Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of A Man Without a Country Review of Gail's Place Review of Three 1-Act Plays Review of Yesterday's A Dream Crossword (Solution Posted in May. Printable version in pdf format of journal.) Jan/Feb Crossword Solution Creative Nonfiction Imagining Nora By Lisa Norris Loving the Fat Girl By Christina Fisanick Nate's Fish and Poultry Shop By G. David Schwartz The Folly of Valentine's Day By Andy Martello Poetry Hawk King By Wanda D. Campbell After the Rain By Wanda D. Campbell You Cannot Fold the Flood. By Mariela Perez-Simons And Darkness Fell By Beth L. Block Demise of a Family Resort By Carolyn Howard-Johnson The Asparagus Cutters By Joe Wilkins Fiction Voices By Ed Boyd Little White Sambo By Brett Alan Sanders Dies Irae By Timothy Reilly Follow By Dawn Paul Crumbs By Kim Tremblett Cover Art Photography by Seth Brown About the Contributors © 2006, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Bill Mausteller Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Sen. Fiction Editor - Patti Kurtz Sen. Poetry Editor - Neeldhara Misra Sen. Creative Nonfiction Editor - Brenda Coxe Contributing Editor - Robert Dittman Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/submission.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/volunteer.html. |
Review of A Man Without a Country By Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, in A Man Without A Country, presents us with a bitingly humorous analysis of life, love, politics, and art. Well worth the wait of nearly a decade, this collection of essays is a literate view of the world today. Vonnegut’s socialist tendencies show through, as he comments on the state of the world today. Commentary on the plight of the common man – and more importantly on common men who made uncommon achievements in life – is a common theme. Those who had been influenced by the anti-socialist propaganda of the cold war years will find a new view of the old theories in Vonnegut’s explanation of the relationship between socialism and religion. Another oft repeated statement is the problem with fossil fuel. Can I tell you the truth? I mean this isn’t the TV news is it? Here’s what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial. And like so many addicts about to face cold turkey, our leaders are now committing violent crimes to get what little is left of what we’re hooked on…[Vietnam]That war only made billionaires out of millionaires. Today’s war is making trillionaires out of billionaires. Now I call that progress…I know of very few people who are dreaming of a world for their grandchildren. The previous excerpts are just a small taste of Vonnegut’s commentary on the current administration and war – and based on the amount of time devoted to these issues, a large portion of the inspiration for the book’s title. As a man who wants to see a world full of people who are primarily concerned with the well being of each other, Vonnegut’s assertion that he has no country is unfortunately true. As for the way the world views the US, the author has probably nailed the world’s attitude about us with the following comment: “Foreigners love us for our jazz. And they don’t hate us for our purported liberty and justice for all. They hate us for our arrogance.” If assuming that the world is out to destroy us isn’t arrogant, then it is pure paranoia – arrogance is the lesser of those two evils. A Man Without A Country is a needed addition to the annals of American Literature, and readers will appreciate Vonnegut’s candor about this deception-riddled world. Well worth the wait, this book is needed to complete any collection of literature in America. |