American Cassandra: The Life of Dorothy Thomspson (1990)
Peter Kurth
In her heyday,
during the depths of the Depression, ''the First Lady of American
Journalism'' was one of the most famous women in the country. A
reporter of legendary verve, she served as the model for the
Katharine Hepburn character in the 1942 film Woman of the Year. And
as Peter Kurth suggests, her private life offers a fascinating mirror
for the sexual politics of her times. B
Rough Justice: Days and Nights of a Young D.A. (1990)
David Heilbroner
A readable, colorful account of the author's
years as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. Heilbroner is
no bleeding heart; he's turned on by the city's mean streets — the
rappy lingo, the hookers' flash, the strange rituals of the drug
dens. Like his fellow rookies in the prosecutor's office, he has
rejected the kingdom of corporate law, and his rebel spirit enlivens
even the grimmest of proceedings. A
Tender (1990)
Mark Childress
Childress (A World Made
of Fire, V for Victor) offers a saggy saga, the tale of Leroy Kirby,
an Elvis-like pop singer, and his odyssey through the American fame
game. The characters are, for the most part, unburdened by
complications, and the plot is the usual sugary myth about sudden
success. Things perk up a bit when Leroy hits the wicked music biz,
but all in all, this hymn needs some jazz. C-
Breaking Gentle (1988)
Beverly Lowry
Imagine
Virginia Woolf writing out of Austin, Tex., but using shorter
sentences. That's Beverly Lowry — sort of. Like Woolf's novels,
Breaking Gentle is a tapestry of moments, subtleties, and exquisite
detail. Nothing much happens to the Caldwell family during the span
of days described here, but somehow everything changes. It's hard to
do justice to this perceptive writer or the extraordinary humanity
she brings to her characters. Do not miss this one. A
The Four Winds: A Shaman's Odyssey Into the Amazon (1990)
Alberto
Villoldo and Erik Jendresen
Psychology grad student Villoldo and companion Jendresen journey to
Peru to ''experience the effects of a legendary potion.'' Skip the
travelogue and head for the out-of-body experiences. Before you can
say ''white rabbit,'' the author is visualizing power animals and
having his forehead cut open with a knife. In this world,
enlightenment is about as hard to attain as a cheeseburger. B
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.