Fender Lizards

by Joe R. Lansdale

The unmistakable accent of the Piney Woods of East Texas rolls from the pages of Fender Lizards, Joe R. Lansdale’s tale of the life and love and work of one Dot Sherman, who delivers on her promise that her story is “the real thing from beginning to end.”

Dot waitresses on roller skates at the Dairy Bob, doesn’t care for smoking at least partly on account of her dad having never returned from a cigarette run, and carries on the family tradition of philosophizing. Life hasn’t done her any favors in her seventeen years so far. But if there was ever a heroine built for turning things upside down and seeing what shakes out, it’s Dot. Determined to find out who she is and why she’s the way she is, an opportunity presents itself when her heretofore-unknown uncle suddenly moves his camper into the front yard.

As in his classic novels The Bottoms and The Magic Wagon, multiple-award-winning Lansdale instills place with character and character with place. Here is an overlooked world and a cast of real folks that prove unforgettable, all rendered in one of American fiction’s most authentic voices.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Crime, Audiobook, The United States Of America, Coming Of Age, Novels

232 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2015

About the author

Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.

He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.

Reviews

[Dan Schwent · Rating 3 out of 5]

High school dropout Dot Sherman's life was going nowhere, working at the Dairy Bob and living with her mother, grandmother, and siblings, until her uncle started living in a van in the front yard. Now, she's forming a roller derby team and searching for her long lost father...

As I've said many times before, Joe Lansdale is one of top five favorite authors. He brings the usual mojo to the table in this one.

Fender Lizards is the story of a roller-skating waitress trying to get her shit together before she ends up like her mother and her older sister. Dot plasters her older sister's no good drunk boyfriend with a 2x4 pretty early in the proceedings, setting off an interesting chain of events.

I liken Joe Lansdale's writing to sitting on tailgate having a conversation with the man and this tale is no different. However, I felt like I've read it before. It felt like pieces of other Lansdale books at times. Hell, the man writes books as often as a dog licks its asshole so it's no wonder he treads familiar territory a time or two.

I've got some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it's par for the course Joe Lansdale, prominently featuring interesting characters, white trash awesomeness, hilarity, and Joe's trademark front porch wisdom. On the other hand, I feel like it's nothing new. How many coming of age tales does Joe need to write? 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

I had some notes highlighted, but I just fired up the ol’ Kindle and poof they aren’t there anymore so Imma have to wing it. I will flat out admit I wanted this one for the title alone – and also because Joe Lansdale stories pretty much equate this for me . . . .


(Too soon? Sorry, Coach K.)

But regarding that title: I mean what is a Fender Lizard and how can I be one? Are they recruiting? Would I have to jump someone in an alley with a shiv to get in? I’m pretty much up for whatever it might take. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long to find out thanks to my Good Buddy Dan and the power of the “lend” feature.

As for the story itself, Lansdale is known for his ability to spin a good coming of age yarn, but in books that are clearly written for adults. That being said, although I’m fairly comfortable in saying Fender Lizards would NOT probably reside in the Young Adult section of your local bookstore – that is precisely where it should be. Adults like me will happily lap the story up as it dishes up some surefire YES PLEASE! features such as high school dropouts with a daddy who went out for a pack of smokes and never came back and a sister with multiple deadbeat baby daddy and I was just like . . . .



And don’t get offended because those are TOTALLY my people and could probably be most of my relatives.

Also they lived in a place like this . . . .



Which is practically a dare to me to see if I can resist giving it an auto 5 Star rating.

They also worked at a super high-end establishment known as the . . . .



Where they had to do THIS . . . . .



And maybe, just maaaaaaaaaaaybe their chance at getting ahead in life would come from winning one of these . . . . .



Not to mention . . . .



To which the answer is: A little bit!!!

Can you hear me squeeing all across the country? Not even sorry.

This was super fun even though I'm an old geezer. If I had a teenage daughter I’d hold her down and sit on her until she finished reading this recommend this one to her.

Thanks again for the lend, Original Dan. You’re one of the good’uns!

[Zoeytron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dot, 17 years old, high school dropout. She lives in a trailer park with her mama, her grandma, and her little brother, the booger-picking Frank. Uncle Elbert lives in his van out in front of their trailer. Dot works as a roller skating carhop at the Dairy Bob, thus the term "fender lizard".

