKurt Hathaway are also working with him on the project.

In Part One of my interview, Len talks about the art of comics, collaboration and Chicago: 1968. In Part Two, Len gave background on Chicago: 1968.

How did you Father react to your Grandfather's experiences?
That's a tough call.  My dad is more conservative than me.  But then, almost everyone to the right of Dennis Kucinich is more conservative than me.  He voted for Bush twice, then voted for Obama in '08.  And I'm certain he's got a few Clinton and Reagan votes in his closet, too.

My dad was no hippie.  Being the son of Chicago cop, he couldn't grow his hair any longer than a crew cut during his teenage years in the mid to late 60's, when long beards and flowing manes of seldom washed hair were all the rage in the counterculture.   Today, he has a mustache, if that just doesn't say it all.  But in '68 I hear he drove a yellow VW Beetle for a while, with a McCarthy flower stuck on the back.  Groovy.  Sounds like something I would have done.
 

Book Review: Mymedmanager by Infinisity, Inc

My review of Mymedmanager by Infinisity, Inc. was published in today's edition of The Birmingham News.  In print, it appears on the second page of the health section. 

"Providing doctors with the correct medical history, prescription and allergy information is pivotal to receiving proper care. Remembering it all is the difficult part. Infinisity, Inc. has created Mymedmanager, a booklet that will help you organize your medical and health care information."

Read the rest. 

Book Review: 'The 5-Factor Diet' by Harley Pasternak

I'm late in posting this, but my review of Harley Pasternak's "The 5-Factor Diet" appeared in last week's Birmingham News. 

"Very few would dispute that basing a diet plan on the number five is a gimmick, but it does make it easy to remember the rules."

Read the rest here. 

Download Harlequin Books for Free

Harlequin is celebrating its 60th anniversary by allowing readers to download 16 books for free. Visit harlequincelebrates.com and click on a title. You will have four download options to choose from - including PDF. You don't have to provide an email address.

Downloading a free book is a terrific way to test the waters. I was surprised to learn last year that the romance genre has grown. Now there are subgenres such as romance - suspense, romance - paranormal and historical romance. Spending an afternoon with a group of romance novelists opened my mind to a genre that is often belittled.

So if you aren't given to reading romance books, check it out. You might be in for a big surprise.

Comic writer Len Kody on his latest project, 'Chicago: 1968'

In Part Two, Len Kody discusses his work is Chicago: 1968, a weekly webcomic featured at Image/Shadowline. Jenny Frison andKurt Hathaway are also working with him on the project.

In Part One of my interview, Len talks about the art of comics, collaboration and Chicago: 1968

Your Grandfather's experience at the '68 convention puts you in a unique position. How did that influence your decision to write this project? Did your Grandfather ever talk to you about his memories and feelings about the riots? 
My Grandfather was a storyteller.  That's for sure.  So my first exposure to the '68 convention was through his stories. 

My Grandfather's views on the entire peace movement of the 60's was tainted by his encounters with the protesters in '68.  Part of the Yippie code was to "freak out the squares" and to "shock the bourgeoisie."  Shock them they did.  My Grandfather, a man of simple, down-to-earth Midwestern values and a member of what Tom Brokaw called "the Greatest Generation," who were reared during the Great Depression and came of age in the thick of World War II, was deeply offended by the peace movement.

He passed in 2004.  Our last spirited discussions were about the Iraq War, which was just beginning in those days.  And that's when I first started typing the early drafts of what would eventually become "Chicago:1968."  At first I tried telling the story solely from the policemen's point-of-view.  But it slowly grew as I found it necessary to incorporate other perspectives into the narrative.   
 

Comic Writer Len Kody on collaboration, comics and 'Chicago: 1968'

Comic writer Len Kody creates content for movies, comic books, video games and other media. He created the Cisco Kid: Gunfire & Brimstone miniseries, published by Moonstone Books and Cisco Kid vs. Wyatt Earp.

His latest work is Chicago: 1968, a weekly webcomic featured at Image/Shadowline. Jenny Frison and Kurt Hathaway are also working with him on the project.

In part tne of my interview, Len talks about the art of comics, collaboration and Chicago: 1968.

What attracted you to comics? How did you decide that this is what you wanted to do with your life?
That's a really hard question to answer.  It's like trying to explain why I'm straight.

