Comments for On the Curve

Comment on Oh no, a meme! by Sara

Sara — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:33:55 +0000

I don’t think you’re much of a “true crime” reader, and it might not qualify as creative, but this one might appeal to you as a former psych major: Columbine by Dave Cullen. It’s an extraordinary work of journalism. The two shooters left behind journals, video diaries, juvenile records, school essays, so you do get more than a glimpse of what was going on in their heads.

Cullen also describes the prom weekend in almost as much detail as the unfolding of the crime. It’s chilling to realize through this juxtaposition that the prom (and similar teenage concerns) and their plan for a violent crime were almost equally important to the boys.

I always thought one of the Columbine shooters resembled a boy in my class who shot a couple of people just before ninth grade, and this book seems to confirm my suspicions. The other Columbine boy’s evolution as a sociopath is gutwrenchingly conveyed. What could a community do when a teenage boy is so sick and so destructive?

Comment on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Aths

Aths — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:00:21 +0000

I had heard a lot of good reviews about this book, but I had barely an idea about what this book really deals with. Love your review. Francie sounds like an admirable character. There does seem to be a lot of sound lessons in this book. I need to bump this one up on my TBR.

Comment on More ammo for my vendetta against Consumer Reports by Julie Hathaway

Julie Hathaway — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:53:49 +0000

Archie, that is a bummer. But for me, if I had read that article, then what? I would say oh, great, I want Cetaphil. And then I would have to go find it. I would either have to call around to Kroger and Target and CVS to see if they have it — itself a frustrating process with the “press 2 now” & the waiting on hold — or drive around from store to store looking. Is the extra time, frustration, and mileage worth what you save on one lousy tube of cream? Especially knowing that all moisturizers work the same?

Comment on Oh no, a meme! by Julie Hathaway

Julie Hathaway — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:41:12 +0000

Duly noted, Sara. Thanks! #29 does not apply to you. But you already knew that, right?

Comment on Oh no, a meme! by Sara

Sara — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:35:02 +0000

I don’t want to violate your #29 stumbling preference, but I have a recommendation that should fit your #12 creative non-fiction expanded comfort zone: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, by Kate Summerscale. A true crime in a Victorian mansion, with a generous dose of 19th Century society and “science” (if you consider the earliest police detectives to be like cameras, as the Victorians saw them). I really loved this one, but I will understand completely if it doesn’t float your boat.

To my own TBR pile, I’ve just added The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. It looks as if it might be good creative nonfiction. Topic: unethical medical testing on African Americans.