tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50147943458515476072024-03-16T14:50:06.817-04:00ThrillWritingHelping Writers Write It Right from USA Today Bestselling Author Fiona Quinn, and Elias McClellanFiona Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09446624235636372505noreply@blogger.comBlogger499125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-22505949707828359842024-03-12T08:32:00.003-04:002024-03-12T08:32:16.827-04:00Jennifer Worrell's Edge of Sundown—my Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUfEK48CckgNcsbBIBXMOFGKpBKDDkscApFiGi6i0hrUxw_LmehPy_UaRS2I3n83D-z6l9SLCABovLCnELculfIuzPKKiECUb3KA7_Mt0occvppSxn55OFCqRI1WzL0Gs08qv574iySg2tFrJZZrH8yF6180fABm0Y-fR1nyQHL2efQkZLa5NKFPFYtq0/s689/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%207.30.05%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUfEK48CckgNcsbBIBXMOFGKpBKDDkscApFiGi6i0hrUxw_LmehPy_UaRS2I3n83D-z6l9SLCABovLCnELculfIuzPKKiECUb3KA7_Mt0occvppSxn55OFCqRI1WzL0Gs08qv574iySg2tFrJZZrH8yF6180fABm0Y-fR1nyQHL2efQkZLa5NKFPFYtq0/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-12%20at%207.30.05%20AM.png" width="201" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"> <em>Edge of Sundown,</em> is the rare book that takes all of your expectations and turns them on their hypothetical ear. What is supposed to be a simple who-done-it, does what genre does best—it makes you think beyond the pages. Jennifer Worrell does all of this through an engaging plot and compelling characters.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Val Haverford, seems another down-on-his-creative-luck writer, world-weary and a little entitled. But it’s not vanity that drives Val as much as the past. Haunted by an abusive childhood, a tragic death, and a lifetime of burnt bridges, Val is seeking redemption. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Betrayed by his health and a faltering imagination, Val has carved out a book radically different from the sun-seared-west-and-celestial-vistas that made his reputation as an innovative master of genre. Hewn from current events—seemingly random killings that may not be random at all—Val’s newest work is more of a tortured manifesto that leaves him as uneasy as elated. Still, his publisher and friend, Graham is all-too glad for another Haverford novel, the first in a decade. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On his return to the friendly-fire of publishing and sales, Val meets Sandra. An entertainment news reporter and producer facing down her own past and present demons. Val is drawn to her warm-as-toast personality and stunning looks but as she shares her dreams, he can almost see a path beyond the past that haunts him and beyond the book he’s hinged so much of his life on. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, on the cusp of publication, Val’s life begins to outpace his fiction. His entire outline including the ending is dumped on the internet by an agency intern. Days later, Val is violently assaulted in his home. As disinterested as the police are in a minor isolated assault, they manage to tie it up as a random burglary. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But Val knows better. If his assailant’s words were not clear enough, the message in a missing computer and the only paper draft of his revisions is unmistakable: drop the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Torn between defiance and despair, Val resigns himself to walking away from the story, his redemption, and his comeback. Only a murder, too close to home compels him—first in print and then in action as an unwitting/unwilling sleuth–to follow up on his hunch. Through heartbreak and repeated betrayal Val continues to worry at the thread running through all the horror blanketing him.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But as violence spirals back around, can Val knit together the pieces of the mystery or will he become another random statistic?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">While <em>EoS </em>is no sermon, it is unflinching and honest. Worrell delivers bill-come-due commentary. Her Chicago, at once movie-and-TV-show familiar is menacing and otherworldly. Her protagonist, Val is true blue all the more so because of his feet of clay. Hard as it is to believe, this is a first book and a great introduction to a gifted author. I can’t wait to read what comes next.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Buy <em>Edge of Sundown</em> <a href="https://books2read.com/Sundown2">here</a>.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-16761845962684377522024-02-28T20:24:00.003-05:002024-02-29T08:06:06.373-05:00Black History Month Books and Heroes—Octavia E. Butler<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRo3spWT_beLUmaWHsVbx3f9tEabRXdtQ_N4rKPW-Wl4BYco2MTcLupwjwhyphenhyphenvttHxR0JBIVJJdorLpBsDpGuc9VSpnEkCmUO3nlpmjTPWVxc65ryB3KlvDHjyV6CroTyJn2KMo_Lx57_aVnE3JZVnrVE3QAWs-Z9lbAnkqzTcMxbQsyyg7vvj8aJQn7G6/s746/Octavia%203.