Given my conservative nature, I'm hesitant to read the work of modern women writers, as most are liberal, many feminists. Something drew me to
Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman, who grew up in Manhattan under the guidance of hippie-like parents. Its 352 pages are comprised of 15 slices of various stages of her life from little girl to early thirties. The prose and dialogue are lively, the wit biting, the pieces rather long. It is clearly the work of a superior intellect. My favorite chapter was
Love and the Maharishi, where children from the age of four to pre-teen are left by parents at a meditation party, and eventually rebel in kid-like ways, exasperating those in charge. Although the author renders leftist views throughout the book, she realizes she has a lot to learn. At 22, assigned to cover a youth tour through the sites of concentration camps, she concludes: "I was suddenly aware of what a moral and psychological lightweight I was, how spoiled and ill-equipped I was..." In
Your Tax Dollars, Hard at Work, I expected defense of big government. Instead it confirmed my cynicism about politics: "...at Capitol Hill - as perhaps everywhere - a huge disconnect exists between political ideology and personal conduct." In the final piece,
Speak at the Tuna, now in her early 30's, she and her husband, assigned by his company to work in Switzerland, face a difficult period of adjustment. She offers this bit of wisdom: "... no matter what road you took, you still had to brush your teeth every morning, pay your bills, do your damn laundry, worry about taxes, check your breasts for cancer, argue with your loved ones about whether to defrost the refrigerator. Nobody, after all, it seemed, was exempt from banality." And in the final passage: "... each one of us extraordinary and yet, really, no different from each other." These are examples of what raise the book way above feminist cant. Overall, it's neither right nor left but a common humanity. The title piece details the dilemma she faced in choosing a wedding dress. She'd always imagined doing the ceremony in counter-culture garb, but caves when she sees how beautiful she looks in a traditional gown. Gilman is no more or less a hypocrite than anyone ever born. 95 users at Amazon have rated the book, forging to a consensus of 4.1 on a scale of five, a bit high perhaps but not far off. This was her second book, published in 2005. She has three others in print, two non-fiction, one novel. She had great success placing her early work in renowned and popular magazines. One,
Meeting Mick Jagger, was published in
Ploughshares in 1994 and earned her a literary award from the University of Michigan. She reworked it for the book, titling it
Mick Jagger Wants Me.
From mashable.com, edited by yours truly: The landlocked German city of Duisburg has claimed the world record for the tallest sandcastle, 55 feet or 16.68 meters high, recognized officially by a Guinness World Record jury. 3860 tons of sand were used. It took a team of designers from various countries more than three weeks to build. It incorporates imagery from around the world. It dethrones the 50-foot structure in Puri, India that won the title in February. Here it is:
And here is the now runner-up:
My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today. The highlight of the session was the appearance of two young female elementary school teachers, who return to work tomorrow. They were looking for hardcover works to tear apart and use in a motivational collage. One chose a book on old New York that contains many pictures. Best of luck, ladies.
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