The Astral by Kate Christensen, Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee and Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
Three books — and only one really "summerish" title among them. Readers already know where I stand on 'Robopocalypse,' but I was fascinated to hear Alan Cheuse's take on the book. It had really never occurred to me, but then, I go back a long way with Wilson. I go back a long way with Kate Christensen as well, and damn it, wished she could have made it out here to talk about her latest, 'The Astral.' Let's just say she's back in 'The Epicure's Lament'-ish territory. And thanks to Mr. Cheuse's direction, I had my first experience reading Bharati Mukherjee. "May I help you?"
Smart remarks aside, these are three grand books good for all seasons. I took us through them alphabetically by the author's last name. Christensen is one of my favorite writers, and one of the best writers to take on a man's voice you can find. She really knows her rather contentious, unlikeable fellows, and Harry Quirk is a hoot. I managed not to mention that the photo I took of Kate when we spoke about 'The Epicure's Lament' at KUSP was used as the photo for the Italian translation of the novel.
Mukherjee's novel led us to the work of Susanna Moore, and then back to Mukherjee and her nuanced, careful portrait of what a 10,000 year-old civilization looks like in the 21st century. She has a great take on the India, and this novel is a smart, fast journey through a very alien world.
"I call it loving revisionism...because I still haven't lost my very high regard for him."
—John A. Farrell
It's probably lucky for John A. Farrell that he wasn't gallivanting about the country to promote his new book, 'Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned.' I can imagine that he'd have to set up some sort of portable database, so that he could deal with interviewers who hung on every detail, the sort who take hundreds of notes. It's a five hundred-plus page book. I could probably use up six stacks of stickies.
Fortunately for both of us, I was able to read the book for pure pleasure, and then, make exactly the use of my phone interview setup that I intended to so long ago when I bought it. I'm happy to find it still works well, especially when it gives me a chance to talk to a talented writer about a fascinating project.
Writers and readers seem to love books saving books from their childhood. I've got my 'Winnie the Pooh,' and Farrell told me about his childhood keepsake as well, which is perfectly in keeping with his latest work. We talked about the new papers that made his book possible and about his work as a writer and biographer — and a fan, as it were, of Darrow.
The process of putting together such a densely imagined and written book from such a huge variety of sources is precisely what fascinates me. Yes, this is an incredibly researched biography, but ultimately, it is also the work of a writer's imagination. You can hear the man behind the book by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
06-20-11:A 2011 Interview with Brooke Gladstone
Click image for audio link.
"I offer a view of where we may be going ... and it's fraught ... it's dangerous ... and it's thrilling."
—Brooke Gladstone
Brooke Gladstone in person is every bit as energetic and charming as she is on her radio show, NPR's "On the Media." If anything, she seemingly edits her enthusiasm a bit for NPR, because when we spoke at KQED studios, she was just extra charming. Of course, the fact that she puts Mr. Spock as one of the icons of her life (between Woodstock and the Marx Brothers) was a pretty strong indicator that I wasn't reading my own interest in the science fiction genre into her book. And as we spoke it became clear that she is indeed, a very well read student of science fiction.
Now, that said, I did try to keep the conversation within the confines of her wonderful book. That's not hard, because the book covers most of human history, most of human thought and most of civilization (in a pulse-pounding 170-page read), so there's a lot that's on-topic. But I will say this; as you hear this interview, it should be clear to listeners that observing communication has made Gladstone a superb communicator.
I tend not to write down any specific questions for the writers I interview, which does, on not-so-rare occasions, leave me afterwards thinking, "Why didn't I ask...?" This time around, I did manage to ask Gladstone about the genesis of this particular book, and what she told me was particularly interesting. 'The Influencing Machine' started out as a science fiction graphic novel about a reporter in the year 2042 for DC Comics. Once she told me that, we started talking about the science fiction genre, her favorite and I found myself on the spot.
I did ask Gladstone, who is so embedded and interested in the future if there was an electronic version of the book. Alas, we are not that far into the future yet, but here's a snippet to tantalize you:
05-16-12: Commentary : Mark Sundeen Pays Out 'The Man Who Quit Money' : Over the Edges
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2012 Interview with Mark Sundeen and Daniel Suelo : "What would happen if we actually practiced this stuff?"-Daniel Suelo
05-15-12: Commentary : Archive Review: Clive Barker 'Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War' : Impure Life
05-08-12: Commentary : Archive Review: Clive Barker 'Abarat' : Reading in Color
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2012 Phone Interview with Mark Sundeen : "...over the years, I had heard through my friends that he had stopped using money and was living in a cave..."
04-30-12: Commentary : Christopher Moore Follows 'Sacré Bleu' : A Story in Color
Agony Column Podcast News Report: A 2012 Interview with Christopher Moore : "...it often isn't efficient to tell a story in chronological order..."
04-27-12: Commentary : Lisa Lutz on 'Trail of the Spellmans' : Meta-Fiction is Fun
Agony Column Podcast News Report: SF in SF from February 11, 2012 : Panel Discussion Moderated by Terry Bisson and Interviews with Rudy Rucker, K. W. Jeter, and Jay Lake
04-26-12: Commentary : Archive Review: Emmanuel Carrere 'The Adversary' : The Enemy Within
04-23-12: Commentary : T. M. Luhrman Listens 'When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship With God' : Science and the Supernaturaly
04-18-12: Commentary : Gregg Jones Stirs Through 'Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dreams' : A Dream Of Today From Yesterday
Agony Column Podcast News Report: A 2012 Interview with Gregg Jones : "The Philippinos would welcome us with open arms and greet us as liberators."
04-17-12: Commentary : Archive Review: Caleb Carr 'The Alienist' : Subterranean History
04-16-12: Commentary : Richard Zacks Visits 'Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt's Doomed Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York' :The Wild, Wild East
Agony Column Podcast News Report: A 2012 Interview with Richard Zacks : "Roosevelt and Riis were out looking, and if they did find a cop, he was talking to a streetwalker."
