Freelance writer and editor. Made in Ohio, based in Berlin.
After rewatching “Wag the Dog,” recently, my friend Marty insisted that I read some of David Mamet’s other works, because I hadn’t. THE LOWDOWN Published: 1993, 80 pp. Obtained via: Marty Date started: 5.19.07 Date finished: 5.24.07 What I liked: The rapid-fire dialogue. What I didn’t like: The rapid-fire dialogue, sometimes. It’s possible to rush […]
MoreThis is a reread of an old childhood favorite. I remember borrowing this book multiple times as a kid. It’s vaguely Darwinian with lots of orphans and mean matrons and an old sea captain. The short version: Eleven-year-old Emily’s parents die, and she’s sent to live with her aunt and uncle who live in a […]
MoreCharlotte Simmons is a back-country girl who’s first in her high school class and an all-around genius — which gets her sent to proto-ivy Dupont. Her self-righteousness and surety barely masking fear seem like a pretty common freshman scenario to me. Confronted with her classmates’ nonstop partying and expensive lifestyles, she eventually gives in and […]
More“Notes From The Underground: The Most Outrageous Stories From The Alternative Press” at its best points inspires and outrages you. At its worst, it’s mildly boring. But on the whole, the editor selected a great crop of stories from alt-weeklies all over the United States. THE LOWDOWN Published: 2005, 338 pp. Obtained via: Powell’s, Portland, […]
MoreI remember a teacher recommending Madeleine L’Engle to me, but I don’t remember ever reading this book before, which is strange, because I usually remember the plots of all books I read. THE LOWDOWN Published: 1994, 182 pp. Obtained via: Side of the road Date started: 4.13.07 Date finished: 4.17.07 What I liked: The fact […]
MoreI think the title says it all. (This book reminds me of a quote my friend Meranda posted recently: “Read, every day, something no one else is reading.” What better way for a journalist to come up with ideas?) THE LOWDOWN Published: 1994, 182 pp. Obtained via: Library Date started: 4.1.07 Date finished: 4.8.07 What […]
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