Edited By Lee Gutkind In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction is a triumphant statement about Lee Gutkind's original goals in 1993 for Creative Nonfiction, the journal. This collection of essays shows the depth explored in the journal in its first 11 years, and could also be considered a history of the genre's current incarnation. Beginning with Annie Dillard's introduction, a collection of pearls of wisdom for young writers, In Fact takes readers on a sometimes-jolting ride through the creation and development of both the journal and the emerging genre. These essays explore the issue of exclusion from society, either because of one's personal actions ("Shunned" - Meredith Hall) the color of one's skin ("Looking at Emmett Till" - John Edgar Wideman), and the state of one's mind ("Three Spheres" - Lauren Slater, "Gray Area: Thinking with a Damaged Brain" - Floyd Skoot). The environment takes center stage in essays about endangered species and hunting ("Prayer Dogs" - Terry Tempest Williams, "Killing Wolves" - Sherry Simpson), and scientific matters are explored with a personal twist ("Adventures in Celestial Navigation" - Philip Gerard, "Chimera" - Gerald N. Callahan). Families are typically considered the cornerstone of society, and their dynamics and histories are explored here as well ("An Album Quilt" - John McPhee, "Dinner at Uncle Boris's" - Charles Simic, "Being Brians" - Brian Doyle, "Leaving Babylon: A Walk Through the Jewish Divorce Ceremony" - Judyth Har-Even, "Joe Stopped By" - Andrei Codrescu, "In the Woods" - Leslie Rubinkowski, "Mixed-Blood Stew" - Jewell Parker Rhodes, "Why I Ride" - Jana Richman, "Delivering Lily" - Phillip Lopate). Showing Gutkind's contention that creative nonfiction is related to journalism, at least in the goal of reportage, social issues often found in the news, and accounts related to former "front-page" material are represented as well ("The Brown Study" - Richard Rodriguez, "Finders Keepers: The Story of Joey Coyle" - Mark Bowden, "Notes from a Difficult Case" - Ruthann Robson, "Sa'm Pèdi" - Madison Smartt Bell, "Going Native" - Francine Prose). Finally, literature, and the writing process are explored ("Language at Play" - Diane Ackerman). These terse classifications would suffice for general indices of these works, but they each have their own depth beyond the general subjects they explore. James Wolcott's theory (mentioned in Gutkind's Introduction) about the nature of creative nonfiction being too personal is decidedly false; these works offer much more than overly personal prose. Wolcott's declaration that Gutkind is "the Godfather behind creative nonfiction" is perhaps his only accurate comment made on the subject. In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction is an excellent cross-section of both the journal and the genre. It is a necessary volume for any writer, and for any reader who enjoys real stories. |
By Diana Hume George The Lonely Other is a testament to the universal struggle of women for enlightenment and understanding, written by a self-described clay-footed goddess. Diana Hume George has added yet another volume to the ever growing list of titles which show the best of the beleaguered genre of Creative Nonfiction. It lends more credence to the assertion that the form must be acknowledged as a legitimate art. Critics may try to claim that George's work is merely another for the pile of navel-gazing self-exploration prose, but the underlying lessons of these essays cannot be denied. They speak to the minds and spirits of women, offering a starting point for their own journeys of self-awareness. "Many people see me as a rock, and I'm often not permitted cracks or fissures by those who depend on me… This issue has plagued my relationships for years, and it is only in the past several that I've begun to insist that my intimates not expect me to be their rock." This is an every woman line, showing the societal perception that women should have a purely paradoxical existence, half soft and needy, half hard and strong; the perception being a universal demon of femininity. George faces her demons head on, leaving them splayed and bleeding on the pages, showing anyone who reads her words that in spite of human flaws, it is possible to make progress in this work called life. This self-exploration starting guide is interwoven with breath-taking descriptions of the American wilderness locales George has spent the better part of her life experiencing, leaving readers with the inspiration to test their own limits, take their own journeys. From the southwest to the west coast, to the mountains of New England, George's intrepid spirit has driven her to wander. Broken into sections, Wounded Chevy at Wounded Knee, Road Notes, and Blowing in the Wind cover many of her excursions, truthfully with mishaps included. Losing navigational skills along the way, dealing with car dealerships to get a vehicle repaired, and literally taking flight on a cliff side only to land hard on rocks are the reality checks of the work, showing the bad with the good. Each story has the potential to awaken a desire to visit those destinations, from Yosemite to Yellowstone to Bond Cliff and beyond, not in the tourist nature, but as both internal and external explorer. Words You Have Heard, in a Language You Might Know covers George's feminist territory, joyously, contemplatively, and horrifically. From her family's participation in a Pro-Choice march in Washington, to visiting Anne Sexton's childhood island, to a harrowing night in the woods with friends, the experiences retold open doors to possibilities, offering an open invitation to the reader to break silence. George does not hide behind illusions; her true inner-thoughts and feelings flow onto the page, fearlessly showing her perceived shortcomings side by side with her greatest accomplishments. The Lonely Other is a gift of honesty, a book that every woman who feels lost or confused should open and explore. George, humility and ego battles included, offers her own paradoxical views and perceptions, and shows her readers that not only is this normal, but it is something to be celebrated. This is a must read for anyone who is set on facing their own inner-demons head on, and for any woman who has ever questioned her own thoughts or feelings for any reason. |