I believe that comics are linked to humankind's earliest forms of writing - cave paintings and hieroglyphics - in which visual symbols represented ideas.  The roman alphabet that most of the western world uses today represents sounds, which represent words, which represent ideas, so there's a greater distance between signifier and signified than there were in those ancient pictograms; we've sacrificed a purer, more visceral mode of written communication for the ease and precision of the standardized alphabet.

So, I think that everyone has an intrinsic attraction to comics, or to visual communication at the very least.  Certainly our culture has become more visual as the Internet has brought the means of producing and transmitting images to the masses.  Even before the age of the personal computer, the 1960's saw the proliferation of color television, which correlated with a change in the consciousness of those who grew up during that time - the "Baby Boomer" generation.  I don't suppose it's any coincidence that it was also during the 1960's when famous comics writer Stan Lee joined artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create the Marvel Universe of characters that spawned the summer blockbusters that've dominated the box office this entire decade.  At the same time, the 60's were the golden age of the underground comix movement when iconoclast cartoonists like R.Crumb and Spain Rodriguez were busily and brilliantly subverting every shred of American culture they could get their hands on.

Of course, I wasn't aware of any of this in the late summer of 1989.  I was 8 years-old and my mom had just bought me a copy of Marvel Tales #227 from the spinner rack at the local 7-Eleven - "When Iceman Attacks!"  As soon as my eyes hit those multi-colored, paneled pages, I decided, at that moment, that I wanted to be Spider-Man. 

A little later I set more realistic goals and decided that I wanted to spend my life making comics.       
 
  It is widely assumed that people who create comics are also artists. I see that you work alongside artists when creating different projects. What is that process like?
Writer-artist teams are actually pretty common in comics.  And almost all comics - regardless of whether they are created by a solo cartoonist, or by a small staff of editors, writers, pencilers, inkers, colorists and letterers - begin as a script.  As a comics writer, it's my job to write the comics script.

Comics scripts read a lot like hyper-detailed screenplays.  They are written in the present tense and they describe in very visual language everything an artist would need to know in order to draw the comic correctly, including descriptions of characters, settings, camera angles and action.  The action in comics is divided into pages, and those pages are further subdivided into panels.  So a comics script is basically a panel-by-panel description of the entire comic book. 

And the dialogue, too.  I also write the dialogue.

There's a certain magic to collaborating with an artist.  The first couple scripts are pretty verbose.  But once there's a trust and a unity of vision achieved, the cues are understood, and we start playing jazz and riffing off each other.  Collaboration is an alchemy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  I'm very pleased with the rhythm my "Chicago:1968" artist - Jenny Frison - and I have fallen into.  
 

  How do you select the artists you work with?
I've done work-for-hire gigs where the publisher plays matchmaker between the writer and artist.  Otherwise, creative teams are put together like garage bands.  You post some ads, you mingle in the community, then two or more people agree to some terms, pool their skills, and start rockin' out.

Jenny Frison originally responded to an ad I posted looking for a colorist.  But I really liked the pencil and ink line work she has up on her website.  So I asked her if she wanted to work on this "Chicago:1968" webcomic with me.  I'm glad she agreed.  
 
  Tell us about your "Chicago 1968" webcomic.
"Chicago:1968" is a weekly webcomic that dramatically presents the historical events of 1968 in Chicago.  It's a web-based "docu-graphic novel," to borrow a description from your own "Project 1968," Laura.  It's a tragedy in the classic sense. 

It begins in January, '68, with the birth of Yippie! and the Tet Offensive.  Jenny and I are currently approaching the halfway point, with the assassination of Martin Luther King in April, and Bobby Kennedy in June.  Things culminate at the Democratic National Convention and the theater/violence in the streets of Chicago.

The plot follows four different sets of characters, most of whom are real people, each with a unique perspective and experience in Chicago in 1968.  What I think I do differently than most who've approached the topic before is that I do my best to fairly represent all the sides of this political drama.  In addition to following the exploits of Abbie Hoffman and his Yippies, or the earnest, young intellectuals of the Students for a Democratic Society and the Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam, I also try to reach beyond the heretofore cardboard cutouts that've passed as characterization for the blue collar, working class Chicago Police, and Chicago's most iconic mayor, Hizzoner Richard J. Daley.