In this story, you can find a bit of roller derby action, kids with weed-eater haircuts, crawly jailhouse tats, and plenty of wry humor to make you snort. The long and the short of it is that Dot just wants to matter, and not end up like her mama. This is slice of life fare, served up East Texas style.

Joe R. Lansdale can write a little bit of everything. Although I much prefer his horror offerings, this was a quick enjoyable read.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fender Lizards" is a coming of age story, something Mr. Lansdale has done a number of times. The story is well told though it lacked the punch and adventure of his previous tales.

I really did not care if Dot, the main character in "Fender Lizards" who works at the Dairy Bob. She wants to become a Roller Derby queen and if she is successful or not is almost trite. The book seems so much less that has become expected of Mr. Lansdale's writing.

This could perhaps be a book of his to read if you have never read anything else by Lansdale. The saving grace were the three short Hap and Leonard stories after the title story.

Contents:

009 - "Fender Lizards"
237 - "The Bottom Of The World"
247 - "Down By The Riverside"
251 - "Tire Fire"

This is copy 41 of 400 signed numbered leather bound copies, signed by Joe R. Lansdale.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coming-of-age tale. Not at all what I expected, but that's certainly not a bad thing!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fender Lizards is the story of how Dot came to be in the roller derby.

Reading about roller derby is like reading about quidditch in Harry Potter or stopping in the middle of Twilight for a long game of baseball. It's not an exciting time. (Is it taboo to make references to Twilight? Sorry.) Some of you will know what I mean.

I'm from Southeast Texas so Lansdale automatically puts me at home. I can hear and feel East Texas in his writing. This is a big plus for me.

I loved the characters in Fender Lizards. Dot was definitely the heart of the story. Fender Lizards is much more about Dot and her family than it is about her joining the roller derby, but that aspect bored me so I'm harping on it.

Overall, Fender Lizards was a decent read. I didn't love it. I felt like I wanted more to be happening. It was easy to put down, and it took longer than it should have for me to finish it. I didn't dislike it, either, though. It reinforced the fact that I need to be reading a lot more Lansdale outside of my Hap and Leonard binges.

2.5 stars

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Lansdale offering

Joe Lansdale is one of my favorite authors. Two of his books - THE BOTTOMS and A FINE DARK LINE are in my top ten books of all time.

He does especially well with coming-of-age books, filling them with believable dialogue and storylines.

Dorothy (known as Dot to her friends) is a 17 year-old high school dropout. She lives a hardscrabble life, living with her Mom, little brother and Grandma in a single-wide trailer in East Texas. She works at the local Dairy Bob, delivering food orders on roller skates (thus the title FENDER LIZARDS).

Her father went to the store for cigarettes when Dot was 12 years old and never came back and now his brother just showed up and is living in front of the trailer in his Dodge Caravan.

A 2"x4" figures strongly into the story. There's a roller derby coming to town. And there's a touch of romance in the air.

I loved the characters, even the unlikable ones. Dialogue is stellar as always in Lansdale tales. I always finish his books feeling like I've made new friends and this book is no exception.

And the cover of the book is perfect.

[Cody | CodysBookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, this pains me. I so badly wanted to like Fender Lizards, a short 2015 novel by Joe R Lansdale, but didn’t. This certainly has the elements of a good story: quick, gripping writing; sympathetic characters; a strong sense of setting. But this is Lansdale: those things are a given.

Where this story falls short is everything feels . . . slight, underdone. Lansdale is excellent at coming-of-age stories, and this COA just doesn’t live up to The Bottoms or A Fine Dark Line. The characters are quick sketches, the action quick and unrewarding. And I can’t help shaking the feeling everything here feels rather . . . episodic, never quite coming together or leading to any sort of emotionally satisfying conclusion.

The thing is, Lansdale has just done better. This isn’t terrible; I think Lansdale is incapable of writing a terrible story. Fender Lizards just cobbles together elements from other, better works. The end result is something like a busted skate.

[Librielibri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sto allineando una lettura deludente dietro l'altra, forse dipende anche da me.

Di questo libro posso dire che Lansdale ha una scrittura che apprezzo, serrata ed esuberante.
L'ironia non manca ma Dot, la protagonista, l'ho trovata di un sarcasmo fastidioso e poco convincente in una ragazza così giovane.

