Wolf in White Van

Reading is by its nature a private event. You get a book when you want, about what you want and think whatever you please as you work through it. This is not what I personally like best about the process but still, it has an appeal. Maybe some of our aversion to assigned reading back in school came as a result of this. Or I am still making excuses for not getting my homework done. My High School librarian once caught me reading books that were not from class and was kind enough, no wise enough, no, Cool enough to take me aside and share with me more works by the same author that were not available on the shelves. They were videos, but still, how great is that? Thanks go out to her. I should have never been quiet in the first place.

Wolf in White Van is going to be a hard book to talk about. I mentioned in my first post that I would discuss works I related to even if this was difficult to admit. Wolf is dark and visceral and saying you can see yourself in it is risky. But, the book hit me pretty hard and now I’ve got to sort it all out.

Sean is a young man who is horribly disfigured by a gun accident. While in the hospital he created a role playing game that he now conducts via mail correspondence with subscribing players. He rarely leaves the house and he interacts with very few people. We see the world through him.

The disfigurement is as present for the reader throughout most of the book as it is for Sean. The descriptions aren’t necessarily graphic but they are constant. Sean’s past surfaces slowly as the book moves from recent events back to more complicated times.

I’ll admit wanting to like this book. The descriptions sounded like something I’d be into. I heard it included critiques on modern culture, violence, all kinds of Natural Born Killers-type stuff I liked as a kid, and still do mostly now. And I did like it from the start but I could not point to a specific reason why. Sean’s life is slow, as you can imagine being primarily a shut in, and his observations are very dry, almost detached. We find him kind of settled in his mind or resigned I should say, though whether this is real or not we can’t judge, since we hear only from him.

This main character is not an anti-hero, or even a complete bad guy disguised as something noble. He is a whole new creature and though this is not what I valued most in the book, I imagine it is what the Author is being lauded for. Sean is complex and frightening, unsettling to say the least, and I never really knew if he was damaged or a psychopath from the start. There was numbness in his voice that I had not encountered before.

I picked up Wolf at the same time that I found the graphic novel Wizzywig, by Ed Piskor and read them fairly close to each other. The protagonist in the comic is similar to Wolf’s in that he suffers a great deal but can’t truly be called a hero or even a decent guy. Check that out too if you really want to take things too far. Come on, you know you do. Also, I believe Piskor is from Pittsburgh so back him up. Go Bucs! I’m digressing…(are ellipses okay? Parentheses? I’ll decide later).

I moved on through the story pretty much hooked but not sure how. I was expecting not so much a big reveal, which the story teases, but some piece I knew would be relevant to me. The narrator takes his time and his shattered pictures eventually start to come together.

Loneliness is hard to admit but isolation is terrifying. Sean is much more a victim of the latter. I would normally be thrilled to see the stay in your room daydreaming, music listening, fantasy character obsessed young person in literature but when his endgame is this guy’s, frankly I was chilled. I remember how serious things seemed back in those days. I love the conversation I had with a friend of mine a few years ago where we saluted the times in our youths spent alone in our rooms cranking tunes and watching movies. I look back on those Friday nights fondly now even though they may have sucked at the time. Those were the days, painful as they seemed, and I still love the same stuff.

Sean’s isolation never ends. The times, and they are few, when it comes anywhere close to ending are the book’s most heartbreaking. I will be going back to read more than a few of those. I also loved the parents, hell, all of the brief side characters. They are shadows for the most part. They exist in the corner of the narrator’s eyes but they still grow and become pin holes in the black sheet of his point of view. In fact there are a lot of narrow spaces to fall through in this book and I hope you find them all. In the end that has been the real hard part of writing about it, the potential expanse of the whole thing despite it's economic length, not the fact that I might have also done my time in the confinements of the archetypal teenage headspace.

John Darnielle is nominated for the National Book Award for Wolf. The awards are coming up soon so keep your eyes and ears open. I’m pulling for him. I’ll also have a lot more about the NBA’s in the future but in what form, I’m not sure yet. The Author was also a member of the band the Mountain Goats who I am not familiar with but I imagine if you are a fan of his music you would be freaking out over his novel. You think I can’t still recite Jim Morrison’s poetry? You know I can. Stop the tape, hit rewind. We got nothing but time sitting here in this room.

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

I have an idea that the best things in life break your heart the same time they make you smile. I hope you are lucky enough to have some friends you can tell stories like these with. If you talk to me long enough, you’ll know I am. When I find a book that gets this right, man, I can’t stop talking about it.

If you enjoy Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, it is not an easy book. The level of emotion is high. The most straightforward praise I could give this book when talking about it to a friend is that it seems like no sentence is wasted. Each one has a point and a place in the narrative. A lot of these entries are questions from the mind of the main character, Billy. When I saw questions on the page that I had myself, that most times I couldn’t really put into words, wow, this book really got me.

