Summer Guide 2011
Feed your head
Detroiter lit-lovers share their summer reads
Published: June 15, 2011
I am looking forward to reading David Mamet's The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture this summer. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter and director David Mamet re-examines his worldview in light of an epiphany he had while listening to the radio and driving in his car with his wife. According to his now-famous (or infamous, depending on your political stripes) and potentially career-ending essay in the Village Voice, "Why I Am No Longer a Brain-Dead Liberal": "We were riding along and listening to NPR. I felt my facial muscles tightening, and the words beginning to form in my mind: Shut the fuck up." Based on excerpts that I have read, this is neither a knee-jerk outburst of "get off my lawn" grumpiness, nor an "America: love it or leave it" diatribe. The author presents a brave and thoughtful autobiography of political and philosophical transformation. I'll be curious to see what kind of reviews this "turncoat" receives for any upcoming plays or films he pens or directs. Unfortunately, I think I already know. —Dan DeMaggio, spoken word performer and past MT contributor
My summer reading list includes Dreams of Joy by Lisa See, because Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Shanghai Girls, two of Lee's previous works, were enthralling and wonderful, well-told novels about female friendships, a perfect thing to lounge on the beach of Lake Huron with. Dreams of Joy is a sequel to Shanghai Girls, taking the reader back to the Chinatown of Los Angeles in the late 1950s. I also want to read Swimming in the Steno Pool: A Retro Guide to Making it in the Office by Lynn Peril. As a former temp worker, I'm curious about the history and rise the profession of secretary. Told from a feminist viewpoint, the book traces the evolution of secretaries from after the Civil War to the present day. Peril also considers the parallels between women's place in the office as well as society as a whole. A little heavier than your average beach reading, but looks to be well worth it. Finally, I want to read Insider Histories of the Vietnam Era Underground Press, Part 1 by Ken Wachsberger (Michigan State U. Press). I'm hoping this one will compliment Smoking Typewriters by John McMillan. Not a history, but a collection of essays from that time period, I'm interested to see if anything from the Fifth Estate made the cut. Biographies set the essays in context, and the book includes pieces from Native Americans and gay writers. It looks to be a worthwhile read. (And it should tide me over until Wayne State Press releases its fall catalog. I'm waiting for Richard Bak's Detroitland.) —Evelyn Aschenbrenner
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