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97th out of 98 books
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A Common Pornography: A Memoir
by
Kevin Sampsell (Goodreads Author)
In 2008, Kevin Sampsell's estranged father died of an aneurysm. When he returned home to Kennewick, Washington for the funeral, Kevin's mother revealed to him disturbing threads in their family history — stories of incest, madness, betrayal, and death. In A Common Pornography, he tells his family's unforgettable story — from his mother's first tumultuous marriages and his ...more
Paperback, 218 pages
Published
January 19th 2010
by Harper Perennial
(first published January 1st 2010)
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I feel really, really guilty that I didn't like this book more than I did. I mean, everything I know about Kevin Sampsell (who is my "friend" on both GR and FB) makes me think he's terrific: really creative, quite influential in the indie press scene, very nice and funny and interesting. And I knew a good deal about this book going in, so I was seriously planning to love it, to be blown away by the captivating insanity of an incredibly fascinating, fucked-up life. I was expecting a lot...more
composed of brief, chronological accounts, a common pornography is kevin sampsell's unabashedly frank memoir. recounting the formative incidents of his youth, sampsell writes with great courage about family drama, sexual exploration, and the inevitable uncertainties of adolescence.
written without pathos, sentimentalism, or apology, kevin never resorts to the banal, woe-is-me affectations that have come to mark so many autobiographical works of late. funny, tragic, touching, and often unb...more
written without pathos, sentimentalism, or apology, kevin never resorts to the banal, woe-is-me affectations that have come to mark so many autobiographical works of late. funny, tragic, touching, and often unb...more
Kevin is a righteous writer/editor/Powell's small-press section curator dude I know from the early Aught's online literary world and Eyeshot. We're both Sixers fans, and at one point in his memoir he mentions Sedale Threatt, the best-named backup point guard during Charles Barkley's (or anyone's) era. Started reading this right after the Canadians beat the US in hockey and finished a little after midnight. I rarely read 216 pages in a single sitting, but I found the short chapters consumable, th...more
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A few weeks ago I was in the back seat of a car for 12+ hours. I arrived at my friends well prepared for the trip, a bag loaded with all kinds of boredom distractors (sudoku, knitting, novels, short stories, ipod, etc). But on the way out of my friends house I noticed this book on her shelf and started reading it while she finished packing.
I didn't touch the other stuff in my anti-boredom bag after starting Kevin's book. The book is interesting and sometimes funny and sometimes sad an...more
I didn't touch the other stuff in my anti-boredom bag after starting Kevin's book. The book is interesting and sometimes funny and sometimes sad an...more
seriously? wow, really surprised by all the great reviews on this book. i thought most of the vignettes were just fairly empty boyish tales that gave me little to hold onto in terms of who this guy or his family members or friends were. the vignettes never allowed me to give a shit about sampsell or the book. he had a few vignettes that were good, but they just leave you hanging and the rest just came off as superficial snapshots of white straight privileged suburban boyhood. nothing interestin...more
Several of my friends told me that I needed to read this book for the interesting way in which it deals with memory.
Several of my friends said that they found this book to be interesting, but hard to read due to the fragmented state of its narrative.
I honestly have to go with the first group if I am to take sides. I honestly din't find this memoir hard to read in any way. In fact, I found its matter-of-fact approach to memories a bit less ego-istic than most memoirs. T...more
Several of my friends said that they found this book to be interesting, but hard to read due to the fragmented state of its narrative.
I honestly have to go with the first group if I am to take sides. I honestly din't find this memoir hard to read in any way. In fact, I found its matter-of-fact approach to memories a bit less ego-istic than most memoirs. T...more
I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I was lying in bed in a pair of baggy wide-legged olive green sweatpants, a stained white tank top, and for some reason a bra. A bra?! To bed?! I was just too lazy to remove it. And then, on page * of Kevin Sampsell's memoir "A Common Pornography," I realized that I was in the midst of something really special: The first contender for "Top Three Worst Books of 2010." I felt a rush of adrenaline that my body probably mistook for an ...more
Despite the bad publicity of a few memoirs by people who were later determined to be less than truthful, the genre is still flourishing. I recently reviewed The Kids Are All Right, the story of the four Welch siblings, who were left orphaned after their father's death in a car accident and their mother's death by cancer a short time later.
