Dana Spiotta, whom Michiko Kakutani called "wonderfully observant and wonderfully gifted...with an uncanny feel for the absurdities and sadness of ...
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May 31, 2007
Brien
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This one crept up on me as I read it. It starts simple, and then moves back and forth in time sketching out the narrative and the characters. One of the best examples of "show, don't tell" that I've ever come across. Maybe my interest in the old 60's romantic revolutionaries flavored my initial attraction, I don't know....But before I knew it, I was drawn in--caring about the characters. And it used just the right level of Mimento-like flashes to pull you along without losing you i
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May 13, 2008
Christy
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I must be officially done with school because I am reading again! Well, not quite, but I did read this surprising novel today.
Although I was interested in reading Eat the Document, my expectations for it were not very high at the outset. I suppose I was expecting mainly a character study of an ex-radical and her teenage son. Instead, I was surprised to find that this book grapples with the pervasive moral ambivalence of American culture. Spiotta questions whether it is possible t More...
Although I was interested in reading Eat the Document, my expectations for it were not very high at the outset. I suppose I was expecting mainly a character study of an ex-radical and her teenage son. Instead, I was surprised to find that this book grapples with the pervasive moral ambivalence of American culture. Spiotta questions whether it is possible t More...
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Jan 04, 2012
Melissa
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Hmm, I have complicated feelings about this book. I was pulled in very quickly by the premise (a woman must go underground and reinvent her life after an act of war protest goes wrong) and by the voice of the woman, Mary/Louise. However there was much too little of her voice throughout this novel, which weaves back and forth through time and jumps from her voice to her son's, to her ex-lover's, etc. I found myself at several points thinking, WHAT IS THE POINT? There are too many unnecessary side
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Dec 15, 2011
Sheri
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Rewind back to the late '60s & early '70s while Nixon was President and prosecuting quite a brutal war in Vietnam (and secretly in Laos & Cambodia). Unlike now, there were many young adults seriously upset about our nation's military imperialism and the awful deaths of innocent people entailed thereby. Upset enough to actually DO something -- like bomb the homes of CEOs & executives at the companies making napalm, etc. This novel is about one such young woman who, when plans go awry, and a bo
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Aug 17, 2011
David
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"Eat the Document" has an interesting premise -- Mary and Bobby, two sixties radicals, are forced to separate and go underground when their scheme to blow up the summer home of an executive whose company produces napalm (and/or Agent Orange) goes awry, killing an innocent victim. Thirty years later, both are living (unbeknownst to one another) in the Seattle area. Mary, who now goes by the name Louise, is raising a 16-year old son, Jason. Bobby, now known as Nash, runs an alternative b
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Dec 28, 2008
Becky
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Well I'd looked forward to this book but it was ultimately disappointing. I guess I wanted more protagonist, Mary/Freya/Caroline/Louise, story than for her son Jason. Anyway...
Mary, a young radical revolutionary runs from the scene of a felony done in the name of making a solid, material statement against the war in Vietnam. As planned, her boyfriend the other way. Mary ends up 35 years later with a different name and as the widowed mother of an 18 year old techie and musicall More...
Mary, a young radical revolutionary runs from the scene of a felony done in the name of making a solid, material statement against the war in Vietnam. As planned, her boyfriend the other way. Mary ends up 35 years later with a different name and as the widowed mother of an 18 year old techie and musicall More...
Nov 12, 2010
Callan
rated it:
so far, i am in love with this unsung glory. the language is simple yet lilting; the characters' lives are like heroin to me. the juxtaposition of what it means to live in a city and what it means to sprout up in suburbia has been assembled many a time before, but this novel breathes a new, revolutionary life into that trope. also, the music geekery is A+.
update: finished this morning. fantastic novel, one that really makes you think both while you're reading it and when you have free More...
update: finished this morning. fantastic novel, one that really makes you think both while you're reading it and when you have free More...
Jan 30, 2009
Jacki
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This one was interesting for me. I didn't really know anything about it before I read it and as I got going, it really sucked me in.
I thought it was interesting how the idea of 'identity' was looked at from so many different angles. The changing of identity/teenage identity/the identity of many different sub-culture groups both now and in the 70s. It really made me think.
I was surprised that the parts of the book about Mary that were written about 'now' were all writte More...
I thought it was interesting how the idea of 'identity' was looked at from so many different angles. The changing of identity/teenage identity/the identity of many different sub-culture groups both now and in the 70s. It really made me think.
I was surprised that the parts of the book about Mary that were written about 'now' were all writte More...