The tension that exists at the heart of the story is the tension that exists within my own soul.  I grew up in ethnic enclaves and savory neighborhoods of Chicago's bungalow belt.  And my grandfather and namesake, Capt. Leonard Kody of the Chicago Police, was actually on duty during the '68 DNC, standing in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel when the shit hit the fan on national TV.  My own politics, however, lean pretty far left.  I opposed the invasion of Iraq just as much as I would have likely opposed the Vietnam War 40+ years ago.  With the additional benefit of being a generation or two removed from the bitter divisions of that time (I was born near the end of 1980), I think I'm in a unique position to judge the virtues and the vices of both the protesters and the police. 

My aim is not to lionize the New Left, who, while on the side of righteousness, only succeeded in alienating constituencies, rather than building them, which may or may not have been directly responsible for electing Richard Nixon.  And, let's face it, a lot of them came to Chicago looking for a fight.  Nor is it my aim to apologize for Daley and his police.  History has judged them correctly; the violence of Convention Week has been described as a "police riot," and that just about sums it up.  But I think most rational people of any political stripe would agree with my contention that the Chicago Police are decent, hard working, family men who only wanted what's best for their city and their country.  They are the working class with nothing to gain and everything to lose from an ill-conceived Southeast Asian campaign against communism.  And most of them were New Deal Democrats who, up until 1968, voted for the Donkey in every election of their lives.  So I think it's worthwhile exploring their often overlooked narrative, as well.

Because "Chicago:1968" is not propaganda.  It's a quest for truth.  And the truth, as they say, lies somewhere in between.  

Tomorrow: Part Two of my interview with Len Kody

Book Review: The Narcissism Epidemic by Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell

The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement by Jean M. Twenge, PhD. and W. Keith Campbell, PhD.
Free Press, 352 pages, $26.00. Scheduled to be released April 21, 2009.

"Every culture is shaped by its fundamental core beliefs, and in America today, there are few values more fiercely held than the importance of self-admiration," write Jean M. Twenge and W. Keith Campbell in their new book, "The Narcissism Epidemic." The authors provide a solid case that American culture is driven not only by greed, but primarily by love of self.

Television celebrates the bratty reality TV star. Plastic surgery has descended from the upper class to the average teenager, who wants to look like Hollywood stars. Pop singers brag about their awesomeness in songs. Telling people how hot you are is a cottage industry - just ask Paris Hilton.

Narcissism allows Americans  a sense of entitlement. In school, a 4.0 average isn't the same as in years past. Grade inflation now ensures that many students will not have their self-esteem damaged by their laziness. Helicopter parents ensure that their children will not suffer the effects of their irresponsibility. True accomplishment is devalued.

Narcissism also gives us a culture of meanness. "Even apart from the search for fame, narcissism is a significant risk factor for aggression and violent behavior ... However, narcissists are aggressive exactly because they love themselves so much and believe that their needs take precedence." The authors believe that the rise in school shootings is directly linked to the upswing in cultural and individual narcissism. If children rule over their parents in the home they must also have all of their demands met in other facets of society.

On the Internet, tirades against those who dare to disagree  are commonplace. "There is a stubborn insistence that 'my opinion matters,' yet, at the same time, the stubborn insistence that other people's opinions are wrong or irrelevant."  Anonymity allows narcissists to say what is truly on their minds, and what most readers will find is this: They believe you suck.

Americans have been under the mistaken belief that bullying is caused by people with low self-esteem. The authors provide ample evidence to the contrary; bullying is caused by people who honestly believe they are entitled and you are not. Narcissists already believe they are special, they don't need to be told. They deserve to have their "self-expressions" treasured because they wrote/composed/acted it.

Self-esteem has become the cure-all for everything that ails humanity. But not everyone suffers from low self-esteem. Telling children that they are special over and over again reinforces how different they are. The authors believe that differences are what drive people away from each other. Emphasizing similarities fosters empathy and compassion.

This is an important book, one that will change the way your perceive your country and your culture. One has to admire the authors, who are certain to face a terrible backlash from a culture that refuses to engage in introspection. People who haven't accomplished anything special don't deserve applause, but Twenge and Campbell deserve an ovation for giving Americans a wake-up call.

More on books about baseball

I've received a fair number of responses to my question, "What's the big deal about baseball?" Some people told me that they loved baseball but hated baseball books. I also heard from people who agreed with me. Others said that they felt neutral about baseball, but hated other sports, such as basketball, ice hockey and skating. And a few hated me for posing the question.

