Gives the impression of being scrawled during lunch hour for publication in a free local listings guide.
Perhaps intent on proving that her title is in no way hyperbolic, Arizona Republic humor columnist Notaro details the mundanities of life in such a way as to make herself and her friends appear as klutzy, inept, and alcoholic as possible.
A single woman in her 20s, Notaro floats through life in an unremarkable American anywhere (you barely know it’s Arizona), inhabiting a landscape she never bothers to describe except to mention its many bars. The subject of nearly every extremely short essay is some kind of excruciating embarrassment experienced by either Notaro or her friends. We witness the author being shamed by her ratty underwear on a doctor's visit, mistaken for a homeless person when she reports for jury duty, and required to explain President Clinton's sexual transgressions to her 82-year-old grandmother. She introduces Joel, who announces he's happy to be dumb because less is expected of him; “Fun and Frolic Jamie,” so dubbed after consuming a 12-pack and ending up “drunk, topless, and unconscious”; and Jeff, characterized only by his mania for a limited-offer Taco Bell entree. Notaro also describes her long-suffering mother and her beloved Nana; their portraits are the only ones drawn with any nuance, and their repeated appearances in these hasty sketches allow a minimal amount of character development. With undistinguished prose, leaden humor, insistent self-deprecation, almost zero detail about anything other than the state of her immediate surroundings (and precious little of that), and the author succeeds in making herself and her circle appear purely unappealing.
Gives the impression of being scrawled during lunch hour for publication in a free local listings guide.Pub Date: July 9, 2002
ISBN: 0-375-76091-1
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Villard
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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