MILES FROM NOWHERE by Nami Mun

Nami Mun’s MILES FROM NOWHERE is a bold and gritty account of a young girl who leaves home at thirteen and experiences life on the streets, rape, addiction, and a series of horrific life events. She writes with no holds barred and her book reminded me in some ways of LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN by Hubert Selby, Jr. It’s has that succinct, in-your-face style of writing that is both riveting and painful at the same time.

December 8, 2009 · Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Contemporary, Debut Novel, New York City, Reading Guide

HAIKU by Andrew Vachss

Andrew Vachss has done it again. He has captured life on the streets – - the homeless, the addicted, the dispossessed, the mentally ill – and has made these disenfranchised people the true heroes of the world. Vachss’s vision is a unique one, with a theme that is pervasive throughout his books. He reframes miscreants into heros and shows real evil where one least expects to find it – - in the ordinary citizen parading as Mr. Good or Mr. Show-off. It is those that we turn away from or that we find invisible or repulsive that Mr. Vachss turns into the super-heroes or saviors of the day. He writes about a cultural underground that many of us have never been privy to, an underground that has its own codes of morality and rule of law, where cities exist in tunnels underneath slums and cultures form based on an unspoken law belonging only to the dispossessed. HAIKU, Vachss’s newest book fits nicely into his thematic repertoire.

November 3, 2009 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags:  Â· Posted in: Contemporary, New York City

THE CAVEMAN’S VALENTINE by George Dawes Green

Romulus Ledbetter of THE CAVEMANS VALENTINE is one of the most usual protagonists that I have met in a long while. And I found myself not only intrigued by his complex character but liking him very much. This is a fascinating murder mystery and a well written narrative…

August 19, 2009 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Mystery/Suspense, New York City, y Award Winning Author

LOWBOY by John Wray

The action in John Wray’s absolutely breathtaking novel, LOWBOY, all unfolds over the course of one single November day. Seventeen-year-old William Heller, a schizophrenic, escapes from his institution, goes off his meds and embarks on a mission to prevent global warming from totally annihilating the world.

July 26, 2009 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: 2009 Favorites, Contemporary, Literary, Unique Narrative, y Award Winning Author