From Library Journal
Doctorow ( Billy Bathgate ; Loon Lake ) declares that he prefers to write fiction over nonfiction, but he does the reader a great service by using "his own voice" in these 14 essays on literary, political, and historical topics. Highlights of the collection are an extraordinary essay on the subjectivity of fact as opposed to the visionary nature of fiction ("False Document"); a sort of deconstruction of the Constitution; and a speech dated 1989 that deals damningly with issues of the Reagan/Bush era. The latter may irritate some whose political beliefs are not in accord with those of the author, but Doctorow's eloquent articulation to a commencement audience of that administration's legacy is admirable. These essays are, without exception, well crafted, thought-provoking, and entertaining; highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/93.
- Janice Braun, Hoover Institution Lib., Stanford, Cal.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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