Jen Hirt (Author of Under Glass)

Jen Hirt rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Child of God
by Cormac McCarthy

read in May, 2013

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If you would like to know what a corpse-loving psychopath does with a robin and a mongoloid child, as well as how said psychopath makes good use of caves and lingerie, then sit right down and read this freakshow of a novel from 1973. I read it in two...more

Jen Hirt rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Works Cited: An Alphabetical Odyssey of Mayhem and Misbehavior
by Brandon R. Schrand

read in May, 2013

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There are layers of narrative arcs in this darkly amusing memoir:
Layer 1: The books formative to Schrand's development as a writer
Layer 2: Anecdotes from a mostly misspent youth
Layer 3: The key moments of right decisions
Layer 4: The fact that lay...more

Jen Hirt rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
by Chris Ware

read in May, 2013

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I gravitate toward graphic novels at the end of the school year, I guess because I'm desperate for something different. Jimmy Corrigan was this year's pick because I kept seeing it mentioned in articles about postmodernism, form, etc etc etc. It's a...more I gravitate toward graphic novels at the end of the school year, I guess because I'm desperate for something different. Jimmy Corrigan was this year's pick because I kept seeing it mentioned in articles about postmodernism, form, etc etc etc. It's a strange book without page numbers (it's 380 pages, which is One Long Graphic Novel) and every single space is filled with images or text, from the inside front cover to the inside back cover. It's also goddamned depressing. Jimmy Corrigan is a nose-picking social reject who has a molehill of mundane problems and a dark closet of serious problems. Oliver Sava from The Onion AV Club said it best: He tried a number of times to get through the book, "but was always too busy/happy to really devote my time to" it. So an "end of the semester pick-me-up" this was not.

Once I got used to the digressions and the almost stream-of-consciousness style, I was in to the psychoanalytic potential of what Ware is doing here. (The two-page "summary so far," located about 100 pages in, is a huge help, but the writing professor in me says if you have to write a summary 100 pages in, maybe you just need to redo those first hundred pages.) Get past that, however, and you realize it's actually the story of a long lineage of Jimmy Corrigans, from great-grandpa on down to our current Jimmy. But it's not told in chronological order, of course, so just get used to that. They all look the same, dress the same, react the same way to the trials of daily life. Just the background changes. Pretty brilliant, given that this is a graphic novel. And it all coalesces in the end. Others have commented that Ware is a master of the small moment, and I agree. His best pages are simple second-by-second frames of tiny happenings, such as a bird flitting through a neighborhood or Jimmy's half-sister growing impatient in a hospital waiting room. And the characters are represented so well with the most basic touches -- a saggy chin, a doughy neck, a perpetual frown, an ill-fitting jacket, or even just how Jimmy is always cowering behind his own hand. Symbols of Superman, peaches, horses, phones, and even bacon fill the book. I'm not sure it succeeds on each of its almost 400 pages, but enough of those pages were superb and intriguing.(less)

Jen Hirt rated a book 5 of 5 stars

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction by Dinty W. Moore

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction: Advice and Essential Exercises from Respected Writers, Editors, and Teachers
by Dinty W. Moore (Goodreads Author)

read in May, 2013

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Eric LeMay's chapter on the differences between Germanic words and Latinate words -- and how their sounds affect creative writing -- is the best explanation I've come across so far.

Barrie Jean Borich's chapter on decisive moments is also fantastic,...more

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Jen Hirt is now a fan of Goodreads Author Anne Lamott

Jen Hirt rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit

A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster
by Rebecca Solnit

read in August, 2012

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In 2011, the city where I live (Harrisburg, PA) had the fifth worst flood on record when the Susquehanna River reached about 25 feet (normally it's around four feet deep). I live two blocks from the river, and so I experienced, for the first time in...more
In 2011, the city where I live (Harrisburg, PA) had the fifth worst flood on record when the Susquehanna River reached about 25 feet (normally it's around four feet deep). I live two blocks from the river, and so I experienced, for the first time in my life, a mini-disaster -- roads in and out where underwater, there was no electricity, and many homes flooded.

