McSweeney's Issue 21

Mar 12, 2007 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Offbeat twentysomethings with a weird sense of humor

Shelves: funnybunnies

These stories have a fluffy macabre sensibility. Let's just say: sadistic sex, snakebits, and Samuel Clemens, all in one book. It's fun but I can't really make out the overall tone of the work as a whole, since I get the feeling the authors feel a sense of importance to their tales, but I can't make it out through their rush to witticism.

Best story: Grandpa Clemens & Angelfish 1906

Best thing about the whole thing: Bizzarre letters to Ray Charles.

How I read it: The 4/5/6 train between Bleeker...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Patrick McCoy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction

As usual the literary journal started by Dave Eggers, McSweeney’s, has introduced me to some new and original writers. This issue also has great pen and ink storyboards for every story and some really weird letters to Ray Charles in between the stories. Anyway, Issue 21 starts out with a compelling journalistic piece, “The Tall Man”, about a case of police brutality, at the hands of a white man, that lead to death of an aboriginal man on the aboriginal island community of Palm Island in Queensla...more As usual the literary journal started by Dave Eggers, McSweeney’s, has introduced me to some new and original writers. This issue also has great pen and ink storyboards for every story and some really weird letters to Ray Charles in between the stories. Anyway, Issue 21 starts out with a compelling journalistic piece, “The Tall Man”, about a case of police brutality, at the hands of a white man, that lead to death of an aboriginal man on the aboriginal island community of Palm Island in Queensland Australia. The plight of the Australian aboriginal is similar to that of the America Native American Indian; they have been herded into small communities that are saturated with poverty, alcoholism, lack of education and employment, and violence. Chloe Hooper does an excellent job of providing the background, history, context, and attitudes of the community/police/government as well as a rendering of the events of the day that led to the death of an aboriginal man in the custody of the police. It is clearly a case of a death that could have been avoided, but due to inaction and precedent that has avoided acknowledging or punishing suspect behavior of the police guard. On a positive note, while I was on vacation I read a news story that provides a vindication of sorts. The “Tall Man Man” a.k.a. Chris Hurley has been charged for the death of Cameroon Doomadgee, this is a case that makes history for the rights of aborigines all over Australia. This is a fascinating and compelling look at race, politics, and justice in contemporary Australia.

There was also a really entertaining modern horror story, ”The Pram” by Roddy Doyle, included in this issue. It is a sort of modern mystery suspense tale that is well paced and full of exacting detail. A Polish nanny becomes bewitched by an invented horror story that she herself has created to frighten her charges. I haven’t read anything by Doyle in years, but it would appear as though he has still has it.

Another new discovery was Rajesh Parameswaran’s short story “The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarjar.” It is a strange, but compelling story of identity/self-deception, and ultimately redemption. The fact that it deals with naturalized East Indians in America draws comparisons in my mind to the work of Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing, although Parameswaran has his own individual style that is quite distinct from Lahiri.

There was a Miranda July story in Harper’s last month and I didn’t care much for it, but “Majesty” has all the same elements that made me want to see her feature film when I read an excerpt form her script for Me, You, and Everyone We Know: realistic dialogue, humorous situations, interesting characters, bizarre situations, and an obsessions with the posterior region of the body.

“Snakebite” by Arthur Bradford is another odd but compelling little story about salvation through a snakebite, saying things that shouldn’t be said, and doing things that shouldn’t be done.

I like it when stories incorporate an incongruous motif or theme from an outside source in a story like the life of Flaubert in Flaubert’s Parrot. Greg Ames does this with aplomb by using the life of Tolstoy in his story about a dysfunctional relationship in “I Feel Free.”

Meanwhile, Peter Orner has managed to compress pathos, bathos, loss, betrayal, revelation, acceptances and other unspoken observation about his father and life in a brief story about a tangential figure in the narrator’s life: “Pampkin’s Lament.”

An epiphany is realized in the afterthoughts of fight witness by a directionless boy in Mormon-country Idaho in Christian Winn’s “Rough Cut.”