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice simple, straight forward read. Loved it.

[Moudry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serious words of advice: NEVER open a book by this guy if you want to do anything else for the day.

The Subterranean limited contains three shorts about Hap (including the duo's "origin" story).

[Francesco Caria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romando scorrevole e senza scossoni, non c'è la tensione e la malinconia, se non in modo assai tenue, dei romanzi di Lansdale. Simile ad una brezza leggera, piacevole ma non indimenticabile. Sconsigliato a chi si avvicina a Lansdale per la prima volta, da leggere, per completezza, per i suoi aficionados.

[Michael Sellars · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet Texas tale demonstrating that Mr Lansdale can turn his hand to any genre and none at all. I picked it up without reading any reviews, so I kept expecting a sudden outbreak of violent crime. But it never came. There's a little of the bumbling, inept criminality which is Lansdale's hallmark, but that's about it. But it doesn't hurt the book one bit. I loved it.

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about being poor, angry but not yet broken that manages to be honest, empathetic and hopeful without being patronising or too-soft-focus-to-be-true.


"Fender Lizards" was my first Joe Lansdale novel which, I'm glad to say, means I have a new author to devour in the coming months.

Joe Lansdale packed a lot in to the 232 pages of this novel: what it's like being poor enough to be living in a trailer in East Texas with your whole family; how to handle living your life angry, what family really means, how to take joy in being strong and swift, the limitations of solving your problems by taking a piece of 2x4 upside someone's head and how to take on a Carnival roller derby team called the Karnie Killers.

"Fender Lizards" is about Dot Sherman, a seventeen-year-old girl, who lives with her mother, grandmother and baby brother in a trailer in East Texas, works six-hour shifts at the "Dairy Bob" as a "Fender Lizard" (a waitress on roller skates serving food to folks in their cars) and who is kinda sorta thinking about taking her GED ( Good Enough Diploma).
Dot recounts her story directly to the reader and she doesn't hold back any on her thoughts or her feelings. She's angry and sassy but too honest with herself to blame other people for her problems. She does what's in front of her and she speaks her mind. I found myself believing in her, liking her and wishing her well.

Dot isn't a Disney character and this isn't a Hallmark movie. Dot isn't averse to a little violence, especially when confronting her sister's abusive boyfriend. She finds it hard to trust men, which show how well she learns from experience, and she won't take crap from anyone, especially her turned-up-out-of-the-blue-never-heard-of-him-before uncle or her went-out-for-cigarettes-and-never-came-back dad.

This is a remarkably cliché-free book that feels real if allow for a little luck, a little optimism and a lot of spirit from Dot and the people around her.

It's filled with humour, most of it from the dialogue but some of it from the slightly bizarre situations (there's a Court scene that could only happen in East Texas. The pace works and there are some wonderful action pieces with the roller derby towards the end of the book.

There's no happily-ever-after ending where everything's tied up with a neat bow but the ending is believable, hopeful and left me with a smile on my face.

The audiobook is narrated by Kasey Lansdale, Joe Lansdale's daughter. I think she did a great job and I recommend listening to the audiobook version.

[Alfonso D'agostino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dot è un personaggio alla Joe R. Lansdale: di più, ha proprio il timbro dell’autore texano, così amato in Italia per i suoi romanzi ricchi di umorismo, venature magnificamente crime, ambientazioni indimenticabili. Nella sua forma narrativa biografica in prima (primissima) persona, Io sono Dot non delude in nessuna delle sue pagine, righe, parole chiunque abbia apprezzato le storie di Hap e Leonard o qualunque altra produzione narrativa del buon Joe.

Dot è una diciassettenne che ha dovuto saltare l’adolescenza. Il padre uscito per comprare le sigarette (…) e mai rientrato, una sorella ragazza-madre, una nonna ingombrante in tutti i sensi, un lavoro sottopagato come cameriera sui pattini (splendida, a proposito, la copertina dell’edizione Einaudi).

"Era facile per gli altri dire cosa potevo o non potevo fare, molto più difficile per me farlo davvero. A volte mi sentivo come un topo in una di quelle gabbie con dentro la ruota, e io ero dentro la ruota. Correvo, sempre più veloce ma proprio come quel topo non andavo da nessuna parte.E il topo, se non altro, non aveva un appuntamento con un giudice.
(Joe lansdale, Io sono Dot)"

Inaspettatamente, proprio quando le cose sembrano mettersi (ancora) peggio, Dot raccoglie una sfida: in palio ci sono 10.000 dollari e – soprattutto – l’evidenza che anche le sue giornate valgono la pena, che la sua vita può prendere una direzione, che la rabbia repressa può essere indirizzata. Non vi farò il torto di raccontarvi come.