But what I and my neighbors noticed right away was the baffling decisions made by the city. For example, Paul and I and some neighbors frequently walked over to the river to assess the situation -- it was essential to actually look at it in order to see how dangerous it was going to get. And yet, the mayor threatened arrest to those approaching the river, and she enacted curfews in an attempt to keep people inside, isolated. Patrol cars cruised the streets using bullhorns to order us back inside.

Then, the city started mandatory evacuations in the neighborhood uptown from us, with rumors that our neighborhood was next. Our neighbors met on the street to decide what to do, and all the residents who had been here upwards of 15 years decided to stay. It just made more common sense -- we could more easily keep an eye on things, and each other, if we stayed. And we were lucky -- that night, the water stopped rising about a block away, and with our electricity off, we all sat outside with flashlights and candles, sharing food that was going to go bad if the power stayed off. People walked in friendly groups around the streets, checking on everything. The cops with their bullhorns were annoying and completely ineffective, and we quickly ignored them. It was, dare I say it, a really nice night.

I share this anecdote because it is exactly what author Rebecca Solnit is getting at with her extraordinary book, which is built around this question: "What if paradise flashed up among us from time to time -- at the worst of times? What if we glimpsed it in the jaws of hell?" Through fascinating historical research into major disasters (including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, technically a catastrophe, not a disaster), Solnit shows us a startling new way (well, new to most of us) to think about disaster preparedness. Her research shows again and again that the top-down disaster management systems fail more than they succeed (FEMA, anyone?) and that most ordinary citizens can weather a disaster with admirable calmness, altruism, common sense, and problem-solving. Solnit is a tireless researcher, and she interviewed many unheard survivors for this book. For example, their 9/11 stories of survival without the help of trained emergency responders, so totally outside the mainstream news coverage, had me in shocked tears of both admiration and frustration. Meanwhile, she also covers disasters from the early part of the 20th century, and since there aren't survivors left to interview, she presents "disaster scholar" research into these events. FASCINATING. I had to get out my notebook and take notes, because the next time my river floods, I'll have a whole new game plan. Most importantly, Solnit highlights the idea of "elite panic" and how dangerous it is during a disaster: quoting Kathleen Tierney, disaster scholar, "Elites fear disruption of the social order, challenges to their legitimacy." Solnit also concludes, "Elite panic in disaster...is shaped by belief, belief that since human beings at large are bestial and dangerous, the believer must himself or herself act with savagery to ensure individual safety or the safety of his or her interests." (Cue up some episodes of "Doomsday Preppers" if you want to see elite panic in action...or just watch some archival footage of Hurricane Katrina.) But what Solnit found in her research is that most people DON'T panic in disasters, but organized agencies are often too slow and burdened by red tape to do anything but panic, and "the elite" almost always DO panic right away, to the detriment of almost everyone, especially the poor and minorities (whom elites often name first, and incorrectly, as the source of looting and vigilante gangs...Solnit presents startling evidence that the only murderous vigilante gang in New Orleans was white).

Her sharp analysis of situation after situation, each one perfectly endnoted and supported with relevant backing, should be required reading for every citizen, because not only does she skewer the failed emergency agencies, she champions the unique communities that emerge and shows us how, if we keep the momentum going, larger change takes place.(less)

Jen Hirt rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Swamplandia!
by Karen Russell (Goodreads Author)

read in August, 2012

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I selected this book because it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist but, like the other finalists, it did not win (no fiction prize this year). So, I was curious about what makes a novel awesome-not-awesome.

Russell writes with a superb creativity and make...more I selected this book because it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist but, like the other finalists, it did not win (no fiction prize this year). So, I was curious about what makes a novel awesome-not-awesome.

Russell writes with a superb creativity and makes dashing turns of phrases. For example: "The asterisk, the Chief taught us, was the special punctuation that God gave us for neutralizing lies. One recent example would be 'Your mother's cancer is getting better.*'" Wow. Russell has most of the characters playing with language all the time, such as how the family calls all alligators Seth, and how Kiwi mispronounces words, and how Ava, at the end with her horrifying dark secret, carefully controls what she reveals, as if she has been abused by language itself. Furthermore, Kiwi's stint at the corporate World of Darkness amusement park is itself a commentary on how language reveals and obscures. When he makes conversation with the visitors, he often mentions his famous (to him) mother, in hopes they recognize her name from the halls of fame of alligator wrestling. He wants strangers to repeat her name back to him: "Her name in a stranger's mouth was a resurrection: however briefly, she was alive with him again." Beautiful and exquisitely sad.