The four siblings took turns writing about their memories in short, one and two page sections. It has been said that each child in a family grows u...more
The four siblings took turns writing about their memories in short, one and two page sections. It has been said that each child in a family grows u...more
I think Montambo was reading this so when I saw it for sale I flipped through, liked, bought.
I just went to the author's reading at Powell's. If the book doesn't have a "voice" written into it, an attempt to capture an accent or regional slurring, I "hear" the words with a soothing, resonant, deep tone. Male and female characters, all the same. Sampsell's real voice was surprisingly (to me) soft, lispy, and soothingly nerdy. I had a major eyestrain headache br...more
I just went to the author's reading at Powell's. If the book doesn't have a "voice" written into it, an attempt to capture an accent or regional slurring, I "hear" the words with a soothing, resonant, deep tone. Male and female characters, all the same. Sampsell's real voice was surprisingly (to me) soft, lispy, and soothingly nerdy. I had a major eyestrain headache br...more
Many coming-of-age memoirs depict a journey through hellish abuse. Sampsell’s verbal snapshots capture the more peripheral scene of a kid along for the ride, under the watchful eye of a distant, resentful father—“a humorless, God-fearing bore.” For many who grew up in the 1970s and ’80s, the details of this American life will be familiar: the music, the sports teams, the Jaws-inspired aquaphobia, the release of the hostages from Iran, the mannerist rebellion of New Wave. Other aspects will reson...more
I read this book because I know Kevin Sampsell and I like him. I was forewarned that his style of writing was "blogish". I asked what the hell that meant and my friend told me it was hard to explain, that I would just have to read it and see. I read it. I see now what she meant.
This memoir doesn't follow the form of traditional storytelling with a consistent narrative broken up into chapters of regular lengths. In Sampsell's book, it's like he's taken snippets of memories fr...more
This memoir doesn't follow the form of traditional storytelling with a consistent narrative broken up into chapters of regular lengths. In Sampsell's book, it's like he's taken snippets of memories fr...more
In the "short, disjointed vignettes" subgenre of memoir (see: Amy Fusselman, Sarah Manguso, David Shields, anyone else?) Sampsell found a way to do something intriguing and new-feeling with the approach. I've been trying, since I finished the thing a few hours ago, to figure out how.
As KS himself puts it, the book isn't structured via traditional dramatic arc, but rather as a "memory experiment"; just patches of quick stories about sex, responsibility and danger ...more
As KS himself puts it, the book isn't structured via traditional dramatic arc, but rather as a "memory experiment"; just patches of quick stories about sex, responsibility and danger ...more
Everyone has stories, brief anecdotes relating to our history. Our memories are at once humorous and heartbreaking, some retold again and again, some kept private forever. In A Common Pornography, Kevin Sampsell gathers his stories and assembles them into an atypical memoir, and the results are both intimate and intriguing.
Sampsell’s descriptions of the people he encounters are perfect in their spareness. He has a way of making a person clear within two sentences that might take othe...more
Sampsell’s descriptions of the people he encounters are perfect in their spareness. He has a way of making a person clear within two sentences that might take othe...more
I feel like there is so much sentiment in this book without being bossy or leaving you betraying the storyteller to see the whole story.
I liked the glass castle for that reason, too.
I would not necessarily buy this for my mom on xmas (in m y case the reverse happened-I got the Glass castle ) as a Common Pornography is more explicit and thus in my mind better. yes I shirked away "honest and heartfelt and at first, as this combo normally backs me into a corner and put a dunce c...more
I liked the glass castle for that reason, too.