The best response was from Dana A. Brand. He sent in three short essays from his book, "Mets Fan." With passion and humor, Mr. Brand explains the big deal about baseball.

An excerpt: "It is as if you are riding along on a wave, feeling the unknown future becoming the vivid present and then taking permanent form as the past.  In this way, watching baseball is like watching a movie or a play or reading a book.  What is different is that those who are creating what you watch do not know what is coming any more than you do.  The future is genuinely unknown and unknowable.  There isn't even the thuggish certainty that a much stronger team will defeat a much weaker team."

Wow, maybe those of us who thought we hated baseball should check it out again.

The reason I asked to begin with is that I'm open to having my mind changed about it. Mr. Brand's response has given me a glimpse of why people love baseball. It makes me want to read more, and I will. I just bought his book. 

Read a bit of what I read on his site.

Where to Download 'Seven Jewish Children' by Caryl Churchill

You should know, if you didn't already, that Caryl Churchill's play "Seven Jewish Children" is available for free on PDF. Yes, it's legal.

Download it from the Royal Court Theatre, Nick Hern Books, or Casarotto Ramsey.

I have to admit, I'm one of those people whose eyes glaze over whenever arguments start about the Middle East. It's not that I think it's unimportant; rather I think the place is a vortex of energy that is far more powerful than humanity. I do not make that statement lightly, and I certainly wouldn't discourage other people from discussing the situation there.

Having said all that, there's a part of me that would love to direct this play, and it's something I'm toying with at the moment. That's all I'll say about that.

Book Review: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

  My review of Jodi Picoult's new novel, "Handle With Care" is today's edition of The Birmingham News.

"Months before their daughter is born, Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe learn that she suffers from a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta. Because of a collagen deficiency, Willow will fracture hundreds of bones in her lifetime.
 
Jodi Picoult’s new novel, “Handle With Care,” vividly depicts a family emotionally and financially challenged by the daughter’s disease. "

The story worked for me, up until the very end. Read about it in my review.

Reconsiderations

Since my dramatic exit back in 2007, I haven't given all that much thought to theater. It's been as far from my consciousness as my apartment in Brooklyn. Only recently did I discover that I couldn't remember what street I used to live on. 73rd? East 73rd?

But something has made me reconsider theater, and I think I'd like to talk about it.

The disappearing library due date stamp

Washington Post's Metro Columnist John Kelly wrote a column protesting the end of the date-due stamp at his local library.

It's a funny article, but I had to keep double-checking the date on it. 2009, right? Because I honestly thought that the library date stamp had been retired a long time ago.

But evidently not... At least not in Montgomery County, Maryland. Again, I had to check the map. Montgomery County is in Maryland, right? It's not in a weird place, like Mississippi?

Upon further investigation, I discovered that the due date stamp was alive in well in all the wrong places. Only recently has the Milwaukee Public Library stopped using it.

The University of Washington ceased stamping in 2007.

The Bucks County library quit using date stamps a year ago, much to everyone's dismay.

A call to the Birmingham Public Library revealed that they stopped using it "seven or eight years ago," according to one librarian I spoke with.

I'm not sure what to make of all this, except that I'm pleased that for once, Alabama is not on the bottom of a list.

Violence at libraries

The New York Times discovers what we library nerds have always known: Crazy people lurk among book stacks.

As journalists Susan Saulny and Karen Ann Cullottais show us, the twist now is how the depressed and insane are taking their toll on librarians. People who are trained to manage information don't know how to counsel people on how to manage their emotional life. That's not their fault. Librarians aren't ministers or psychologists.

The scary part is the violence described in the article. "Though homelessness is not new to Arlington Heights, security at the library has been tightened since the stabbing. (The man was charged with attempted murder, and the victim survived.) Although such violence is unusual, a library patron, Judi Crawford, said the scene around the building still made her uncomfortable."

Homeless and/or scary people at the library is nothing new. I've had a number of icky incidences in a variety of libraries across America. These are, after all, public places. I've held my nose while passing strange and smelly men in the midtown branch of the New York Public Library. I've eyed several men nervously while they leered back at me at the Birmingham Public Library. I've never seen violence in any library I've visited, thank goodness.

I doubt this upswing in stressed out people is particular to libraries, but articles like this make it seem that way. It's good that librarians are getting help for their stress. I hope the rest of us have access to similar resources.