Non-Fiction: Carlin”s Seven Dirty Words, Mary Tudor, New York at Night, the Art of Conversation, and Life’s Challenges
by Larry Cox on Aug. 27, 2010, under UncategorizedFury: A Memoir by Koren Zailckas (Viking, $25.95)
Koren Zailckas became a bestselling author following the publication of “Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood,” a searing autobiography which spelled out in graphic detail her teenage years which were lost due to blackout binge drinking. The Brooklyn-based writer managed to salvage her personal life and remain sober but soon discovered that she was consumed by a psychological legacy of repression and fury that affected her both emotionally and professionally. Her new book begins when she returns to her childhood home following a trip abroad and a relationship with a musician that ends in disaster. In this bold, insightful memoir, Koren reveals how overcoming rage is not as easy as one might suspect. In a brutally honest narrative, she reveals the consequences of ager displacement and the balm of anger discovered. This is a dazzling work that is filled with unexpected literary gut punches.
Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen by Anna Whitelock (Random House, $28)
When this book was first published in the United Kingdom, it received wild acclaim. It was shortlisted as one of five titles considered for Britain’s prestigious annual “First Biography Prize” and was named one of the best books of the year by the Sunday Times and Financial Times. Whitelock, who received her PhD in History from Corpus Christi College in Cambridge in 2004, has written a lively account of the life and times of Mary Tudor. She was one of the first women to inherit the throne of England and, as might be suspected, her life was one filled with defiance, despair, and triumph. Daughter of King Henry VIII and the Spanish Katherine of Aragon, Mary was schooled in regal customs, educated by the best scholars, and even promised in marriage before she had reached the age of three. In this highly readable, meticulously researched biography, this unique woman’s life is documented from her beginnings as a heralded princess to her rivalry with her sister to her ascent as ruler. Rich in historic detail, the story of this complex creature reads like a well-written novel.
Notes from the Night: A Life After Dark by Taylor Plimpton (Broadway Books, $22)
Taylor Plimpton is a freelance writer and editor based in New York City. The opening paragraph in his new book almost jumps from the page.
“Here in New York, a good night never ends. We will not let it. Though the hour is late, we are more awake than we have ever been in our lives, we are wild-eyed and grinning and dancing around like fools, and the music is thumping and the lights are flashing and the whole place is pulsating like a massive beating heart, and we do not want to go home, we do not want to go to sleep. Above all, we do not want to miss anything.”
With those these words might sound like a return to the hedonistic 1980s, it isn’t. It is contemporary New York City, a place where the readers are drawn into a wild world that includes a tight-knit band of mischief-makers fueled by drinks, drugs, and big dreams. Surrounded by celebrities, models, and the best of friends, the rush of the endless party and the joy of just having a good time are what gives this book its edge and appeal.
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman, Founder, FBI Art Crime Team with John Shiffman (Crown, $25)
Robert K. Wittman spent twenty years as a special FBI agent. As more and more priceless art began disappearing from private collections and public museums, a special FBI Art Crime Team was formed and Wittman became its first senior investigator. He soon found himself going undercover to catch art thieves, scammers, and black market traders traveling throughout the world, from Santa Fe to Madrid, from Philadelphia to Rio. Whether trying to track down missing paintings by Norman Rockwell, or recover stolen masterworks by Monet, Picasso, or Rembrandt, Wittman and his team of experts helped bring to justice such scoundrels as a high-ranking diplomat who tried to peddle a sixth century treasure and even a former appraiser with PBS’s Antique Road Show, a slick con man who stole countless heirlooms from Civil War heroes’ descendants. Assisting Wittman with his book is John Shiffman, an investigative reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a 2009 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Seven Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin by James Sullivan (Da Capo, $26)
Even though George Carlin died more than two years ago, his comedic genius still reverberates throughout our American culture. What made Carlin unique was his unflinching honesty. Whether he tackled big business, religion, or politics, Carlin was fearless and took no prisoners. Since no topic was off limits for him, he often found himself at the center of controversy. A case in point: his list of seven dirty words. As he explored new areas of comedy, he did nothing less than change the role and place of humor in America forever. This well-written biography, by a regular contributor to the Boston Globe, chronicles Carlin’s life and career, from his earliest days as a struggling traditional comedian to his later years as the country’s chief counterculture cynic. As Sullivan points out, “George Carlin’s comic material represents the most enduring legacy of the countercultural revolution of the 1960s. If acid rock, Victorian clothing, Aquarian spirituality, and radical pranksterism have all fallen by the wayside as musty reminders of the hippie heyday, Carlin came to embody the indefatigable questioning of authority that was the true legacy of the 1960s.”
Do Not Interrupt: A Playful Take on the Art of Conversation by Stephen Kuusisto (Sterling, $14.95)
This nifty little book is broken down into seven short, provocative, and imaginatively chapters that build a convincing argument for the joys of “being connected.” Being connected means, of course, being able to talk and communicate with people in a meaningful way. The main chapters of “do Not Interrupt” cover such topics as the difference between talking and conversing and the effects of each, the arm and the art of symposiums, the significance of surrounding yourself with good conversationalists, the importance of constructing conversations in your head, and how and why to use syllogisms. Kuusisto is based in Iowa and a frequent contributor to such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Harper’s.
Be Read When the Sh*t Goes Down: A Survival Guide to the Apocalypse by Forrest Griffin and Erich Krauss (William Morrow, $24.99)
Forrest Griffin is a mixed martial artist and former UFC light-heavyweight champion who through his testosterone-driven narrative, instructs readers as to how they can best cope and survive the coming Armageddon. Griffin’s over-the-top humor is peppered with such fun facts as how to catch fish with your bare hands, transform the family car into a raging machine of survivalist warfare, and the proper stances needed to defend your stash of food, beer, and porn. Forrest’s mom even puts in her two cents by writing a blurb on the cover that states “This book is an unholy abomination. It will make you dumber for having read it. Judging by the content, you would think he grew up eating paint chips. I swear that wasn’t the case.”