Billy is an Iraq vet who along with some of his fellow soldiers survived a brutal but ultimately victorious gunfight that was subsequently seen on the internet by most of America. Following the fight Billy and the other troops are sent across the Heartland on a “Victory Tour.” The book takes place on the last day of the trip where the boys are the guests of honor at Dallas Cowboys stadium. The catch is, they are on their way back to Iraq the next day.

The contradictions built by this scenario and the claustrophobic setting of a single day in the stadium are dizzying. I shook my head many times while reading, sometimes because I was impressed, others just to no let the stress of the whole thing get to me. But it’s Billy's thoughts, primarily questions, which act as anchors to the real heart of the book. He wonders openly about not so much the war but our culture and people’s behavior right on up to spirituality and life itself. The story flashes out a few times to his home life and his backstory. I read one of these chapters at a diner early in the morning, already nervous for a job interview, and found myself choking up as I put the book down and walked outside. I’m not kidding, I was stunned that it happened. I was not trying.

Talking honestly to someone who has served their country is hard. They’ve done something you likely have not and probably never will so anything you say falls short. When I’ve tried I’ve felt like a fool. This feeling might have contributed to the weight I felt in this book. Billy’s conversations with civilians are detailed, never sarcastically presented and often humorous. They feel authentic enough that I can’t imagine the author finding sources for them anywhere but in real life.

Parts of the book are hilarious, to me anyway, and some are depressing. Billy’s life exists on the edge of these two forces and he walks through the middle trying to make sense of it all. The pull between the opposites is what really drives the book.

Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders play a role, as do living Pop Culture figures and yes, a Jerry Jones character, too. The timeliness of the story is really amazing. I’m not sure if I would suggest it to people who have served since really, I don’t want to assume anything about their experience. In the end the book is equally about our lives inside American Culture as it is Billy’s in the Army.

This is not to say Billy is sitting on the edge of a mountain in silent contemplation. He and his fellow soldiers are rushed through one strange scene after another and there is plenty of mayhem. I should hold back a bit, but there is even romance. Sort of. And a little bit of Hollywood, too.

Billy Lynn is Author Ben Fountain’s first novel after a collection of short stories. He started writing in his early thirties, quit a successful career in law and counted on the support of a loving wife until his efforts found some level of success. If that’s what it takes to get us to a book like this, thanks to both of them.

I’ve told friends that I am going to read this book again immediately. That is definitely not something I have done in the past. I feel like I need to in order to really get how I feel about it in line. If you the book is on your list then I’ll just slap you on the back, wish you luck and hope that’s enough.

How To Find Books

There’s a guy I’ve known for most of my life I refer to as my Music Guy. No matter how bored I am with the tunes in my head I can ask him what to listen to next and he’s got something for me. His favorite advice is, “If you can’t go new, go old.” I love that.

The best books find you at the right time. I believe this and I’m definitely not the first guy to say it. The process is, let’s not say magical because that’s weak, how about psychedelic? Yes, that’s better. But sometimes you get in a rut and the next step isn’t clear. So here are some techniques that have worked for me. Maybe this list can be your Music Guy.

Your Writer’s Writers.
Everyone has influences. Most modern, I mean living authors, get interviewed pretty regularly and they are always asked who they read on their way. This is the standard interview question. When you check up on some of the names they mention and find your next great book then wow, you’ve really got something. Don’t stick to the current guys either. I’ve found that no matter how far back in the day a writer was alive, someone came before him. Keep digging. Charles Bukowski was obsessed with a guy named John Fante. He visited him on his deathbed. I would not have found Fante without Hank. Pay homage, find something great.

Stop Watching Porn.
Gotcha. I mean use the internet. I’m sure there are endless resources here so I’ll just name the ones that have given me solid finds.

For modern, brand new fiction our culture’s obsession with listing isn’t such a bad thing. Plenty of online resources will tweet the current month’s top reads or next season’s big releases. I really like Flavorwire’s twitter feed for this. They have some old school lists on there, too.

I love most things about New York magazine and they do have a Book page but the trusty “Approval Matrix” feature regularly has some good literary items in the top right corner. And it helps when you are studying up to be a better New York Dick.

The idea might overlap with the suggestion up top but some writers Tweet a lot and talk about or with other authors they like. Actually, following your favorite writers this way unconditionally can break your heart as well so be careful. But trust me on Bret Easton Ellis. What could be more Bro? His works are polarizing sometimes but his book suggestions are anything but. I’m serious, it’s uncanny, everything this guy suggests has been solid. And it’s not just new stuff, there are classics in there too.

Get Your Lighters Up
A writer I had not heard of sort of “opened” for one I had at a reading in Central Park once. He really was into the rock thing and asked the crowd to hold their phones up to seem like we were at a concert back in his day, and mine, when the lighter salute was standard. I liked the move. Plus I had never heard of him before. I know it’s not easy to go see readings all the time but if you are unfamiliar with someone or if there are a few folks on the bill, check it out with an open mind. I’ve gone to KGB bar in the East Village for their writer features but I am sure there are tons more.

