hobbysoftc712

While the po-mo "it's-all-fiction" elements of this book rubbed me the wrong way (no pun intended), I enjoyed many of the contributions in this anthology. The essays/memoirs/short stories from Bernard Cooper, Junot Diaz, Marcia Douglas, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Lynda Shor are particularly strong. Julia Frey's essay-in-footnotes on her late husband's short story, inspired by a vacation in Bali, is fascinating. The short story itself is tiresome. Hey, rich gringos, you don't need to tell us that it's hot near the equator. You don't need to be surprised that cross-cultural complexities are lost on you. If this is all you get out of your carbon-burning trip to Bali, do us all a favor and stay home. If you can't bring yourself to stay home, please, keep the non-revelations to yourself. As for the overall premise of THE ART OF FRICTION: Yes, I agree that we all live different truths, but NO, not all nonfictions are created equal. Research is research and reporting is reporting. If you don't want to do it, then don't, but please, don't assume/assert those who do are somehow self-deluded. In the end, I agree with my teacher / colleague Mark Kramer, who likes to say, "Do whatever you want, just make sure your reader knows what you are doing."

2022-09-11 20:05