Jan 15, 2010
Dan
rated it: 
this is a solid look at radical politics and counter-culture as they relate to pop music, exotic collecting habits, fashion and general contemporary geekiness. the book works best as an obsessive's look at history. i loved the parallels between mary - the weather underground-ish activist turned melancholic quasi-soccer mom - and jason, her precocious, beach-boys-obsessed son. spiotta does a nice job of documenting (no pun intended) the way the 60's have been archived in people's memories - as an
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Feb 05, 2009
Spiotta, whose debut novel Lightning Field (2001) garnered critical acclaim, has pleased some critics and disappointed others. With a title based on a documentary about Bob Dylan, the novel raises questions about identity, intent, and outcomes. Some reviewers praised Spiotta's gift for delving deep into idealism and exploring the collective consequences of individual actions. Detractors cited an uneven storyline (the novel cuts back and forth between Mary's past and present, and the stories of J
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Jun 08, 2011
Liz
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this was actually great. lots of interesting explorations of sincerity vs. irony/appropriation, certainty vs. uncertainty, authenticity vs. mediated experience, nostalgia vs. forgetting, etc etc etc. often actually through the narrative rather than just in conversation which is a plus -- I mean that's why you read novels rather than essays right? not quite often enough to bump it up to five stars but pretty damn often. but yes, some of the characters did sound a little bit too much like cult
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Oct 26, 2010
Iain
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Really dissapointed by this book. It sounds like a great premise for a novel. The story of a political activist from the late 60's/early 70's having to go on the run change her identity and cope with a quiet suburban life. Plus the activism of young people today including her son protesting at the politics/economics of their country.
Sadly this didnt live up to the premise, it read like Douglas Coupland-lite. Lots of pop-culture references especially the son who has an obsession with The Bea More...
Sadly this didnt live up to the premise, it read like Douglas Coupland-lite. Lots of pop-culture references especially the son who has an obsession with The Bea More...
Aug 13, 2007
Shiri
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I borrowed this book from my roommate, and she told me that while it was really good, it wasn't as good as it could be. I enjoyed it and found the pace especially to be fascinating. But, by the time I got to the end, my roommate was right. A really good book, but there was a small something missing. It does, however, keep coming back on me, popping up at random moments, which is always a good sign.
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Oct 05, 2011
Elizabeth
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This was a flawless book. No, I mean that. How often do I say that? I'm sure there must have been a time... (Um, high school?)
The feminist perspective on 70s radical culture, as well as 90s radical culture. The teen boy obsessed with music (The Beach Boys--a nearly perfect obsession for this particular character). The focus on women in love, on loss, on aging, on identity, on history. It was all beautifully executed.
I loved it and I think everyone should read it. Especially More...
The feminist perspective on 70s radical culture, as well as 90s radical culture. The teen boy obsessed with music (The Beach Boys--a nearly perfect obsession for this particular character). The focus on women in love, on loss, on aging, on identity, on history. It was all beautifully executed.
I loved it and I think everyone should read it. Especially More...
May 18, 2011
Mythili
rated it:
A plot summary (terrorists! fugitives! activists! secret identities! prophetic dreams! unsolved mysteries!) of this book could give a potential reader the wrong idea. This is a character-driven novel, and this book's characters are all deeply driven by ideas. At center stage is the story of Caroline, a woman on the run. As her story unfolds, the reader also meets Nash, a bookstore manager; Henry, the washed-up and nightmare-wracked bookstore owner; Miranada, an earnest young 20-something; and
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Jan 11, 2010
Steven
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I really enjoyed this novel. Spiotta is an intelligent and discerning social observer. There's a lot of theorization from the Frankfurt School (Benjamin especially--he is actually mentioned at one point) interspersed throughout the narrative. The story, of two '70s radicals who were in love before having to separate and go on the lam, is well-paced and intriguing. I was a bit skeptical of Jason's point-of-view at first, but it became convincing. Spiotta also makes interesting connections ac
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Feb 06, 2012
I adored this with all the excess of a 60s radical. It's about a woman who goes underground after taking part in a terrorist event in the 60s (or early 70s?) , plus numerous other people whose lives all end up being ingeniously related via multinational corporations, Agent Orange, modern pharmaceuticals, activism then and now, and the Beach Boys. At times it reminded me of some of my favorite authors; Nick Hornby, Don DeLillo, Jennifer Egan of Goon Squad fame. I kept coming across references to
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Nov 18, 2011
Wavelength
rated it:
I finished Eat the Document two days ago and am still immersed in the story, the characters and the themes. Spiotta deftly guides the reader back and forth between the radicalism of the early 1970s and the new radicalism (subcultures) of the 1990s. Mary AKA Louise participated in a form of protest that today we call terrorism. Despite the fact she eluded the police, Louise relinquished the freedom that comes with a clear conscience. Her son Jason, spends most of his time isolated in his room imm
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Jan 27, 2012
Anne
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I finished this book and my first thought was "What the hell?" I even flicked over the page thinking maybe I had missed some final paragraph of illumination. Nope, still bewildered!
I'm tempted to consign this book to my 'intellectual experiment' folder, but that would be an injustice. I cannot deny that Dana Spiotta can write and her mind must be a very interesting place to be! Her writing style is quite masculine, but I mean that in the sense that more men that women wri More...
I'm tempted to consign this book to my 'intellectual experiment' folder, but that would be an injustice. I cannot deny that Dana Spiotta can write and her mind must be a very interesting place to be! Her writing style is quite masculine, but I mean that in the sense that more men that women wri More...
