I've been meaning to post for weeks on a couple of books I've read recently. I've been inspired by NPR interviews and a realization that while well-read, I've never received much of an education in American literature. My selections have been somewhat random, but I've learned some interesting truths....

The first book I want to recommend is The Gay Talese Reader, surprisingly, by none other than Gay Talese. I don't usually read non-fiction, but I was inspired to check out this book after listening to an NPR interview of the author. It is a collection of non-fiction short stories, most of which were inappropriate for publishing at the time of their writing. I enjoyed his portraits of semi-tragic real-life figures, such as an obituary writer and the of cats that populate New York City. Talese likes people the world doesn't notice or has all but forgotten. While paying attention to the historically insignificant, he also portrays Sinatra, Castro and Mohammed Ali. There are few classic question and answer segments, rather he observes the way the stars interact with their friends and with the public, letting the reader see what kind of person they really are and he write almost as if it were fiction. My favorite pieces, however, were the ones biographical in nature. When writing about his father in Italy or his own precocious childhood, the words seem much more vivid and I found myself unusually curious about this man. I think his writing made me wonder what kind of background fostered his style and interest. For not only a tutorial in 20th century American figures and literary style, I suggest this collection.

The other book I've recently read is The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton. In the first novel by a woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, I was almost shocked to find the protagonist a man. I wonder if the choice of a male made the book more credible. There are so many books out there of women torn between two men that the theme is cliche. Women are expected to be indecisive but ultimately make the "right" decision in the way of Newland Archer. That said, I did like the book. As a West Coaster, I don't know a lot about East Coast culture and history beyond the colonial period and that they are uptight snobs. No offensive intended, but that's just how it is. The transition from old to modern New York was a new idea for me. It's odd for a West Coaster to think of American aristocracy. Sure, it's out here, but it's not so much in that era. Back to the book. I would have liked to see more character development outside of Newland and the Countess. I found the matriarchal Mingott family facinating; their clan warrants a book of its own. They certainly offset the male lead, though I'd like to know how common such a family was. While in no way free from the expected upbrining of a woman to become a wife and mother, they had a great deal of power over their communities. There's too much going on in that book for this forum, but I think it's worth the read. Cheers!