Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories
by Chuck Palahniuk
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Read in June, 2008
Palahniuk's theory here seems to be (actually, this seems to apply to his fiction, of which I've incidentally read three novels, as well) that if you write about "strange" stuff -- sex, depravity, weird celebrity insights -- your writing doesn't really have to be any good. Where this theory falls apart though is, well, first off it's not true, but also, the stories in Stranger Than Fiction just aren't that strange. Sure, the first piece concerns the Testicle Festival in M...more
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This collection includes a number of interesting pieces from Palahniuk's magazine writing, including his experiences walking around with a friend in Portland (or maybe Seattle), both wearing animal outfits. (Dalmation and Bear I think.) They experience a lof of abuse and I guess the point is something about depersonalization and human reaction to that. There's also a story about people who build castles, there being an underground of castle builders of which I was unaware, though I myself have...more
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Read in February, 2008
Palahniuk is always great -- even his non-fiction. This particular book is a book of essays he wrote of studies of how other people see the world, of interviews he's had with various people, and personal reflections. He's carried these world views from others into his non-fiction writings rather than just writing from his own world view.
I think my favorite interviews are with men who have built their own castle in the U.S. and with writer Amy Hempel. I also like his reflections on Ira Levin ...more
I think my favorite interviews are with men who have built their own castle in the U.S. and with writer Amy Hempel. I also like his reflections on Ira Levin ...more
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Read in December, 2007
I don't yet have the stomach for Chuck Palahniuk's fiction. I've tried reading pretty much all of his novels and 'Fight Club' is the only one I've been able to finish, and that's because I'd seen the movie and pretty much knew what was going to happen. His writing is just so over-the-top graphic, filled with human suffering and self-loathing that for me they're too much of a mental, emotional, and physical workout to get through. But at the same time I would like to one day be able to read his...more
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Read in July, 2005
recommends it for:
Chuck Palahniuk fans
I liked this book.
This is a collection of true stories of very bizarre things that have occurred or occur regularly. They are all as the old adage goes: So strange they could only be true.
In the intro to this book Chuck Palahniuk even admits that he is something of a one trick pony. He views everything in America as the following struggle: We strive to be alone. We fight our way to independence from our fellow human beings by p...more
This is a collection of true stories of very bizarre things that have occurred or occur regularly. They are all as the old adage goes: So strange they could only be true.
In the intro to this book Chuck Palahniuk even admits that he is something of a one trick pony. He views everything in America as the following struggle: We strive to be alone. We fight our way to independence from our fellow human beings by p...more
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recommends it for:
nobody
If i could've given this book no stars I would've. I got about three stories in and realized I was forcing myself to read the next story. I ended up skimming through the rest and decided I wasn't missing anything.
I think the book is an interesting concept; this fiction writer writes a non-fiction book about different people and how they live their lives. It's a book of stories to glimpse into how other people live their lives. The problem is, isn't that what books are in general? It's a...more
I think the book is an interesting concept; this fiction writer writes a non-fiction book about different people and how they live their lives. It's a book of stories to glimpse into how other people live their lives. The problem is, isn't that what books are in general? It's a...more
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Read in January, 2006
Note: this is not the book the movie was based on. Though I hear that's a great movie...
This is ACTUALLY a collection of true stories, and I really can't think of a theme that ties them together, other than the title: they ARE pretty strange. Palahniuk's either interviewing subjects, or experiencing the strangeness for himself, but in a way they're all "What it feels like to..." essays.
"What it feels like to be a steroid freak."
"What it feels like to live on ...more
This is ACTUALLY a collection of true stories, and I really can't think of a theme that ties them together, other than the title: they ARE pretty strange. Palahniuk's either interviewing subjects, or experiencing the strangeness for himself, but in a way they're all "What it feels like to..." essays.
"What it feels like to be a steroid freak."
"What it feels like to live on ...more
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Sometimes, reality is much stranger than fiction. In this collection of short stories, Mr. Palahniuk comes with his special ability to wrap the reader's mind up with all different types of emotions. If you've had the unfortunate luck to never had the pleasure of reading one of his books, try this description. Open your fridge and take out the first thing you see. For arguements sake, let's say it's potato salad. Chuck can write a story about this potato salad where it becomes anything. It can be...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
people with bad taste
This is SO ANNOYING. I've read about 2/3rds of it. I have to MAKE myself read the rest. This book is basically just a giant poster for Fight Club, the movie. Palahniuk is a one trick pony. A one joke... joke-dude. He keeps saying the same thing. He even admits this (kinda) in the intro. He's like "if you haven't already noticed, all my stories are about blabh blah blah". Though I get the feeling that he thinks he's quite clever. And.. he can be. But.. I remain generally unimpressed. Ch...more
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recommended to Sam by:
my inane sense of befuddled wonder.
recommends it for: transgressive rehab junkies.
recommends it for: transgressive rehab junkies.
