We just hate everybody." It shows.Verb /θraɪv/: to grow, develop, or be successfulĪrianna Huffington wants you to thrive. They even spell it out in the foreword: "Due to our strong personal convictions, we wish to stress that this book in no way endorses racism. No one-black, white, red, yellow or polka dot-is spared the wrath of the Ego Trippers, whose cynical sense of humor permeates every page. Far from complete (Oregon's facts are missing the murders of Mulugeta Seraw and Lloyd Stevenson), the list is an amazing collection of information stretching from the early days of the colonies to the early days of the 21st century. A whopping 292 pages of essays, lists and mad-minded ramblings, BBOR is something every American should read (especially the rose-colored-spectacle-wearing liberals who think things aren't really as bad as they are).Īmong BBOR's highlights are 190 Not-So-Fun Facts about the patchwork of racism that makes up the history of the United States. You can deny it all you want, in which case you would be a hypocrite or a complete moron.Īs a testimony/celebration/indictment of the legacy of hate that continues to thrive in God's favorite nation, the guys at the long-defunct Ego Trip magazine have compiled the amazing, wonderful and just plain shocking Big Book of Racism. America is still a cesspool of narrow-minded hatred, and no matter how many drum circles you attend or how many colored friends you personally have, this will always be a bigot's paradise. And the beautiful thing is that nothing-as in "no" and "thing"-has changed. (Carol Castro)Įgo trip's big book of racism by Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Chairman Jefferson Mao, Gabriel Alvarez and Brent Rollins (Regan Books, 292 pages, $22.95)Īmerica was founded on the principles of racism and the practice of genocide. Then again, he'd probably want it that way. Vincent's character goes through so many contortions that we never get to know him. The novel is truly a handbook, detailing how one might pull new personas out of thin air, but its plot is underdeveloped and confusing. He gets around this little problem by creating a new identity every time he fears one of his headaches will send him back to the hospital. Often labeled an attempted-suicide or substance-abuse case, Vincent learns that a second hospital visit equals long-term institutionalization or arrest. As an adult, he struggles with violent migraines that lead him to overdose on painkillers and invariably wake up in psychiatric hospitals. We learn that his polydactylism and natural disposition toward advanced mathematics landed him in special ed at an early age. The contortionist to which the title alludes, John Dolan Vincent, is the main character and narrator. The contortionist's handbook by Craig Clevenger (MacAdam-Cage Publishing, 199 pages, $23)Ĭraig Clevenger's debut novel displays his ability to construct elegant prose but also shows that he has skills yet to be honed-namely, the ability to breathe life into an engaging plot line. Pick up a copy of this tiny gem from one of the Northwest's most interesting small presses. Spinning tales that manage to be both brutally dark and poignantly innocent, Briggs reminds us of the quiet significance embedded in everyday events and of the comforting familiarity underlying the disquietingly strange.Īlthough some anecdotes are underdeveloped and flat, most are all the more provocative for their concise precision and unpretentious tone. These no-frills stories may be surprisingly short (each is only a few pages in length), but they certainly aren't lacking in breadth. In the title story, a woman promises her husband a perfect meal in exchange for helping with spring cleaning, but she burns the roast meanwhile, their 5-year-old daughter is missing. In Ida's Breakfast, we meet a man who comes home every morning to eat the breakfast his wife prepares-even though he lives across town in his rich mistress's loft. In the first story, "Rita," a couple entrusts a pet monkey to a friend while they are away for a funeral, returning home only to find that they now have one more funeral to attend.
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