The books finishes with a flourish as the collection’s most famous author, Joyce Carol Oates, presents a fictional account of Mark Twain’s last years by drawing on letters and scholarship. It’s not the picture I want of Twain, but obviously was a part of who he was. I find the mature writings of Twain to have amoral authority that isn't as fierce in his earlier work. Twain was above all a moralist, and I think Oates captures that in this story of an old man’s obsession with purity and youth.
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Jul 29, 2011 Sam Quixote rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I only read half of the stories in this book and couldn't bear to carry on. Because, my, this is a bloody depressing book! I like McSweeney's, I think it's got a lot going for it but bloody hell, this volume, let's have a little humour! Maybe because it's Sunday night but I'd like something that's not so bloody serious and sober minded!

The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcohol...more I only read half of the stories in this book and couldn't bear to carry on. Because, my, this is a bloody depressing book! I like McSweeney's, I think it's got a lot going for it but bloody hell, this volume, let's have a little humour! Maybe because it's Sunday night but I'd like something that's not so bloody serious and sober minded!

The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcoholics, wife beaters, and generally get abused by the police all the live long day. One of them is beaten to death by a police officer in jail and the police officer gets off. That's the whole story!

The next one is a damn boring Literary story about "modern" love so I won't bother.

Roddy Doyle's story is about dead babies. Rajesh Parameswaran's story is about a simpleton Indian immigrant who decides to become a doctor. He maims a patient and, its implied, kills his wife in the end (who by the way had inoperable ovarian cancer).

Miranda July's story is about a middle aged woman whos in love with Prince William and is taunted by a younger more attractive sister who calls her and tells her all about her varied sexual encounters, taking pleasure in the fact that her dumpy older sis can't get laid. In the end the older sister wishes for a giant earthquake to cover her in rubble.

A. Nathan West's "The Balloon" is the last story I could read in this book and is about an elderly man who loses his wife and is shouted at by his middle aged siblings who think about his upcoming death.

You see what I mean? How utterly miserable the stories in this book are! Read individually they'd probably be fine but lined up in a row like this, it's like being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and, because it's Literary, being told to like it! Urgh, I'm going to read something that's perhaps a bit more balanced and not filled with despair and morbidity all the time. Actually there was one story that had some humour to balance the pathos called "Snakebite" by Arthur Bradford but it was too little too late. And the letters sent to Ray Charles add nothing to the book, they could be added or taken away it doesn't matter.

And also, the design of the quarterlys is usually good. This one's cover looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old and is just an ordinary paperback. Very dull.

Update: I finished the book months after putting it down and despite a number of poor stories there were a couple of gems. Greg Ames' "I Feel Free" is about a man who tries internet dating and winds up with a batty woman and her even weirder ex-boyfriend living with him. The story is funny and well written with a great ending that makes you want to read more of Ames' work.

Joyce Carol Oates writes about Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain in his twilight years. He's 70 years old, having trouble writing his latest book "The Mysterious Stranger" about Satan in 16th century Austria, and is haunted by his daughter Susy who died very young. He begins a correspondence with other young girls whom he calls "Angelfish". One of these correspondences goes badly for the young girl and an increasingly ill Clemens. This is the best story of the collection and asks me once again why I've not read a Joyce Carol Oates book. Well written, interesting story, great characterisation of Clemens (though not having a great depth of understanding about the man can't say how accurate it is) and despite being the lengthiest story at 43 pages, it's the quickest read as it's so good. Pick up the book for this story. (less)

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Sep 23, 2011 Arjen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-dutch

Thank you Internet, thank you Goodreads, thank you Jean, thank you McSweeneys.

I never heard of McSweeneys until I saw it pop up in the timeline of one of my goodreads friends. It looked very interesting so I ordered a few back issues. One of these issues was #21 and I was immediately blown away by the whole concept and especially the unique design of each issue. Without the Goodreads (or the Internet) allowing me to connect to friends thought gone, I would have never encountered this series.

I im...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

McSweeney's Issue 21 brings a collection of 14 stories, and several letters to Ray Charles from fans. (And these are mostly entertaining, for various reasons. Some sweet, some creepy, some just autograph seekers.)

