Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 59

2014 Reading: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert

This book was the September selection for my book club, the local chapter of Reading Liberally. Unfortunately, the member who proposed the book wasn’t able to come to our discussion, so we weren’t very lively, but I found the book fascinating.

Kolbert writes for The New Yorker and I gather that many of the chapters had previously appeared as essays in that magazine, which is why, perhaps, the book doesn’t quite hang together as a single argument. Still, the individual pieces–about mass die-offs of amphibians in the tripics and bats in New England, the extinction of ancient species as well as modern species, and the rapid changes that are occurring in biodiversity and the environment–are startling. She tells a compelling story about some frightening things that are happening right now and along the way draws parallels with the mass extinctions that have taken place in the past.

One of the members of our group complained that the book didn’t, in the end, make a case for anything, or didn’t tie this large body of evidence together in order to draw a conclusion about what’s happening on our planet. That’s a fair criticism, I think. In the hands of another writer, perhaps, an argument for taking action might have been made, or we might have seen predictions about the future if nothing is done. Instead, the reader is left to draw his or her own conclusions. Kolbert shows what happened in the previous mass extinctions and presents evidence that suggests the current extinction, which has been going accelerating since the appearance of humans is even worse.

My own expectation is that the human species is not threatened with extinction because we will find a way to survive and adapt even while we kill off everything else. That’s not a particularly cheery thought, though. Maybe we should start over on another planet and get it right this time.

2014 Reading: Special Like the People on TV by Tommy Dean

Special Like the People on TV by Tommy Dean

This is a fiction chapbook by a friend who graduated from my MFA program after I did. It’s worth investing the time to read this slim volume, if only for some exciting turns of phrase. One woman is described as “a half moon of beauty, even in her forties.” Another is “as safe as a bran muffin.”

But make no mistake: these are dark stories. They reveal losers in a downward spiral, children making mistakes that will haunt them, couples living on the edge of catastrophe. And all of them, it seems, think things could have been different if only that last break had gone their way.

In the opening story, “Alone, Baby,” the protagonist is a woman whose husband has gone in search of a pregnancy test–unwanted, failed, or wished-for pregnancy is a theme of the book. Sitting alone in a parking lot, she notices a child left alone in a car. Where is the mother? Doesn’t she know it’s not safe? When the mother returns, the woman realizes the struggle she faces, doing the best she can, which will never be enough.

In “The Weight of the Moon,” the main character is set to rob at gunpoint a drug dealer. He needs the money–he’s made some bad choices and the bills have piled up. And this seems like another bad choice in a long series. “The money,” he says. “Now. Or it’s over for both of us.” He’s right about that, I think. It’s over for him.

Some of the stories here are very short, less than a page, such as one of my favorites, another featuring a wished-for pregnancy, “Compatible.” It begins: “He felt that by getting married he had made some kind of half-hearted promise to give her a child. Twelve years later, he had run out of excuses.” In another story, a woman can’t stand the sight of a family of snowmen because she’s unable to get pregnant. In another, a teenager sits in her bathroom, trying to find the courage to take a pregnancy test.

Although the impact of the stories taken together is quite bleak, each of the stories is a gritty slice of hyper-realism. You know the people in these stories, I would guess. I surely do.

2014 Reading: Whistling Vivaldi by Claude M. Steele

Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do (Issues of Our Time) by Claude M. Steele

I read this book because Northwestern University picked it this year for its One Book, One Northwestern program (which invites all new students to read the same book and then presents a year of related programming in order to explore the topic in depth), and during an alumni conference I went to last week we were able to participate in a discussion. The discussion was so-so (too many people hadn’t actually read the book), but I thought the book was terrific.

Steele, a social psychologist, has been studying the phenomenon of “stereotype threat” for decades. Basically, this is when stereotyped groups are perceived to perform poorly in a certain area. Members of the group then when tested in that area are afraid they will confirm the stereotype, and as a result they perform less well. If the “threat” is eliminated–if the test is presented as something else–the group generally performs as well as members of other groups.

The book presents an overwhelming amount of experimental data that seems to confirm the theory and its corollaries. Plus, helpfully, one chapter offers some concrete suggestions for eliminating the threat’s effect on performance. The book is a pretty quick read, is written in a clear language that doesn’t use too much psychological jargon, and makes a compelling argument. I highly recommend it.

Guest Post on Madam Mayo: It’s a Dangerous World

Today I guest blog on Madam Mayo, the wonderful blog of C.M. Mayo, novelist and traveler. Her guidance for visitors is to provide five links about things related to the book being promoted. I thought about that for a bit, but it didn’t take long to get an idea. The reason the Everywhere Stories anthology went in the direction it did (“It’s a Dangerous World”) is because some of my favorite novels are set in dangerous situations overseas. Far more than five came to mind, but I picked some of the best known writers–Tim O’Brien, Ann Patchett, Robert Stone, Russell Banks, Barbara Kingsolver–and described the novels that fit best.

Check out my guest post: Guest Blogger Short Story Maestro Clifford Garstang on 5 Favorite Novels About a Dangerous World.

Carvezine’s focus on Everywhere Stories

With the October 1 publication day for Everywhere Stories fast approaching, we’re beginning to get noticed.

Today the spotlight shines from Carve: Travel the World with a New Anthology: Everywhere Stories

It’s nice description of the book and a short interview with the editor — me.

Thanks for asking, Carve!

Appearance on Rudy Maxa’s World

Radio!

On Saturday, September 27 at 11:43 am ET I’ll be making an appearance on Rudy Maxa’s World, the #1 nationally syndicated radio travel show.

I’ll be talking about Everywhere Stories, of course, and the amazing stories in the book.

Be sure to tune in or listen online this Saturday!