I would not necessarily buy this for my mom on xmas (in m y case the reverse happened-I got the Glass castle ) as a Common Pornography is more explicit and thus in my mind better. yes I shirked away "honest and heartfelt and at first, as this combo normally backs me into a corner and put a dunce c...more
For those who like full disclosure, Kevin Sampsell published a comic book story I wrote in PORTLAND NOIR, and he also set me up with my readings at Powell's Books over the years. That said, those are favors that are behind me, I totally took and I ran and I could easily get away with trashing the guy's book if I wanted. Which is my was of saying you can trust me, I have nothing to gain here. A COMMON PORNOGRAPHY is some good reading.
This memoir has been described by the author as a m...more
This memoir has been described by the author as a m...more
This is probably my favorite of my own books, maybe because it's the most personal. I was surprised about all the feedback I got about this book (a series of vignettes about growing up in Kennewick, Washington, and doing things that boys do). There were only about 600 printed so it's pretty hard to find now. I'm working on a longer version of this to republish. Any interested publishers out there?
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Jackie says:
Folks in the book world may recognize this author's name--he's Powell's Bookstore's event coordinator. He's written quite a bit in the past (LIT, Hobart, McSweeney's, Night Train just to name a few journals and web sites, as well as two short story collections of his own) and is the editor of Portland Noir. He's also the publisher of Future Tense Books. But this book is different--this is personal, about his family and his life as a young man that he calls "a memory ...more
Folks in the book world may recognize this author's name--he's Powell's Bookstore's event coordinator. He's written quite a bit in the past (LIT, Hobart, McSweeney's, Night Train just to name a few journals and web sites, as well as two short story collections of his own) and is the editor of Portland Noir. He's also the publisher of Future Tense Books. But this book is different--this is personal, about his family and his life as a young man that he calls "a memory ...more
I bought this earlier today and read the entire thing tonight. The book largely recounts stories of Sampsell's sexual awakening, his failed coming-of-age romances, and his memories of an unlikable, distant father. It accurately captures how subtly rebellious children can be, and in turn how foolishly irrational adults can be. It does all this without glorifying the narrator (or even really demonizing the father), and comes across surprising honest. Just the facts. Much of it makes me nostalgic f...more
One of the most daring pieces of non-fiction writing that I have ever read. Kevin Sampsell speaks about his life in a tone that is both intimate and slightly distant, never romanticizing his adolescence but rather focusing on moments of doubt, and embarrassment, and the seemingly mundane. As a character in his own story, Kevin is often too flawed to root for, but it is then, in the moments when he is the least likable, that he becomes the most relatable. Kevin Sampsell, from his own account, has...more
Folks in the book world may recognize this author's name--he's Powell's Bookstore's event coordinator. He's written quite a bit in the past (LIT, Hobart, McSweeney's, Night Train just to name a few journals and web sites, as well as two short story collections of his own) and is the editor of Portland Noir. He's also the publisher of Future Tense Books. But this book is different--this is personal, about his family and his life as a young man that he calls "a memory experiment". Wr...more
This book takes what was a really solid little zine style book and turns into a fully fleshed memoir. This is perhaps the best book about Kennewick, WA that has ever and probably will ever be written. My grandmother lived in Ephrata, and the desolation and disconnected world of Eastern Washington it captured very well in Sampsell's short pieces about the house, and for some time basement, where his family lived while he grew up. The form of the book is really great. It directly addresses the amb...more
Kevin Sampsell's writing has a surgical deadpan quality that instills every word with tension. Which has one effect when applied to his comical or psychosexual short stories, but quite another when he's describing his own traumatic childhood and creepy family dramas in this new memoir.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of the memoir genre. And because Kevin is a friend of mine, this book has a completely different effect on me than it would on a stranger. If you don't know Kevin personally, ...more
Honestly, I'm not a fan of the memoir genre. And because Kevin is a friend of mine, this book has a completely different effect on me than it would on a stranger. If you don't know Kevin personally, ...more
Some of these recollections are hilarious, some are sad, some make you just feel uncomfortable, but they make for an unforgettable read. I laughed out loud at some of them (the story of him losing his virginity to a prostitute, for example - details and descriptions were just unexpectedly funny) and some of them made me cringe and feel disquited.
