Allison (Bastard Out of Carolina, 1992, etc.) has assembled a nourishing compilation of articles and essays about being ``queer in a world that hates queers...poor [in] a world that despises the poor'' and a passionate writer and lover of literature. Written during the past 11 years, the two dozen pieces cover territory that has become central to Allison's writing: the ``deep and messy waters of class and sexual desire,'' prejudice, family, strong women, childhood sexual and emotional abuse, loss, love, betrayal, self-hatred, and self-definition. Taken as a whole, they offer instructive accounts of her various journeys to personal, political, and literary awareness. All the writings are punctuated by the author's signature blend of ruthless candor, rueful wit, and unfailing wisdom. The collection's new material (some of its best) focuses on how books helped her survive and escape poverty and hopelessness and ultimately reinvent her life. Strong chapters include Allison's tribute to her mentor, Bertha Harris; a ``personal history of lesbian porn''; a discussion of her science fiction fandom; and her impassioned speech at a gay and lesbian writers' conference in which she declares, ``I want to be able to write so powerfully I can break the heart of the world and heal it...remake it.'' If her earlier book Trash was the record of her rage, and Bastard the chronicle of her childhood, this is a document of her adult life—not the story of a tormented child or ``trashy lesbian'' bad girl so much as the mature musings of a wise woman. Much of this will be nothing new to readers of Allison's earlier books, and much has been printed before in the New York Native and elsewhere. But Skin is nonetheless a valuable record of a remarkable life and a testament to the struggles, triumphs, and growth of one bold and inspiring woman.
Pub Date: July 18, 1994
ISBN: 1-56341-045-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
IN THE NEWS
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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