AltWeeklies Wire
Memoir of a Black Punknew
The only time I ever considered suicide was when, unexpectedly, mom informed me that we were moving from Harlem to Baltimore.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael A. Gonzales |
07-02-2012 |
Features
Tags: Memoirs, Punk Music
Dreams of Life and Death: Looking Back with Patti Smithnew
Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe were barely 20 when they met, a couple of androgynous hippies newly arrived in New York City to live among the bohos and Beats, the Factory divas and "extravagant bums" swirling around the boroughs, the Bowery and the Chelsea.
L.A. Weekly |
Steve Appleford |
02-19-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Stephen Elliott's Lacerating, All-Over-the-Place Memoir Pulls No Punchesnew
Whenever I read or hear "meta" or "postmodern" or "fiercely honest," I usually head for a lowbrow potboiler. But I'm not sure how else to describe The Adderall Diaries, a fiercely honest, postmodern work that's also more compulsively readable than the most pulpish thrillers.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Steve Friedman |
11-13-2009 |
Nonfiction
A Father and Son Connect by Way of the Summer Game in 'The Opposite Field'new
The Opposite Field blends Jesse Katz's both painful and comic struggles as a single dad to remain connected with his growing son through baseball. And like a crafty pitcher, Katz is deft at mixing speeds in his book so that readers are always surprised at what's coming next.
Willamette Week |
Henry Stern |
11-04-2009 |
Fiction
The Clinician and the Poet in Kay Redfield Jamison Harmonize in 'Nothing Was the Same'new
This is a slim yet profound book, unadorned by fatuous spirituality, by a writer eager neither to conceal nor exaggerate her feelings. It gives grieving its complete due, and at the same time there's nothing at all depressing about it.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Richard von Busack |
10-15-2009 |
Nonfiction
How Anna Broadway Cashed in on Being a 31-year-old Virgin and Scored a Book Dealnew
There are huge advantages to being a 31-year-old virgin, says Broadway, whose popular blog "Sexless in the City" ultimately led to a book contract with Doubleday. But there are downsides, too.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
10-14-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Master Class Dismissed: Tad Friend Recounts the Fall of the American WASPnew
In reading Cheerful Money, part family memoir and part sociological inquiry, I understand that Wasps are an endangered species of American society. It seems fair to say that most people won't feel a sense of empathy for those who've done most of the excluding in U.S. history. Yet there is a tragic note to Friend's portrait.
New Haven Advocate |
John Stoehr |
10-06-2009 |
Nonfiction
Kennedy Memoir 'True Compass' Recaps the Life of a Dynasty's Last Lionnew
We've heard the word "epic" summoned so often to describe Ted Kennedy’s life, it's no surprise he starts his autobiography with a device out of Homer.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Chuck Twardy |
10-02-2009 |
Nonfiction
Character Witness: Stephen Elliott Talks S&M and '20/20'new
Elliott's new book, The Adderall Diaries, is a brilliantly executed memoir disguised as a true crime book.
The Portland Mercury |
Kevin Sampsell |
09-18-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
In 'The Big Rewind,' Nathan Rabin Uses His Pop-Saturated Memory as a Window into His Lifenew
Did I mention that most of this book is extremely funny? Rabin is aware that there are plenty of hard-luck stories out there, and he's just as hard on himself as he is on such targets as a video store boss, several girlfriends from hell and a Movie Club co-commentator married to the guy who wrote Soul Plane.
INDY Week |
Zack Smith |
08-28-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Crazy for the Storm' is a Wild-Hearted Story of Risk and Survivalnew
How to capture the spirit of a father and son’s relationship? Norman Ollestad, the son in this equation, does it grippingly and gorgeously in Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival.
The Georgia Straight |
Patty Jones |
07-27-2009 |
Nonfiction
'Tattoo Machine' Explores the Secret World of Inknew
More gossip rag than technical primer, Tattoo Machine owes as much of its existence to the author's skill with a needle as it does to his storytelling chops. While Johnson's penchant for philosophical diatribe grates, the man has both great stories and the writerly candor to tell them.
Willamette Week |
Caitlin McCarthy |
07-22-2009 |
Nonfiction
Aerosmith's Joey Kramer Lets Loosenew
The drummer steps out from behind the kit to talk about his new book, Hit Hard.
Boston Phoenix |
The Sandbox |
06-24-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
'Milk Teeth' Couldn't Be More Different Than 'Marley and Me'new
By title alone, Milk Teeth: A Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog would seem to fall into the same cutesy genre as John Grogan's bestselling 2005 memoir. Though it does feature a deviantly behaved Lab and a plethora of lessons on life and love, Robbie Pfeufer Kahn's meditative, soul-searching book couldn’t be more different.
Seven Days |
Amy Lilly |
06-19-2009 |
Nonfiction
Novella Carpenter Raises Goats, Pigs and Produce in Oaklandnew
When they moved into their Oakland apartment a few years ago, Carpenter and her partner "definitely had our eyes on the abandoned lot next door, with an eye toward farming it," Carpenter says. As they set to work, Carpenter charted the project in a blog and in a memoir, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer.
East Bay Express |
Anneli Rufus |
06-17-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