Short blurbs about the author's life, his dysfunctional family, sexual life, fatherhood, work, everything. This is a very brave book, the s...more
Short blurbs about the author's life, his dysfunctional family, sexual life, fatherhood, work, everything. This is a very brave book, the s...more
This memoir-in-vignettes in beautifully, succinctly written. I feel like the writing style mimics the way I actually experience and remember my own life. Most memoirs try hard to tell a coherent story, using moments from the past as plot devices to create some kind of linear narrative that may or may not accurately reflect what it was like to LIVE as the writer actually did. A COMMON PORNOGRAPHY avoids this by relating short snippets of the author's life unencumbered by constant, meaningless,...more
Because of this book I will never view Pee Chees or false ceilings the same way again. I don't think they make Pee Chees anymore. What's a kid to do now?
Many thanks to Harper Perennial for sending me a copy of Kevin Sampsell's "A Common Pornography" for review. Had they not generously shipped it to me, I am ashamed to admit I may never have read it. Those who know me, and my taste in literature, would not be surprised by that statement. I am pretty vocal when it comes to non-fiction. I tend to steer clear for many reasons, which I shall spare you the details of here. Let's just say reading "A Child Called It" when I was young...more
A poignant, powerful, painful, and many times funny (Ha! You thought I was going to use a "p" word didn't you?) memoir about Sampsell's formative years in the Pacific Northwest. "Wonder Years" this ain't.
Sampsell reflects on his violent, sexual predator father, his weak, enabling mother, various damaged siblings and half-siblings, friends and girlfriends in short, but powerful chapters. This is a decidedly literary work from someone who (he claims) was once calle...more
Sampsell reflects on his violent, sexual predator father, his weak, enabling mother, various damaged siblings and half-siblings, friends and girlfriends in short, but powerful chapters. This is a decidedly literary work from someone who (he claims) was once calle...more
This is it. My first book with a major press. After 20 years of writing for various small presses, it feels good to have this out to (hopefully) a much wider world of readers. The fact that it's about my life makes it even more rewarding. For people who like my fiction, I think there are threads of similarity in this but I also think this book has a wider and more accessible scope. There's funny stuff, sad stuff, disturbing stuff, and some kinda sexy stuff. I think it's my my most layered and co...more
If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a voyeur, here's your chance. In this intriguing collection of vignettes, Sampsell takes the reader through his childhood one short clip at a time--all the awkward, bumbling, painful moments. The moments we've probably all experienced at one time or another. The moments we would really rather forget. He writes with a strange detachment, almost like he's shrugging and saying: these things happened and yeah, it sucked, but I'm okay. We're all okay; this...more
As far as shitty childhood scenes go, a lot of these slices of life border on the average. So it goes. I have become inured to the common uncommon in the shitty childhood story. There exists now a book market flooded with memoirs of truly sensational, mystifying, tragic or inspiring personal stories. I don't have the time or the inclination to listen to them all. Everybody has done weird shit and had weird shit done to them.
On a positive note, I did fly through the book. Dude has a solidly...more
On a positive note, I did fly through the book. Dude has a solidly...more
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I am the publisher of Future Tense Books in Portland, Oregon. I work at Powell's Books. I write reviews and articles for various papers and mags. I have a few books out. My newest short story collection, Creamy Bullets, came out in 2008 from Chiasmus Press. Portland Noir, a book of crime fiction that I edited for Akashic Books, came out in 2009. My memoir, A Common Pornography (the long version!),...more
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“I realize that nothing is really normal. All it takes to alter normalcy is a death or a birth. Or just some misguided fear, love, or loneliness that never goes away.”
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