Oct 26, 2010
Pamela
rated it:
Although I read this very quickly, within 24 hours, the beginning of the book was somewhat difficult to get into. The switching between characters point-of-view with no reference to how they relate to each other was disconcerting. Later you come to find out how these people are connected, but it took a little while. I gave this book a decent rating because I enjoyed the uncommon words the author sprinkled throughout the book, and in the end she created very rich main characters. I did find the
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Oct 20, 2011
David
rated it:
This terrific book centers on a pair of 1970's Weather Underground radicals (Merry Whittaker and Bobby DeSotto) who have been on the lamb for 20 years after commiting a terrorist bombing. You of course get a feel for what it would be like to have to assume false identities and fear the law catching up to you at any moment. But what I really liked about this book was meeting the young 1990's Gen-Xers that the two main charactors lives now revolve around. Marys teenage son, Jason, is obessed with
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May 04, 2008
Cherie
rated it: 
DNF Although there was a very promising start, I was lost and unengaged as you enter these characters unrelated to the original plot.
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Aug 20, 2010
Alyn
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i hated this at first, but i really really liked it by the end. i wouldnt reread it or anything, but it will stick with me. the characters are drawn precisely but with broad leaky brush strokes. you have to get through to the end to care about them, but by the time you do, you really do. their story isnt the most fascinating, which is strange because given the topic (weather underground knock-off), it totally could be. but maybe that's the point... at least in the descriptions of the 1990s. but
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Nov 01, 2009
Michele
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Finally, a book I can recommend, and because I liked it, I'm not going to give anything away. The events take place at two time periods, beginning in 1972 or 1998, and there are four points of view. It's one of those books that is maximally confusing until you figure out who is who and when is when. There is a little bit of a mystery that I won't talk about, and I smacked myself in the head for being so slow when I finally figured it out. But it took me a while, and by that time, I wanted to kn
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Aug 04, 2011
Meg
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yet another book i couldn't finish. in younger days, fear and some inner tugging would force me to finish any and all books i started. not any more. i shouldn't even rate this but i quit at page 76 because i didn't care one iota for the characters or their fate. i know ms. spiotta is a prize winning author but, i don't know, this subject just seems over, outre, not interesting anymore. in the 60's, protest was exciting, unusual, scary. now, half or more of the world protests every day so t
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Sep 08, 2008
John
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This book was recommended to me by Nate and Amy who thought I would enjoy as much as I did My Revolutions. They were right. The narrative does not directly tell the story of 60s radicalism, the most interesting part of My Revolutions, but focuses on the legacy of radical violence for contemporary political resistance. The comparison between the radicalism of the 60s and 70s and the radicalism of today was interesting and well done, focusing more on the attitudes and rituals of resistance rath
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Jul 12, 2008
Josie
rated it:
I really loved Dana Spiotta's Lightning Field. It was a little bit like a contemporary Play it as it Lays. Icy cool in the bright sun. Hard-edged portraits of weird female characters.
Eat the Document was really fun to read, I kept thinking "ooh I get to go read more" like it was candy. But it didn't add to my consciousness. The story is parallel narratives of two Weathermen-type kids who bomb country homes of executives who contracted for the Vietnam War and then go un More...
Eat the Document was really fun to read, I kept thinking "ooh I get to go read more" like it was candy. But it didn't add to my consciousness. The story is parallel narratives of two Weathermen-type kids who bomb country homes of executives who contracted for the Vietnam War and then go un More...
May 15, 2008
Pamela
rated it:
I loved this. It makes a great companion to Russel Bank's The Darling, and Phillip Roth's American Pastoral about yet another female sixties radical who inadvertently kills an innocent bystander.
But this one's the best of the bunch.
Spiotta really connects the dots here. She follows her radicals to the present day, like Roth, but provides context. Her characters struggle to maintain some semblance of their former politics, and therefore preserve their integrity.
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But this one's the best of the bunch.
Spiotta really connects the dots here. She follows her radicals to the present day, like Roth, but provides context. Her characters struggle to maintain some semblance of their former politics, and therefore preserve their integrity.
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Sep 26, 2010
Lora
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Not sure what drew me into this book--I certainly couldn't personally relate to the time period and political climate--But it was fascinating. Took me a little while to grab ahold of the rhythm, but easy to finish once I did. Contained some highly intense political rhetoric, and to be honest I didn't even take the time to conceptualize through all of it. Poignant. Loved this quote on page 238, "A commune and a corporate community are not all that different. A corporation is merely a co
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Aug 30, 2007
Kristine
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i'm not overly fascinated by the 60s radicalism movement, other than the kidnapping of patty hearst and reading about how delusional all of the hippies and earnest counter-revolutionaries were. i also have no great interest in current "earth liberation" movements and the kids who break starbucks windows while wearing nikes. this book jumps between the two eras (late 60s and late 90s) and while the writing was great and the overall themes were really interesting, i found the dialogue
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