February 19 - "Deb Olin Unferth"

“Deb Olin Unferth”
by Deb Olin Unferth
Minor Robberies (2007)

* * * * * (Excellent) Memoir

No one – or very few people – thinks Deb Olin Unferth is a f*ckup.

This hardly counts as a story. It reads more like a list, but it is written with an attention to sentence rhythm and flow. What makes me smile is the repeated and hilarious use of the word, “f*ckup.” I just may be that juvenile, but in the end, the story does carry meaning, has a purpose. When it comes down to it, as hated or loved or ignored or praised as a person may be, when you consider the world, or even the country, state, or city in which you live, other’s thoughts about of you are but a drop in the sea.

[I struggled over the decision to edit this post due to the language. "The Word" in question is a prominent and important part of the story, and I personally have no qualms about its use. However, this is a public blog that could be accessed by anyone, and consideration and compromise is part of public life. In the end, I'm okay with my decision - even thought I felt the need to justify it - and I won't mention it again.]

January 29 - "Maps and Legends"

“Maps and Legends”
by Michael Chabon
Maps and Legends (2008)

* * * * (Great) Memoir

The birth of a supposed utopian suburban society can be a magical thing to a young child. Armed with a map of the proposed city of Columbia, Maryland, in the late 1960’s, Chabon recalls exploring the developing community designed around high promise and whimsical ambition.

I am a suburban boy, through and through. I can see the appeal of moving to a city in its infancy, watching as buildings and lives and the eventual community, expand and prosper. I enjoy reading Chabon for both his thoughts and his prose. His lengthy sentences are well constructed and are enjoyable to read, and reread. There’s a real balance to his sentences that appeals to my persnickety nature.

“The City was a discredited idea in those days, burnt and poisoned and abandoned to rot, but James Rouse felt strongly that it could be reimagined, rebuilt, renewed.”

Here is an example of some great imagery juxtaposed with the thesis of the essay.

“Our neighborhood of Longfellow was relatively complete, with fresh-rolled sod lawns and spindly little foal-legged trees, but just beyond its edges my friend and I could ride our bikes clear off the edge of the Known World, into that unexplored blank of bulldozed clay and ribboned stakes where, one day, houses and lives would blossom.”

It all works together to offer an exciting glimpse into the early life of both author and community.