Born in 1900, Meridel le Sueur became a feminist icon through writing and activism. She worked as an extra and stunt-woman during Hollywood's silent era before becoming a journalist. She joined the communist party in 1925, and never changed her affiliation. In the 1930's she wrote a novel that she would revise through the decades and that was finally published in 1978. I just finished a 2006 edition of
The Girl, a harrowing depiction of the depression, described in a blurb as "An Urban
Grapes of Wrath." Set in Minneapolis/St. Paul in 1936-'37, it is told from the point of view of the uneducated title character, a 20-year-old. This was a time when the social safety net was minuscule and not easy to secure, the exact opposite of today. The poor were destitute. Many men were psychologically devastated by not being able to find work, and women of child-bearing age were especially vulnerable. The author captures this in compelling fashion in 182 pages. She does not compromise in matters of prose and dialogue. The narrative is awkward, true to the character, often repetitive. The point of view frequently shifts briefly within a paragraph. No quotation marks are used, which I assume the reader is to take as how The Girl wrote it. It is not easy reading. The slang of the era is incorporated, some of which escaped my comprehension. Still, this is a valuable novel that should have been published soon after it was written. No matter where one stands politically, I think most people would agree that changes needed to be made and, thankfully, were and continue to be made. Now the pendulum has swung completely the other way, and the question has become: How much is enough and how is the massive amount of fraud to be curbed? I'm sure the author, who passed away at 96 in 1996, would want a limitless safety net, no questions asked. Only six users at Amazon have rated the book, forging to a consensus of 4.3 on a scale of five. I rate it 3.25.
NFL: Any doubters that the Giants made the wrong choice in the first round of the draft are nitpickers... The Saints are on as dominating a roll as there ever has been... After six straight wins, the Chargers seemed to have lost their penchant for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Yesterday they were back at it, missing an extra point and completely bungling clock management, allowing the Broncos plenty of time for the game-winning field goal drive... It looks like the Bears are for real, although QB Mitch Trubisky needs to improve his passing... Suddenly the Cowboys are alive, the calls for the firing of Jason Garrett temporarily stayed... So are the Ravens, who made a QB switch. In the win over the Bengals yesterday, Lamar Jackson ran the ball 27 times for 117 yards, and passed 19 times for 150, a bizarre ratio in modern pro football... I've always rooted for QB Alex Smith who, although his skills have made him rich, seemed a victim of bad luck and to be treated unfairly despite great stats. Here he is acknowledging the fans after being sidelined by a gruesome leg injury in yesterday's game in DC.
My thanks to the woman who bought a vegetarian cook book, and to Angelo, who overcompensated me for a pictorial on wood staining; and to Bus Driver, who purchased two more thrillers:
The Miko by Eric Van Lustbader and
The Final Detail by Harlan Coben. Special thanks to the lovely young woman who bought
Five Cents, although I'd be very surprised if someone her age liked it.
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