The Glen Rock Book of the Dead - Softcover

Winik, Marion

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1582436347 ISBN 13: 9781582436340

Publisher: Counterpoint LLC, 2010

Synopsis

In her author’s note to the book, Marion Winik writes that in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, people build altars to their loved ones . . . they go to the cemetery and stay all night, praying, singing, drinking, wailing. They tell the sad stories and the noble ones; they eat cookies shaped like skeletons. They celebrate and mourn at once.”

Striking that balance, The Glen Rock Book of the Dead presents snapshot portraits of The Jeweler, The Driving Instructor, The Bad Influence and roughly fifty others who have touched Winik’s life in some way, from her son’s second-grade teacher to Keith Haring. Winik ties these portraits together with observations that strike chords of both loss and joy forming not only an autobiography but a story of our time.

Known for the honesty that made her debut memoir, First Comes Love, so riveting and powerful, Winik taps into the rich territory of her own life yet again to deliver a lyrical journey that ultimately raises the spirits.

About this title

Product Description:

Title: The Glen Rock Book of the Dead <>Binding: Paperback <>Author: MarionWinik <>Publisher: CounterpointLLC

Review:

"Much of literature is elegiac in nature. Much of Winik's propulsive, come-clean writing has been about coping with loss. So it makes sense that her newest essay collection comprises tributes to her dead. Glen Rock is the quiet place she lives; Spoon River Anthology was her template. Bold and funny, Winik is the queen of pithiness and punch, and the micro-lives she has created here are far more difficult to forge than their brevity and blithe tone might suggest. Each family member, friend, lover, or neighbor is identified by occupation, temperament, obsession, or curse, such as The Art Star, The Junkie, The Mah Jongg Player, The Bad Influence. And each portrait is a window onto some aspect of Winik’s life, one that has been pitted and torn by deaths accidental, suicidal, and simply tragic, including many due to AIDS. It is a fine and noble act to remember the dead as Winik has with candor, bemusement, and sorrow, and her gracefully crafted miniatures will inspire others to summon memories of their own lost ones." Donna Seaman, Booklist

"... Although she's known many people who died young, in sad or unsavory ways, the book is uplifting, funny and deep. This is partly because Winik resists the temptation to be overly reverent or poetic, though there are plenty of graceful passages. Her fascinating, tiny tributes tell the bare-assed truth about relationships while coming together to create a portrait of Winik's own imperfect, love-filled life." Marcia Menter, More

About this edition

• Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1582436347
• ISBN 13: 9781582436340
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128