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="746" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRo3spWT_beLUmaWHsVbx3f9tEabRXdtQ_N4rKPW-Wl4BYco2MTcLupwjwhyphenhyphenvttHxR0JBIVJJdorLpBsDpGuc9VSpnEkCmUO3nlpmjTPWVxc65ryB3KlvDHjyV6CroTyJn2KMo_Lx57_aVnE3JZVnrVE3QAWs-Z9lbAnkqzTcMxbQsyyg7vvj8aJQn7G6/w640-h429/Octavia%203.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There's a story of a little girl who watched a science ficiton movie that was so bad, she immediately sat down and wrote her own story. That is what is attributed to Octavia Butler. The rest, so they say, is history. But the details are far better and the apocryphal.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the course of a 35 year career, Octavia Estelle Butler took the every-day people of the world and then injected them into the science fiction slipstream. If that were the whole story, it would still mark a seismic shift in the genre. But that's just the overview.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Long a monolith of white-male perspective, science fiction’s bedrock for nearly a century was the ubermensch: extraordinary, messianic, and decidedly male. Butler saw the potential for so much more. As a result of her experience, drive, and a bit of opportunity, she was the first African-American woman to publish science fiction under her own name.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Butler’s work explores themes of racism and injustice, gender identity and sexual politics, the myriad lasting implications of genocide and survival—indeed the things that define humans from monsters. Through science fiction she creates a dialogue between the reader and the author. It's not always an easy conversation but it is always a rewarding one.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In building diverse, complicated worlds, Butler created an almost-safe space to discuss hard things. In the process, she opened the genre up to women, people of color, and a broader world of hopes—and fears—informed by a very different reality from the whiz-bang boys. Of course a lot of work (and a lot of "no's") went into turning ideas into a groundbreaking career. </span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">The truth can be a bitter pill, but it does heal</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Butler’s writing predates that television viewing event by several years. Diagnosed early as dyslexic, Octavia (Junie to her family) nonetheless harbored a deep fascination and love for the printed word. Like many bibliophiles, the books were young Junie’s first friends. As she grew older, books were also her only refuge.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Junie was tall. One writer called her a mountain and attributed power and affection to her stature and prepossessed atmosphere. However, the over-tall child was an over-tall target for the cruelty of other children. That Junie was dark, with strong Afrocentric features only contributed to the bullies' arsenal. If her stature and features were not enough, she was also painfully shy, bordering on psychologically mute. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">While the effects of the ridicule and cruelty informed Butler’s writing, Lilith Iyapo’s experiences in <em>Dawn, Adulthood Rites, </em>and <em>Imago</em> reflect the brutality under the serine serface of civility. Iyapo's reality is informed by Junie's experience with integration in 1950s and 60s Los Angeles. She accompanied her housekeeper-mother to work, witnessing harsh treatment from “good” white people in Pasadena. The eyewitness perspecitve directly informed the social dynamics among a group of multi-racial survivors intending to repopulate a resurrected Earth. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Written at the height of the cold war, in the wake of the murders and incarcerations that all but silenced the Civil Rights movement, <em>Dawn </em>was clearly a book of it’s time. Extraterrestrials hold the few human survivors of nuclear war in stasis while the ruined Earth heals. Intergalactic conservationists, those extraterrestrials called "Oankali" see a chance for a genetic exchange and the possibility to rehabilitate and save humanity from itself. </span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Spoiler alert!</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But <em>Dawn, </em>(like every other Butler book) is also a book of today. When Jean, a HIGHLY entitled white woman, challenges African-descendant Lilith’s appointment as the leader among the first group to land on Earth, the racism is palpable. When Lilith demonstrates her qualifications to lead, through quiet-confident capability the group-think of racial distrust and dehumanization only grows more pronounced and more violent.