Books To Jump Up and Down Over
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (Bat Segundo interview with Murphy)
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (Bat Segundo interview with McClear)
Fundamentalism Archive
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Your Tax Dollars Telling You What to Do as Adults
Posted on October 31, 2006 | No CommentsUSA Today: “Now the government is targeting unmarried adults up to age 29 as part of its abstinence-only programs, which include millions of dollars in federal money that will be... -
Blogging Worse Than Masturbation in the Eyes of the Church?
Posted on October 13, 2006 | 1 CommentThe Restored Church of God: “Should teenagers and others in the Church express themselves to the world through blogs? Because of the obvious dangers; the clear biblical principles that apply;... -
Welcome to The Desert of the Surreal
Posted on September 1, 2006 | No CommentsWoody Allen interviews Billy Graham. (via Black Market Kidneys) -
Memo from a White House Staffer Whose Services “Will No Longer Be Required”
Posted on July 28, 2006 | No CommentsDear George: It was great to meet with you and Laura at the Crawford ranch. That was really great barbeque. I had no idea endangered caribou tasted so good! Of... -
List of Power-Ups and Items for “Left Behind” Video Game
Posted on June 1, 2006 | 1 CommentI checked my fax machine this morning and was stunned to learn that someone had sent me a list of power-ups and items (labeled “First Draft: R&D”) for the upcoming... -
NPR or the 700 Club?
Posted on April 3, 2006 | No CommentsThis NPR segment is appalling journalism and comes damn close to outright propaganda. Not once does the journalist ponder whether faith-based initiative programs are the right way to combat poverty.... -
In Short, God Dictates That Marital Conflicts Are Best Resolved by Fucking Your Spouse’s Brains Out
Posted on November 20, 2005 | No CommentsMr. Jared Wilson may be my sworn rival, but this link of his is too unintentionally hilarious to pass up. Under “2. A Sexually fulfilled husband is a scriptural mandate.”... -
Slack and Spaghetti Monsters Are More My Thing Anyway
Posted on November 18, 2005 | No CommentsAstonishing interview with L. Ron, Jr. (via MeFi) -
Target: Refusal Clause Happy
Posted on October 25, 2005 | No CommentsIt looks like Target policy involves refusing to fill emergency contraception prescriptions. In a Missouri Target store, a 26 year old woman was refused an emergency contraception prescription. When she... -
The Roman Catholic Church: One of the Last to Get the Memo
Posted on October 7, 2005 | No CommentsTimes Online: “The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.” -
Billy Graham Shows Young Republicans Proper Way to Dig Grave, Lionize “Icon” in a Few Years
Posted on August 26, 2005 | 1 Comment -
Robertson Clarifies
Posted on August 24, 2005 | 2 CommentsPat Robertson now says that his quote was misinterpreted. He didn’t really want to assassinate Hugo Chavez. Rather, he hoped that special forces could storm into Venezuela, kidnap President Chavez... -
Hey, We May Be More Paranoid Than We Think
Posted on March 29, 2004 | No CommentsYou’ve sold more than 40 million books. Number 12′s about to come out. What do you do to keep your readers hooked? You throw in the Messiah himself. Yes, Glorious... -
The Reader’s Last Sigh
Posted on January 12, 2004 | No CommentsThe Associated Press reports that Rushdie’s new novel will “have a lot more India in it” than Midnight’s Children. That’s great. But it still doesn’t change the fact that Rushdie...