The world of Swamplandia reminded me of a Wes Anderson movie, perhaps The Life Aquatic or Moonrise Kingdom. The characters exist in their own peculiar bubble, living by rules, customs, habits, rituals, and opinions that have mutated due to isolation and loss. Think quirky and slightly unreal, with believable motivations under the bizarre behavior. Think uniforms (the Chief's headdress, Ossie wearing her dead mother's wedding dress, Ava in her Swamplandia! t-shirt) and think blind commitment (the whole family is, in one way or another, trying to save their failing business and trying to cope with the loss of the mom).

The only weakness to the novel is length and pacing. The novel doesn't really get freaky-weird (as in, you can't put it down because of all the ominous happenings) until 3/4 of the way through, and it's driven entirely by Ava's plotline (first person) whereas Kiwi's chapters are in third person. While Kiwi's role in everything provides depths of sardonic commentary (the part where he goes to the suburbs is Pulitzer-worthy), Ava's story is the compelling one, the tragic one, the strange one. At 400 pages, it's no doubt difficult to balance those two storylines (and points of view) and keep them moving in tandem. Russell certainly made a great effort, but my attention lagged in the middle.

Then the last 150 pages or so slap you awake out of nowhere, and it ends in some believable (but tidy) explanations and a wonderful, wonderful image.(less)

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	Under Glass: The Girl with a Thousand Christmas Trees 4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2010	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mediums 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2006	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jen Hirt rated a book 5 of 5 stars Child of God by Cormac McCarthy read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If you would like to know what a corpse-loving psychopath does with a robin and a mongoloid child, as well as how said psychopath makes good use of caves and lingerie, then sit right down and read this freakshow of a novel from 1973. I read it in two...more
3 hours, 16 min ago · see review
Jen Hirt rated a book 4 of 5 stars Works Cited: An Alphabetical Odyssey of Mayhem and Misbehavior by Brandon R. Schrand read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are layers of narrative arcs in this darkly amusing memoir: Layer 1: The books formative to Schrand's development as a writer Layer 2: Anecdotes from a mostly misspent youth Layer 3: The key moments of right decisions Layer 4: The fact that lay...more
May 20, 2013 04:23am · see review
Jen Hirt rated a book 3 of 5 stars Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I gravitate toward graphic novels at the end of the school year, I guess because I'm desperate for something different. Jimmy Corrigan was this year's pick because I kept seeing it mentioned in articles about postmodernism, form, etc etc etc. It's a...more
May 08, 2013 07:28am · see review
Jen Hirt rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction: Advice and Essential Exercises from Respected Writers, Editors, and Teachers by Dinty W. Moore (Goodreads Author) read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Eric LeMay's chapter on the differences between Germanic words and Latinate words -- and how their sounds affect creative writing -- is the best explanation I've come across so far. Barrie Jean Borich's chapter on decisive moments is also fantastic,...more
May 04, 2013 05:04pm · see review
Jen Hirt is now following Renee and Stephanie
Mar 24, 2013 02:02pm
Jen Hirt is now a fan of Goodreads Author Anne Lamott
Mar 05, 2013 11:52am · like · see all of Jen's favorite authors
Jen Hirt rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Solnit read in August, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In 2011, the city where I live (Harrisburg, PA) had the fifth worst flood on record when the Susquehanna River reached about 25 feet (normally it's around four feet deep). I live two blocks from the river, and so I experienced, for the first time in...more
Aug 19, 2012 08:26am · see review
Jen Hirt rated a book 4 of 5 stars Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Goodreads Author) read in August, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I selected this book because it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist but, like the other finalists, it did not win (no fiction prize this year). So, I was curious about what makes a novel awesome-not-awesome. Russell writes with a superb creativity and make...more
Aug 02, 2012 01:42pm · see review

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