I used to be a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan and would more than religiously follow his articles that he did for various magazines because they were always delicious little slices of underground paraphilia. (Now, of course, it's just sad old hat.) But they neutered the articles in the book, changed the titles and cleaned up the references for a mass audience who might be a little litiguous. But even worse was the more personal autobiographical missives that Chuck wrote, stuff about his troubled famil...more
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Read in October, 2007
Chuck brings us into his world to show what inspires his fiction. In this collection of essays we meet people at the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival in Missoula, Montana, where average people perform public sex acts on an outdoor stage. In a mansion once occupied by The Rolling Stones, Marilyn Manson reads his own Tarot cards and talks to his actress girlfriend. Across the country, men build their own full-size castles and rocketships that will send them into space. Chuck experiments with st...more
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Read in August, 2007
So it started out all right, but really crashed and burned in my opinion, maybe because I lost patience. This is a collection of stories, some interesting and indeed, almost stranger than fiction, others average. It is at its best when relating other people's stories, worst when it Palahniuk recording his own musings, which to me seemed as if he's trying too hard, and personal stories, which are not generally strange but seem more the experiences of a person who doesn't want to be well-adjuste...more
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Doors are opened in this non-fiction work by Chuck Palahniuk. Doors that reveal this continuous fascination with themes such as are found in Fight Club, the strange and ridiculous ways that we as humans find community. Palahniuk explores the worlds of wrestling and demolition derby's, and finds that the participants feel some strange sense of closeness to those that they continually beat the hell out of. This is a wonderful read for anyone looking to get a little further into the strange mind of...more
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Read in December, 2007
Another fantastic work from my favorite author. He's had quite a life full of ...interesting experiences, some laugh out loud funny, some heart wrenching, all entertaining and worth the read. It's especially entertaining for people who've read his fictional works, at least a few, or even for fans of the movie based on Fight Club. I liken it to Jay and Silent Bob strike back. It's entertaining on its own, but taken as an addition or reference to the other works by the author/writer, it ties in bi...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Palahniuk Die Hards
eh...not his best. but a collection of shorter stories that was good when i wanted to read SOMETHING quickly before going to bed. His profiles on Marilyn Manson, Juliette Lewis, etc left a lot to be desired as they were on people I feel to be extremeeeely boring(what can i expect from volume 2? Drew Barrymore?). I can only assume this book is just a collection of essays from magazines. Probably only a good book for a Palahniuk die hard who needs something to read on a plane. But worth picking up...more
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Read in August, 2007
A non-fiction collection of stories by Chuck Palahniuk. Some of the stories were pretty boring, but all of them were short. A great book to read when you only want to read a little at a time. Or if you’re ADD.
The most interesting stories in the book were the ones Palahniuk wrote about himself. Obviously the most detailed and with a first person commentary, these stories sounded the most genuine. The other stories recounted short interviews and brief encounters, which made it seem more of a...more
The most interesting stories in the book were the ones Palahniuk wrote about himself. Obviously the most detailed and with a first person commentary, these stories sounded the most genuine. The other stories recounted short interviews and brief encounters, which made it seem more of a...more
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Read in July, 2007
As a writer of mini essays on a daily basis I enjoyed reading one of my favorite author's take on the world in the same manner. Although many times I had to smile when I realized where certain book material came from I was slightly disappointed that he revealed so little about himself and how he thinks. That's why I picked up the book. But in the end it did inspire me to write more, even if the topic seems random and uneventful. When writing is the medicine it doesn't matter what shape the bottl...more
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Read in January, 2005
I'm not really a reader of short story collections unless I am familar with one or some of the authors. This collection of Chuck's non-fiction short stories was no different. I only picked it up because I love his writing so much, and I'm glad I did. Obviously not every story is amazing, some are just plain weird seemingly for the sake of being weird. There are a couple, though, that were so good I re-read them immediately upon finishing them the first time. The interview with Juliette Lewis is ...more
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Read in May, 2008
Time for me to just admit it -- I don't like Chuck Palahniuk. He's an ass. Not that I know him personally, but he's just got this attitude that comes through in his writing -- especially in this collection -- that really grates on my nerves. The only pieces here that were really exempt from his ego and attitude were the "portraits." The rest of read as a combination between "I'm so cool because I write about all these weird, freaky things" and "Hey, I have a movie starri...more
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Read in May, 2007
Gahhhh! I couldn't wait to finish this book, but only because it would finally be over and done with.
Palahniuk wrote one good book (Fight Club), and he keeps writing that book over and over again. He continues this theme even into the non-fiction genre (which is what Stranger is), although his non-fiction writing has even less structure and is less interesting than his fiction writing. I think it'll be a long time before I pick up another Palahniuk book.
Palahniuk wrote one good book (Fight Club), and he keeps writing that book over and over again. He continues this theme even into the non-fiction genre (which is what Stranger is), although his non-fiction writing has even less structure and is less interesting than his fiction writing. I think it'll be a long time before I pick up another Palahniuk book.
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