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>“I’ve fought men and women and no woman hits like that.” Jean, </strong><strong><em>Dawn</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Rather than rejoice in their “Yay! Humanity has a second shot!” moment, rather than remake Earth into Eden that was lost, a hateful clique falls back on tribalism. Jean pushes the group to choose the murderous Curt Loeher—a former cop—to lead them in mutiny against Lilith and the Oankali. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In full acknowledgement of the bullet that they dodged, they insist on recreating the institution of murder. Lilith, in a supreme show of leadership works through the loss of a second family and even more loss to guide mankind away from its worst nature.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">"It has not occurred to you that your ancestors were survivors and that the survival itself sometimes involved savage decisions, a kind of wanton brutality which civilized humankind works very hard to suppress." Leto II, <em>God Emperor of Dune</em></span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The burden of the survivor is another recurring theme in Butler’s work. Like Frank Herbert, (that's his quote above) Butler understood that mankind may survive through brutality but it cannot truly build and sustain a civilization until we reconcile the brutality at the foundation. Herbert and Butler agreed—indeed it's a central thesis to both authors' work—that humanity has to evolve beyond brutal behaviors if it is to survive the cycle of horror, atrocity, and denial.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Inspired by two events: a tour of Mount Vernon, the historic home to George Washington where a tour guide referred to African slaves as "servants," and a classroom discussion with a Black Power activist who expressed bald-faced contempt for the older generations of African-Americans based on his perception of their willing subservience to whites, Butler wrote <em>Kindred. </em>The story of a 20th century black woman named Dana who travels through time to the Maryland plantation where her ancesters were subjugated to a living hell, <em>Kindred</em> is both a defense of the survivor as well as a groundbreaking attempt to more accurately depict genocidal slavery. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr3aqsw9FYuBkluqnaNN1Ct3JTrjRqgmADIZsjkbcGvzFAf6YYN55uVbVIumJZaFWDZeuMIW7X2iM1HsZRrBisb_XvPf9gXM4vPd4y8NNVhN2a78O402XLKkoQjBb30ihWhN0uXXi-TE8jMdjzklY8QbMGCIOcvej7a-5fJzu5GsvUlKvsqZvaUKBG4sJ/s613/Octavia%204.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="613" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwr3aqsw9FYuBkluqnaNN1Ct3JTrjRqgmADIZsjkbcGvzFAf6YYN55uVbVIumJZaFWDZeuMIW7X2iM1HsZRrBisb_XvPf9gXM4vPd4y8NNVhN2a78O402XLKkoQjBb30ihWhN0uXXi-TE8jMdjzklY8QbMGCIOcvej7a-5fJzu5GsvUlKvsqZvaUKBG4sJ/s320/Octavia%204.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As may be surmised, Butler never aspired to write the “easy” read. If she didn’t have the answers she did have the courage to raise the hard questions on a BIG canvas with speculative nuances. Butler eschewed comfortable tropes and mass-market storylines. With no interest in feeding pablum to adults, she served truth and discomfort and meaningful dialogue—all with a hard-won optimism. As a result, her books seldom found the success of traditional space opera or “hard science” (means “white”) novels. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But she did find an audience. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fellow writer Harlan Ellison was one of her earliest champions, sponsoring her to attend the Clarion Writers Workshop. At Clarion, Samuel Delany, (a fellow groundbreaking writer) became a life-long friend. Both men were known to generations of readers as visionaries with powerful voices. Both were known for their passion and strong opinions. Ellison in particular was known to be a brilliant, if at times, caustic critic of science fiction. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">That both men fostered and promoted Butler’s work is a testament to her staggering talent. They believed in her work to produce better stories to address bigger ideas. The MacArthur foundation agreed, awarding Butler with a genius grant—the first awarded to any science fiction author. That her work continues to inform and shape science fiction is a testament to her enduring vision. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxGlSUZukptZul75ygi2HAOXAtXVScCL5a2_gQCl5nBol8TrJCMU37KXhwchszqivo5SP0anOf1t2afUZZWV2lZiQshNzBHIvkuwXjp9Z-QtcnpmhgXYWZBIyqJAl5OGyUB7ZiUtSELSF035hKXPGQ5SL-HZSvVqozVR8sbPt4UfDIuZHm4NbU6ExCVV_/s542/Octavia%206.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="542" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxGlSUZukptZul75ygi2HAOXAtXVScCL5a2_gQCl5nBol8TrJCMU37KXhwchszqivo5SP0anOf1t2afUZZWV2lZiQshNzBHIvkuwXjp9Z-QtcnpmhgXYWZBIyqJAl5OGyUB7ZiUtSELSF035hKXPGQ5SL-HZSvVqozVR8sbPt4UfDIuZHm4NbU6ExCVV_/s320/Octavia%206.