David Shields

I had to figure out which book I owned had an "ugly" cover for the Bingo card. I ended up diving into The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead by David Shields, which has been sitting on the Kindle for a very long time. I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle it as my own parents are about the age of Shields' father. He figures largely in this odd memoir that combines details about how we are born, age and die with memories of his curmudgeonly dad. In the end, I enjoyed it although parts could be depressing if you dwell too much on the inevitable end of us all. The message I took was to do as much as you can as long as you can but try not, as many of us do, deny that inevitably. Shields comments at one point that humans often face the deaths of others but somehow believe they will not die. Interesting paradox.… (mere)

What an interesting book! Salinger was not at all the man I imagined he would be. The approach of the two authors makes this a highly interesting, engaging and sometimes quite intense read. I would have given it 4 stats except that: 1) they did not describe their unique approach in the introduction (it's essentially paragraph quotes from all of their many sources, including themselves); 2) some of the quotes were repeated at length; and 3) there was hardly any analysis of Salinger's writing woven into the biogrqphy. Still, I would recommend it.… (mere)

While I find the idea and the conceit of Reality Hunger interesting, it failed to deliver on its promise. It is far too shallow and spends too much time expounding on the idea that all true art is built upon the work that came before . Anyone who would be a candidate to read this book would know that already. The second half is more compelling, but ultimately, I'm not convinced that Fiction is dead and that we crave reality. The discussions about the areas where fiction and non-fiction collide (collage, the lyrical essay, and memoir) was interesting, and I agree that these are currently the areas where a lot of the innovation is happening. But in the end, I don't think Shields made the case for the end of fiction.… (mere)