This foundation of tales shows plenty of variation in style and subject, which is enough to make the collection compelling for most readers. Although several of the fictional characters are, well, somewhat irritating, they are no worse than all of us imperfect beings-- such as my early-...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Sam Quixote rated it 2 of 5 stars

I only read half of the stories in this book and couldn't bear to carry on. Because, my, this is a bloody depressing book! I like McSweeney's, I think it's got a lot going for it but bloody hell, this volume, let's have a little humour! Maybe because it's Sunday night but I'd like something that's not so bloody serious and sober minded!

The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcohol...more I only read half of the stories in this book and couldn't bear to carry on. Because, my, this is a bloody depressing book! I like McSweeney's, I think it's got a lot going for it but bloody hell, this volume, let's have a little humour! Maybe because it's Sunday night but I'd like something that's not so bloody serious and sober minded!

The first story is by Chloe Hooper called "The Tall Man" and is about the doomed and miserable lives of Aborigines on a remote Aussie island. They're all alcoholics, wife beaters, and generally get abused by the police all the live long day. One of them is beaten to death by a police officer in jail and the police officer gets off. That's the whole story!

The next one is a damn boring Literary story about "modern" love so I won't bother.

Roddy Doyle's story is about dead babies. Rajesh Parameswaran's story is about a simpleton Indian immigrant who decides to become a doctor. He maims a patient and, its implied, kills his wife in the end (who by the way had inoperable ovarian cancer).

Miranda July's story is about a middle aged woman whos in love with Prince William and is taunted by a younger more attractive sister who calls her and tells her all about her varied sexual encounters, taking pleasure in the fact that her dumpy older sis can't get laid. In the end the older sister wishes for a giant earthquake to cover her in rubble.

A. Nathan West's "The Balloon" is the last story I could read in this book and is about an elderly man who loses his wife and is shouted at by his middle aged siblings who think about his upcoming death.

You see what I mean? How utterly miserable the stories in this book are! Read individually they'd probably be fine but lined up in a row like this, it's like being kicked in the balls repeatedly, and, because it's Literary, being told to like it! Urgh, I'm going to read something that's perhaps a bit more balanced and not filled with despair and morbidity all the time. Actually there was one story that had some humour to balance the pathos called "Snakebite" by Arthur Bradford but it was too little too late. And the letters sent to Ray Charles add nothing to the book, they could be added or taken away it doesn't matter.

And also, the design of the quarterlys is usually good. This one's cover looks like it was drawn by a 5 year old and is just an ordinary paperback. Very dull.

Update: I finished the book months after putting it down and despite a number of poor stories there were a couple of gems. Greg Ames' "I Feel Free" is about a man who tries internet dating and winds up with a batty woman and her even weirder ex-boyfriend living with him. The story is funny and well written with a great ending that makes you want to read more of Ames' work.

Joyce Carol Oates writes about Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain in his twilight years. He's 70 years old, having trouble writing his latest book "The Mysterious Stranger" about Satan in 16th century Austria, and is haunted by his daughter Susy who died very young. He begins a correspondence with other young girls whom he calls "Angelfish". One of these correspondences goes badly for the young girl and an increasingly ill Clemens. This is the best story of the collection and asks me once again why I've not read a Joyce Carol Oates book. Well written, interesting story, great characterisation of Clemens (though not having a great depth of understanding about the man can't say how accurate it is) and despite being the lengthiest story at 43 pages, it's the quickest read as it's so good. Pick up the book for this story. (less)

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Nov 09, 2010 MJ Nicholls rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, journals

Hits: Rajesh Parameswaran, Miranda July, Arthur Bradford, Greg Ames, Joyce Carol Oates.

Misses: Stephen Elliott, Yannick Murphy, Holly Tavel, Kevin Moffett, Christian Winn.

The rest were somewhere in between. Rajesh Parameswaran's "The Strange Career of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan" was a strange wonder and wins my improptu BEST STORY IN #21 award.

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Aug 21, 2010 Yuliya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories

mysterious and great. loved everything - starting from the cover and to letters to Ray Charles after each story. though it is difficult to write after some time anything specific. good short stories like a flash - take you all in fast and then change as fast from one to another. you simply don't get bored.