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In her later years, Octavia Butler became a teacher, at Clarion and other workshops, to guide other people of color and especially women to express themselves and their hopes, dreams, and fears. She trained best-seller Walter Mosley to reach beyond tropes when he workshopped his first science fiction pieces in her class. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_0523.jpg" height="320" src="https://eliasjmcclellan.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/img_0523.jpg?w=769" width="241" /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Octavia Estelle Butler authored over a dozen books, even more short stories and essays. She died at the age of 59 and it was nowhere near enough time for us to have known her. Butler awakened readers and writers—as Lilith Iyapo awakened so many sleepers—to a life beyond heartbreak and loss and mundane ideas. The trio now collected as <em>Lilith’s Brood </em>remains my favorite of her works. But if you only read one book by Butler, please, choose <em>Kindred</em>. You can find all of her work <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=OCTAVIA+BUTLER&crid=1KZBNXVND9L8D&sprefix=octavia+butle%2Caps%2C494&ref=nb_sb_noss_2">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo above, "Me but with books," is owned by myself. I own none of the other photos. They are use here, for instructional/educational purposes, as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-55975680761875811222024-02-21T08:33:00.002-05:002024-02-21T13:55:19.939-05:00Black History Month Books and Authors—Lauren Wilkinson's American Spy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC0t4MxoY52gSlm3pO2hjaopJe8FiVPqN4ItSHz3EjWUvHFWs_3P7cUZO_oVhaw22ZjkhUp3WOlm2tqj8_r4BEtXIaJE-z_4buhGQHgjGMjousRL0bieuJ3J-v-C_WlH9Yp6UK5mvpWxNSwQa-G-7b3kau84nsOnXdhbWdTClyfsnm-4a0ctgCPXJ4gs7/s1023/American%20Spy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="769" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC0t4MxoY52gSlm3pO2hjaopJe8FiVPqN4ItSHz3EjWUvHFWs_3P7cUZO_oVhaw22ZjkhUp3WOlm2tqj8_r4BEtXIaJE-z_4buhGQHgjGMjousRL0bieuJ3J-v-C_WlH9Yp6UK5mvpWxNSwQa-G-7b3kau84nsOnXdhbWdTClyfsnm-4a0ctgCPXJ4gs7/s320/American%20Spy.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><em>American Spy </em>begins, in all-too-American fashion, with an attempted murder. Upon the first sound of an intruder, our protagonist, a young mother, shepherds her young boys to safety. Then, she turns the tables on the predator, who realizes too late they have become the prey. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is a great intro to Marie Mitchell, the spy from the title. Yeah, sure, it says that in the back cover-summary, too. But in action, we feel that this is more than just a descriptive or job title, for Marie, it is a vocation. In that first chapter, in the wake of a violent assault, Marie must navigate the always treacherous waters of police interaction. That she is a licensed gun owner, a citizen-landowner, and the daughter of cop matters little to the police because Marie Mitchell is also a black woman in America, a perpetual outsider in her own land, a foreigner in her own home.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Told in jumps from the distant to the immediate, <em>American Spy </em>takes us on a mad-dash with Marie as she escapes the states for her ancestral home of Martinique. Then as she chronicles the events leading to the attempt on her life. In that harried exodus, the reader sees that Marie was always supposed to be a spy. Indeed, she is a spy born of spies. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Before she is recruited by a CIA officer, before she becomes a fly-under-the-radar FBI agent, before she even has an inkling of what it means (mostly gleaned from her older sister’s tutelage) Marie has been set on the course to be a spy. Her mother was sent from Martinque to reconnoiter the still-highly-segregated American social strata, undercover of complexion. Her father, a second-generation American, serves as a pathfinding for other men and women of color from within one of the institutions intended to keep people of color under institutional thumb.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">By the time Marie meets Ed Ross, she is primed for the work her sister dreamed of—working intelligence to stave off the very real threat of global nuclear annihilation. Mostly, Marie has been prepared by the soul-crushing tedium of FBI administrative incompetence and a growing impatience with skud work. Still, when she is offered a plumb crossover position with the CIA, Marie declines. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">She’s smart enough to know a dead-end assignment—get close to a newly-elected head of state for a newly-independent African nation—when she sees it. Her sister taught her the difference between an asset (or pawn) and an officer (operates the pawns) before she was out of college. Plus, Marie knows she needs leverage to get what she ultimately wants: answers about her estranged sister. The only way to get that leverage is to turn down the offer. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The old street saying “game recognizes game,” could be Marie's mantra. She recognizes Ross’ charm offensive, fresh on the heels of her suspension from the FBI. While rocking with his roll, she negotiates her terms, ever on the verge of walking away. And then he offers her the brass ring, access to a CIA officer named Slater. The man who recruited Marie’s sister. Ross also gives her an “obscene amount” of money. But no contract. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Recognizing a deeper agenda hidden in the stated scheme, Marie takes the assignment, determined to pursue her own goals and not be used. Mr. Ali, her mentor and one of the few black men in the bureau allowed himself to be used. As Marie reflects, he has a nice office and no career prospects. Long since resigned to limited prospects, Marie wants answers and holds herself separate from white politics and national agenda. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then she meets Thomas Sankara.<br /><br />Lauren Wilkinson’s brilliance is in her depiction of Sankara. Driven, intelligent, and rarest of all, principled, the president of Burkina Faso has his own agenda and is well aware of the tight window he has to enact his agenda. This is, after all, just twenty five years after the CIA assassinated Patrice Lumumba. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The tawdry history of the CIA’s misadventures in the Third World haunts the pages of <em>American Spy </em>as surely as Lumumba’s ghost dogs Sankara’s every step. While Wilkinson gives a nod to Fleming and pays due respect to le Carré, she writes with the price-of-gasoline grasp of African nations I’ve only otherwise seen in Forsyth’s novels. It’s telling that Sankara recommends a book by that old “freelancer.” Where Wilkinson exceeds Forsyth is in immediacy. There is no white-man filter in <em>American Spy.</em></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The heat off of colonial roads and the steam through mosquito netting around Marie’s bed is personal and compelling as Sankara’s attraction to the trap he identifies almost immediately. The attraction between Thomas and Marie is as dangerous as CIA Officer Daniel Slater’s ambitions and deadly as the details surrounding Marie’s sister Helene. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Slater represents the insanity inherent to the intelligence community, especially in the wake of the Church Commission. The eventuality of the independent contractor supplanting the company men is matter-of-fact here. It’s nearly too cut-and-dried. But the map from there to where we are now tracks clean as CIA flight plans out of Columbia and Bolivia.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Equal parts debriefing and confessional Marie’s narrative is for her young sons, Wilkinson lines up her chess pieces for an ending I did not want. But in the best spy-literature traditions, the author leads the reader in more a judo flip than a twist. I won’t spoil it but the deliciously ambiguous ending left me with a HUGE smile on my face. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If, like me, you've ever wondered why all spies are depicted as white men, you'll get your answer here. If you've ever wondered why a woman of color would get involved in this seedy underworld, you'll get WAY more than you barganed for. Check out Lauren Wilkenson’s <em>American Spy. </em>It is fast, seductive as the kiss you never expected, and as delightfully painful as your first broken heart.</span></p><p class="has-small-font-size"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo above, yours truly at too-early o'clock, is mine and used by my permission which I think is damn considerate of me.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-38521487061429721642024-02-14T08:45:00.000-05:002024-02-14T08:45:02.932-05:00Black History Month Books and Authors—Chester Himes and Lawrence Jackson<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJcb5HdsnTByLSuMAJ-i20Eg9zVzil2CgidxpMlFXoJ5zfiH5Cv4sn2SpS2ql6vCHPMs9r7WAwpmiYnHb5LlFY_5FYZu5a5W0kr73TwJO6GV_ApW_mRsl3Go07hRPmDKec63-lnyCao8J1aseF8w3jGFYu9N6mM-bWTRUI-dCvEvq1rtFAqaInre-Tm7D/s1564/IMG_20170730_204800.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1564" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJcb5HdsnTByLSuMAJ-i20Eg9zVzil2CgidxpMlFXoJ5zfiH5Cv4sn2SpS2ql6vCHPMs9r7WAwpmiYnHb5LlFY_5FYZu5a5W0kr73TwJO6GV_ApW_mRsl3Go07hRPmDKec63-lnyCao8J1aseF8w3jGFYu9N6mM-bWTRUI-dCvEvq1rtFAqaInre-Tm7D/s320/IMG_20170730_204800.