Walk the Stacks
The best way. I love the library. There is no better place in the world where my Dad isn’t screaming at the television. The public library can reserve books for you and it’s rare when they don’t have or can’t find something you want if you are willing to be patient. But going in cold and blank is okay too. Walking along the rows of books can really tell you what your true tastes are. Judge a book by its cover, go for it, that’s why it’s there. The sort of zen state I hope you fall into while passing all those books can help dig up some name or title you have in your head but may have forgotten. I think this is what happened to me when I found my favorite author of all time. Or maybe it wasn’t the case, and I had never heard of him before and the title was purely delivered to my brain by voices from beyond. What could be better than that?

So what works for you? In New York we can leave our books out near the garbage when they are too heavy to move and let them pass on to their next deserving owner. Half Price Books in Pittsburgh rocks. Let me know what you’ve got.

A Naked Singularity

As a reader you probably find yourself telling a close friend you definitely have the next book for them. I’ve found that the best friends in times like these are the folks that love half of what you do and question the rest. Conflict, right? At least this way you get outside of your habits. My longest standing “book friend,” and lucky for me real life friend, and I share this dynamic.

“A Naked Singularity” by Sergio De La Pava is the title I’ve been telling everyone about for a couple of years now. I found this book on the Employee Suggestion rack at my somewhat local Barnes and Noble. I picked it up, put it down, walked around and came back. I’m not sure how many times I did this, it was a few, but the insane looking cover and the comments on the back drew me in. There were suggestions that this was a mix of the Wire and works by Thomas Pynchon. I was looking for something heavy and admittedly high-brow and so they had me.

This was a great and rare situation where I truly did not know what to expect. I did a quick page count which I think a lot of us may do and found the total well over the average. I waited a couple of weeks to start and finally found myself in a Texas airport digging in.

The first almost hundred pages were tough. I will not say they will be tough for you, this is just me. I actually sent a text to a friend that said something like uh oh stuck in some hipster nonsense. I am thrilled now to be so wrong. I’m just saying it’s a big book, give it some time in case you are weary right away.

By the time the book was moving along I saw the protagonist Casi in some kind of broken but familiar light. He’s a young guy and he’s gifted with a lot, a career and family, but he’s frustrated. Frankly, he’s going a little nuts. I was in.

Once I found Casi the shifts the book makes and its serious density could settle. There are literally pages of non stop dialogue that I’ve described to friends as similar to Aaron Sorkin written shows, though I wish I had a better comparison. The descriptions of courtroom activity are also thorough and lengthy. Casi is a guy who thinks a lot and each of the many different approaches of the story reflect this. Well that’s fine. I like thinking. I love to think. I think about thinking. I could get lost in all of this wonderful detail.

Then, as I was hoping and was promised by the book jacket, the story came along as well. I can’t and will never be able to say enough about how I believe the best works, and there are so few they are really treasures, walk the line between philosophy and flat out action. I’m not saying Singularity nailed it, but it is definitely the most modern example at an attempt to do so. I’d be happy to say this is a novel of at least the times, if not a generation.

Oh, so what happens? Right. Well Casi is a lawyer and he’s struggling and questioning most of what he sees. Crime circles both his personal and work life more rapidly until well, they can’t get any closer. I’m not telling any more. There are New York centered pieces of the book that I feel are accurate and underrepresented in popular culture. Casi’s interactions with people are transparent to real life. There are serious pages given to a side history of boxing that I absolutely loved. Thinking, thinking, oh to analyze. This was divine indulgence for any restless brain.

My friend who relented and finally took my suggestion thought the book was hilarious. He loved it. I liked the serious parts, he repeated the funny ones. We discussed interviews with the author. I found De La Pava’s story and his opinions on par with his work and almost equally fascinating. He’s won some awards and I was definitely rooting for him.

Most of the time suggestions from our friends just get added to the book list. If A Naked Singularity is on yours, I say go for it. If you are lucky enough to have someone to talk about it with, even better. But it is a massive and potentially introspective book so don’t be too worried if your friends take some coaxing to get on board. If you decide to take it on yourself, just like Casi, you can’t lose.

And Here...We...Go

Welcome to the Renaissance Bro. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you stick around for a while and find some great things to read that you might have otherwise not heard of.

I started this blog because I believe, just like friends and family, characters and stories you relate to are the things that make life exciting and worthwhile. For me, there is always a place for stories of conflict, introspection and the passages our lives go through. I love to read like I’m sure you do and this means all kinds of things from new fiction to classics, comedies to drama and everything else. But this site will be reserved for the kind of works I see a bit of myself or my life in, even if this is scary or hard to admit sometimes.

So yes, there will be “Bro” stuff in here. But like the title that I stole from my Cousin suggests, these choices will have heart, breadth and depth and hopefully something for everyone. Each of them has given that amazing sense that the author was speaking straight to me. You know that feeling, right? Well that’s what we are going for here. I’m sure no matter what your tastes are there is at least one surprise inside for you. Please explore and enjoy.