A me Dot manca già un po’, e ho appena finito di ascoltarla. Non capita poi così spesso.

http://capitolo23.com/2017/09/16/rece...

[Elvio Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe R. Lansdale - Io sono Dot
Dorothy Sherman detta Dot ha una vita disagiata, ma il suo spirito è un guerriero impetuoso, la sua forza d'animo è immensa. Ha diciassette anni, lavora come cameriera con i pattini al Dairy Bob, un vecchio drive-in, vive in una roulotte con mamma, nonna e fratellino. Da li a poco, anche la sorellastra con i suoi due figli, andrà a vivere in roulotte a causa del marito manesco. Il padre di Dot se n'è andato un giorno con la famosa scusa di comprare le sigarette e non è più tornato. Dot ha un problema caratteriale, non ha filtri e tutto quello che pensa lo dice, indipendentemente dalla persona che ha di fronte o dalla situazione che sta vivendo. In mezzo a tutte queste difficoltà, Dot va avanti senza aspettarsi nulla dalla vita, i suoi programmi di un lavoro migliore, di un diploma e di cercare suo padre, restano sempre nel cassetto delle cose che farà. Un giorno, un uomo si presenta al loro indirizzo e dichiara di essere lo zio Elbert, per quanto l'impressione sia quella di un disadattato perditempo, Elbert si rivela saggio a tal punto che riuscirà ad interagire con Dot e la sua famiglia, regalando una visione della vita più interessante. Elbert farà anche l'allenatore per una gara di pattinaggio, alla quale Dot e le sue colleghe del Dairy Bob, parteciperanno per guadagnare dei soldi. L'idea è che la loro vita avrà una svolta in caso di vittoria.
Bella questa bizzarra storia in puro stile Lansdale. I personaggi sono ottimi, come al solito gioca sul contrasto tra due o più figure che rendono tutto divertente. I dialoghi con la nonna fanno proprio ridere, le parole che escono dalla bocca di Dot ricercatamente spontanee. Si legge in un soffio.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

DO NOT MESS WITH WOMEN FROM EAST TEXAS.. does a 2x4 mean anything?

If your not from Texas, you might not understand EAST Texas.. under the shady of the Texas piney woods Dot has a high ambition of being a roller derby queen. Just so you know, I live in Texas and up until last summer you could find the Tractor Supply, the roller derby (NO SHIT) and indoor gun range, a nail place and a car title loan place in a sort of strip center... and ALVIN isn't in EAST Texas.

I don't think that girls in East Texas are coming of age with dreams of being roller derby queens anymore, probably Meth cookers... but need I digress to real life. The book was entertainment and Dot and her buddies and her sister all work as roller skatin' car hops at the Dairy Bob. She is sort of a hero for wacking her sister's husband for bouncing Raelynn around. The book examines the plight of being in LUV for the sister and then for the game.

The book was a bit slow in places, but have a nice pace in the rest. It was actually pretty good and in the end I discovered that I actually enjoyed it. I was routing for the roller derby girls to win. Skate fast and don't get killed... is a good plan. Team work and ambition.. bravery and control... How to forgive, how to get things done.

4 stars for this little ditty!

Happy Reading!

[Delfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarebbero tre stelle e mezzo, invero.
Una storia dolce, nonostante la durezza delle condizioni di vita della protagonista e della sua famiglia; mi ha riconciliato con Lansdale e mi ha fatto riandare al piacere che provai con La sottile linea scura.
Ho letto, in alcune recensioni, che questo breve romanzo si discosta molto - e lo scostamento era segnato come punto a sfavore - dallo stile dello scrittore, molto probabile invece che a me sia piaciuto proprio per questa ragione.
Dot è una forza della natura: intelligente, intraprendente, sarcastica, determinata, con un senso della giustizia implacabile, ma non per questo chiuso alla tenerezza. E tutte le donna che ruotano intorno a lei (la madre, la nonna, la sorella, che ha un’apprezzabile “alzata di testa”, le colleghe di lavoro) sono forti e con dentro una voglia di rivincita, che le porta fuori dal territorio della rassegnazione e le rende vere combattenti. Plauso a parte per la giudice, appunto “la” giudice.
Ma c’è anche spazio per alcune figure maschili che riscattano il genere, altrimenti non emergente in positivo.
È un romanzo che sa un po’ di fiaba, anche per il lieto fine e le belle promesse che lascia intravedere? Forse sì; ma si ha bisogno di sperare, e quindi ben venga tutto quello che ce lo consente.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set in East Texas and is narrated by a 17 year old roller skating car hop (“fender lizard”) who dreams of breaking from her trailer park life. I thought it was a light read compared to some of Lansdale’s other works but I enjoyed the voice of the narrator and the humor that was present throughout the story.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fender Lizards tells the story of a seventeen year old girl named Dot, who lives in a cramped trailer with several family members, in a small Texas town. She works as a roller skating waitress at a restaurant called the Dairy Bob. Her dad is long gone, having left the family behind when he went out for a pack of smokes - and now some uncle, who Dot had never heard of, is living in van in front of her trailer. Dot wants to avoid the fate of the other women in her family, such as finding an abusive man or being left to raise kids as a single mom. Dot is wise beyond her years. She is cynical and has big dreams. One day she will pass her GED... but before she does anything that crazy, she has a roller derby to enter and her eyes on a ten thousand dollar cash prize. This book is very well written and has some great characters and witty dialog. As ridiculous as the plot seems, it comes across as genuine and the characters are very likable. Fender Lizards is a slice of life in America. Joe Lansdale has given us just a brief glimpse into the world of Dot, in a particular moment of time. A solid book and a fun read. 4/5

[Gian Luigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ci sono momenti molto belli in questo libro. A volte Joe si ripete ma di certo sa come raccontare una storia.
Anche a me è capitata un cosa simile a quella di Dot con suo padre e questo non mi permette di essere obiettivo ma ho amato il romanzo e l’ho divorato.

“Presi il ritmo. L’alba era dorata. Chinai il capo e pattinai forte.
Mi sentivo veloce, e potente.”

[Ellana Thornton-Wheybrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book in which nothing happens. All conflicts are tiny, and are resolved in a paragraph or two.

Despite that, it was a charming read. This is a great story to devour when you just want to put your feet up and enjoy a good book. That's all it is. It is just a good book. Nothing happens, but the characters are all charming and wonderful.

Dot signs up to a roller derby with some of the other women from work, and I didn't care if they won or lost, just that they took part.

[Paul McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Joe R Lansdale.
Dot is an opinionated but wise beyond her years 17 year old living in some nowhere town in E Texas.
This is a very entertaining book.

[Rumfuddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even in a novella about a teen girl coming of age, someone is still being whooped with a 2 by 4, well done Mr Lansdale. Excellently read by his daughter.

[Marika Salvatori · Rating 3 out of 5]

La mia videorecensione: https://youtu.be/93uC6DpYYWI

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: NEVER download a sample of a Joe Lansdale book!

You may *think* you are going to read just a bit to see how it is, but trust me, this is not what happens. You read a couple of pages of the sample and BAM! You are hooked and have to pay for the entire book.

No, this book--like most of his--is not great fiction. It is not going to change your life or your perspective on life or anything in your life. However, like ALL of his books, it is a great read that grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go until the very end. I can't remember a single one of his books I have started and not finished. I can't remember a single one of his books I have started and haven't put everything aside to finish.* Yes, he's that good.

*Except for his Hap and Leonard. Those aren't up to snuff.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is written in the accent of the Piney Woods of East Texas. It tells of a 17 yr. old girl named
Dot Sherman. Dot's job is to waitress on roller skates at Dairy Bob. She doesn't smoke. One reason
being her Dad went out for a pack of cigarettes one night and never returned home.
An unknown 'Uncle' drives a camper into their front yard and parks. This in itself is a mystery
in the making.
I love the cast of characters that you will never forget. This book is one of Mr. Lansdale's best!
"Lansdale instills place with character and character with place"

[Andy Rausch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe R. Lansdale is my favorite living writer, so there may be some bias here. The man writes all kinds of books. My favorites are funny, violent, and have lots of crime and swearing in them. This one has no violence, cursing, or crime, but was (as are most Lansdale stories) funny. This book was not quite what I was expecting. I went into this one cold without knowing much about it.