Short Story Connect — Featured on Goodreads

I will be the featured author on the Goodreads Short Story Connect discussion culminating on October 1 when I’ll be answering whatever questions readers have posted. A couple of questions have already appeared . . .

This type of interaction with readers is awesome. I really do get a thrill when I visit book clubs or speak to groups about writing and my work specifically. And I’m available to visit with groups if the timing/distance is right (or by Skype if we can make that work).

So join Short Story Connect and ask me something!

2014 Reading: Tinderbox by Lisa Gornick

Tinderbox: A Novel by Lisa Gornick

I had not heard of this novel until I saw that the author would be in the area visiting WriterHouse. I like events there because they usually aren’t just a reading–which I would also enjoy, of course–but often involve a conversation between the featured author and another writer who has taken a close look at the book under discussion.

In this case, the “other writer” was Virginia Pye, author of River of Dust: A Novel, which was the topic of discussion when I interviewed the author in the same venue. Ginny’s book takes place in China and Lisa’s book is set mostly in Manhattan but with significant episodes in Peru and Morocco, so the topic of the conversation was, primarily, the importance of travel in the work of these particular writers. Given my own interests and the key role travel plays in my work, I was glad to participate in the event.

I enjoyed the book, for the most part. Gornick is a psychoanalyst and so she digs more deeply into characters than I think a lot of writers do, revealing not only their backstories but also their serious flaws. I saw similarities with the work of Amy Bloom, another therapist. The characters in the book all–with the exception of the six-year-old, but one guesses he’ll develop his quirks later–have noticeable psychological problems. We all have issues, of course, but most issues don’t need the help of a therapist to deal with. All of these people needed help and not all of them were getting it, which helps add drama to the narrative. The only one in therapy, in fact, was the therapist, Myra, who is the book’s central character.

Do you need to like the characters in a book? Of course not. I did, though, like Myra and also her daughter, Caro, despite their quirks. These are the women who are holding the family together under enormous stresses. The men in the family, however, were less admirable. Larry, Myra’s ex-husband, brought their marriage to an end by cheating on her, and while he’s not a jerk, he does seem awfully needy. Their son, Adam, is especially unlikable. The nurse, Tali, who emerges late in the book, is somewhat heroic, but lest we be too fond of him, we’re told that he’s a slob. He’s the best of the bunch.

Apart from the characters, the story is quite interesting. The narrative is launched by the impending arrival in Myra’s home for a year-long visit of Adam, his Moroccan wife Rachida, and their son Omar. To help handle this household, Myra engages Eva, a young woman from Iquitos, Peru, who is descended from Moroccan Jewish traders. This is the classic “a stranger comes to town” story arc, and it works very well here; the arrival of all of these strangers in a previously sedate household will create all kinds of problems for Myra to deal with.

And beside the story, there is the background, which is also very interesting–this unusual historical connection between Morocco and Peru, and the coming together in New York.

Except for the portrayal of the male characters here–perhaps something no one else will be sensitive to–it’s an enjoyable read, and I recommend it. 

Road Trip! (Charlotte Appearances)

I am hitting the road on Monday. This will be an unusual trip for me, because I’m first driving down to Charlotte NC for a couple of book promotional events and then flying from there to Chicago for the annual Leadership Symposium hosted by the Northwestern Alumni Association. Then I fly back to Charlotte and drive home. But first, the events.

On Monday night, I’ll be speaking to the Northwestern University Club of Charlotte in a “fireside chat.” I suspect there will be no fireside–the gathering is on the 30th floor of a bank building, in a law office–but still. My topic will be something I’m very familiar with: Me. (That is, Me and my journey from being a Northwestern student back in the day, through my international law career, and now being a writer.) I’ll have some observations about the publishing industry along the way and maybe some in attendance will want to buy a book. I’m especially keen to talk about the new anthology, Everywhere Stories. It was very kind of the NU Club to set up the event.

On Tuesday night I’ll be speaking to the Charlotte Writers’ Club. This is the real reason I’m coming to town, as the CWC invited me almost a year ago to be their first speaker of the Fall. I’ve written a talk called “On Being a Writer,” which I hope will be of interest to the Club. Basically I’ll be talking about my own journey and what it means to be a writer. I’ve spoken to some writers’ clubs before and I really enjoy it because they tend to really understand the challenges in a way that civilians–non-writers–do not.

It will be fun to be back in Charlotte, where I spent a lot of time while getting my MFA at Queens University of Charlotte. That was the low residency program that I began in May of 2001 and finished in May of 2003. It seems a lifetime ago, but it was a great experience. I doubt that I would have published anything if I hadn’t gone back to school, and the program at Queens was perfect for what I needed.

Everywhere Stories: NOW SHIPPING — Enter to win a bundle of signed books!

I am very excited to learn that our anthology, Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet, is now shipping from the publisher. The book is a collection of 20 stories set in 20 countries by 20 authors. It’s really a terrific book.

As I say in the introduction:

Travel invigorates and enlightens, and so does reading. You don’t have to go to the Congo to gain an understanding of the challenges women face there. You don’t have to go to Costa Rica to learn about resentment toward fly-by evangelism. You don’t have to go to Iran to sample Persian culture and anguish. When it’s done right—as the stories in this anthology are—fiction can transport you and show you the essential details, the soul of a place. A fiction writer is like an archaeologist in that way, digging, brushing away what doesn’t belong and revealing what a casual observer—a tourist—might miss. Read the book. Explore the globe. But remember, it’s a dangerous world.

CONTEST: Many of the book’s contributors have published books of their own. The publisher of the anthology is gathering a bundle of some of those books, signed by their authors, and will hold a drawing on October 1, the official publication day, for a winner from among those who order the book from Press 53 during September. What a great prize this will be! So order now: Order Everywhere Stories from Press 53.