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Oct 28, 2009 Dusty Matthews rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Strange Career Of Doctor Raju Gopalarajan by Rajesh Parameswaran on p. 77 is wonderful.

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Feb 03, 2008 Jody Grant rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-during-peace-corps

I always love McSweeney’s. 21 features really enjoyable block art accompanying each piece that was just as delightful as the stories. I like that you can play around with these journals beyond the written word. I love such creativity in publishing and I only with there was more of it. From this collection, “The Strange Career of Dr. Raju Gopalarajan” by Rajesh Parameswaran was a great find. I loved this story. It’s beautifully crafted and really stayed with me. I think this is the kind of piece...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Tyler rated it 3 of 5 stars

As far as McSweeney's goes, this is a pretty so-so issue. The big winners in this one are Rajesh Parameswaran, Greg Ames, and Joyce Carol Oates- Their three stories are fantastic, some of the best I've read in Mcsweeney's. The rest- some good, some meh.

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Dec 21, 2008 Nate D rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mcsweeneys, stories

Pretty middle-of-the-road McSweeney's. Which is to say solid. The design wasn't especially unusual but the drawings and letters to Ray Charles (yep, actual letters mailed to Ray Charles) that accompanied each story were a nice touch. The opening journalism concerning Australia's rocky relationship with its aboriginal inhabitants was a standout just for being chilling and in many ways universally relevant, and the "Strange Career of Dr. Raju Gopalarajan" was just good storytelling. None of the st...more

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Jul 13, 2009 Janelle added it

maggie murray credit!

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Aug 02, 2011 Tarrastarr rated it 3 of 5 stars

cute.

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Oct 25, 2012 Zack Quaintance rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the Joyce Carol Oates story at the end of this one, "Grandpa Clemens and Angelfish 1906."

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Jul 08, 2007 Rachel Stern rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: jsut about everyone

Shelves: justread

this was my first mcsweeney's quarterly. All of the stories are very, very engaging. I didn't even know I liked short stories that much. The Balloon and the las story, (the one by Joyce Carol Oates) were both particularly ineresting.

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May 07, 2008 Jenni added it

Shelves: fiction

Normally I don't add lit journals, but this one has a great story in it called "I Feel Free," by Greg Ames. Very twisted, funny, entertaining story. Cracked me up several times.

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Sep 09, 2007 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: collection

I always enjoy reading McSweeney's, but this wasn't my favorite issue. The stories were mostly interesting, some definitely good, but I didn't think any in this issue were really great.

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Jan 20, 2008 Callie added it

I'm giving up. It's been on my bedside table for months and I have zero desire to pick it up. I barely got through the first 2 stories... I guess I'm not a McSweeney's gal after all.

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Nov 27, 2007 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: people-i-know, mixed-genre, short-stories, journals

My friend Greg's story "I Feel Free" is in this issue. Read it now. He's brilliant.

Or go to his website - GregAmes.com

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May 17, 2008 Eugenie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nice collection, some of course stronger than others. Greg Ames's "I Feel Free" and Miranda July's "Majesty" are stand-outs.

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Jan 01, 2013 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hate to Be Alone
The Pram
Majesty
I Feel Free
Last Words
Serenade

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Dec 15, 2007 Jack Delicious rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those whole like short stories

I learned to love McSweeney's.

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Jan 13, 2008 Peter to the Getz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great.

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May 07, 2013 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mcsweeneys-quarterly

May 06, 2013 Marie added it

Shelves: mcsweeneys, have-it

Apr 30, 2013 Steven added it

Shelves: checked

Apr 27, 2013 Jesse Poe added it

Apr 22, 2013 Sannevdv marked it as to-read

Shelves: own, mcsweeney-s

Apr 13, 2013 Blake Sproule rated it 3 of 5 stars

title link	preview: McSweeney's Issue 21
avg rating	preview: McSweeney's Issue 21 Goodreads rating: 3.75 (311 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52991.McSweeney_s_Issue_21?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328837456l/52991.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52991.McSweeney_s_Issue_21?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]McSweeney's Issue 21 by Dave Eggers[/url]

McSweeney's Issue 21 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern #21)

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