Well, it turned out that it was basically a YA novel about a teenage girl who becomes a roller derby skater. This isn't the kind of thing I would have picked up had it been written by anyone else. To be honest, when I got a little ways into it I thought, this is going to be my least favorite Joe R. Lansdale book. (I haven't read all of them, but I have read a considerable chunk.) Not because it was badly written or anything like that--to the contrary--but because I didn't care much for the subject matter and didn't think I could relate to the protagonist. But...as I progressed into it I found myself enjoying it more and more. There was something in the back of my brain urging me not to like it because it was not my normal cup of tea. (Or more to the point, whiskey.) But something happened along the way: I found myself hooked and wanting to find out where the story would go and what would happen to Dot, her mama, her "uncle", her family, and her friends.

This is a terrifically-written book that appealed to me even though I wasn't the target audience (and again would never have given it a chance if it was by anyone else). I could easily see this being made into a film. It was a cute and enjoyable story. Funny and heartwarming.

Dammit, Lansdale, you've done it again; you've made me read and actually enjoy something I normally wouldn't go for. And somehow that is still a shock to me when I really should know better by now. There is nothing Joe Lansdale can't write and write wonderfully.

[Barbara Desilani · Rating 4 out of 5]

La vita non è stata facile per Dorothy, “Dot” Sherman: 17 anni, un papà che è uscito 5 anni prima a comprare le sigarette e non è più tornato, una mamma rassegnata, una anziana nonna e un fratellino “re delle caccole” con cui vive in una piccola roulotte. A loro si aggiungerà la sorella maggiore, con i suoi due bimbi piccoli, in fuga da un marito violento.
Dot  ha dovuto imparare molto presto a difendersi, non solo verbalmente, ma ha dalla sua un carattere forte, a volte un po’ scontroso e diffidente, temprato dalle difficoltà.
Dot ha dei sogni: vorrebbe prendere il diploma, andare al college e ottenere una laurea, per cercare di affrancarsi da quella sorta di prospettiva di insuccesso a cui sembra essere stata predestinata, ma per ora lavora come cameriera al "Dairy Bob", dove serve la cena sfrecciando su un paio di pattini per guadagnare da vivere per sé e per la sua famiglia.
Finché, un giorno, un tizio di nome Elbert, che dichiara di essere uno zio, si installa nella roulotte di famiglia. Per quel che ne sa Dot, Elbert potrebbe essere un serial killer (e, in effetti, qualche piccolo trascorso criminale ce l'ha). Dopo qualche diffidenza iniziale, tra loro si instaura un rapporto di amicizia e confidenza che darà a Dot quella spinta e quel sostegno di cui aveva sempre avuto bisogno, insegnandole a non accontentarsi e a lottare per i propri sogni.
Romanzo di formazione e di riscatto sociale, adatto agli adolescenti, ma in grado di lasciare qualcosa anche ai “più adulti”. La scrittura di Lansdale non è mai banale e non assume mai un tono paternalistico. Il suo stile è semplice eppure efficace, ironico, e le pagine scorrono via veloci, come Dot che sfreccia sui pattini.

[Bob Reiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what I was getting when, on a whim, I downloaded Fender Lizards by Joe R. Lansdale. Lansdale is a favorite of mine. He writes in many genres and so you never know what you are gonna get when you leap blindly into his world. And, as often is the case, what I got was something I didn’t quite expect yet fell in love with. Fender Lizards is basically a book about a roller skating waitress who decides to start a Roller Derby team. Lansdale takes this simple story and makes it come alive with witty dialogue, an engaging main character and lots of humor. Fender Lizards is like a spontaneous road trip with a fun new friend. You don’t know where exactly you’re heading but you sure as hell are enjoying the ride.

Kasey Lansdale handles the narration with simple lovable charm. Fender Lizards is a first person tale, and Kasey becomes Dot. She infuses the tale with an almost musical style, using an upbeat tempo and catchy twang to fully pull the listener into the story. It seams impossible not to like Dot, and even when she can be frustrating, she’s like cute little sister frustrating. Fender Lizards is a prime example of how fun a well told story with engaging character can be when brought to life by a talented performer.