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">American novelist Chester Himes should have been a literary titan. Like contemporaries Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright, Himes wrote and published during the high-water mark of American Literature. He should have been a professional like his parents, (a vocational school instructor and English teacher). He should have been a scholar, like his brother Joseph, a renowned sociology professor.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Instead Chester Himes, convicted of armed robbery, was sentenced to 20 years in prison before he was 25 years old. In prison he applied his intellect to writing short stories to black publications as well as white magazines building his skill and reputation as a talented voice. Released after 10 years, Himes sought to capitalize on his accomplishments.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Langston Hughes introduced Himes into New York publishing pools. Himes became a screenplay writer in Hollywood, (until notoriously biggoted Jack Warner had him fired). He contributed to the NAACP's publications on 1940s race riots. His first novel <em>If He Hollers Let Him Go</em>, was published in 1945. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Blacklisted from Hollywood, Himes attended the Yaddo artist community, living next to Patricia Highsmith. He would publish five books on race, labor relations, and politics in ten highly productive years. In spite of critical acclaim none would find the success of Ellison and Wright’s works. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was only when Himes revisited his past, drawing on his wayward youth to write <em>The Primitive,</em> (retitled <em>A Rage in Harlem</em>) would he find commercial success. Over nine books, Himes paced readers through the underbelly of Harlem with his detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. He also explored recurring themes of racial injustice, homosexual love, and being an stranger in your own land. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lawrence P. Jackson’s biography is an exhaustive chronicle of the complex man and his struggle to be heard or read. Jackson's light touch is both engaging and masterful. Himes is no easy subject. Jackson explores Himes’ tenuous relationships—family and friends, professional and personal—all fraught with Himes’ self-destructive tendencies. He never returned to his family’s embrace after his brother, (blinded as a child in a science demonstration) exceeded him academically as well as in their mother’s affections.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You’ll see shades of Hime’s struggle in <em>A Rage in Harlem</em> between estranged brothers Goldie and Jackson. Himes also explores the tension of men who develop affection and intimacy in prison (only to lose those ties under scrutiny of the larger society) in <em>Rage</em> as well as <em>Cotton Comes to Harlem</em> and <em>The Heat is On</em>. Sexual identity is a reoccurring theme in all of Himes’ work.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Himes legacy is in “lit’ing” up crime fiction while staying true to his experiences as a felon and a black man in America. Poet and satirist Ismael Reed famously said, “Chester Himes taught me the difference between a black detective and Sherlock Holmes.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mickey Spillane, Dashiell Hammett, and (to a lesser extent) Raymond Chandler had blazed the hardboiled path but Himes had lived it as a hustler, petty gangster, and heister. Like Hammett, his experience informed his writing in ways Spillane and Chandler could only wonder at. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A lot of parallels are drawn, (rightly) between Himes and Walter Mosley. But having read the Harlem Detective novels I see direct lines into James Elroy’s work, but without Elroy’s latent vitriol. Himes works should be on every crime fan's to-be-read stack. <em>A Rage in Harlem,</em> the first, is a great place to begin. All of the Harlem Detective Novels are good reads but Digger and Coffin Ed are conspicuously absent from <em>Run Man Run</em> and it is my least favorite of the series. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In his introduction, Lawrence Jackson states that he intended his biography as the “big book,” Chester Himes’ life deserves. Indeed his fast 600 pages represent a considerable portrait of the artist. But like best of Chester’s own work, I couldn’t help but wish for just a bit more. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHyEjZo6dNAmpn_52ivEdPHRePpzHbgOmzojxdvsKJtpTVSxwqv6tCe-TE3vZV6oH45aJ7KbCkhAZkckgfg1EHsnfYaw5_FvCbHcIt_HWlk-OyjCOch85Kf26cnm5-vkDtMWhVwPDtLxYfz5dha_Cx98gjRdLhRtGfxDfI2EUA46ituoNwY8NMePhg41C/s1023/Chester%20Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="769" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHyEjZo6dNAmpn_52ivEdPHRePpzHbgOmzojxdvsKJtpTVSxwqv6tCe-TE3vZV6oH45aJ7KbCkhAZkckgfg1EHsnfYaw5_FvCbHcIt_HWlk-OyjCOch85Kf26cnm5-vkDtMWhVwPDtLxYfz5dha_Cx98gjRdLhRtGfxDfI2EUA46ituoNwY8NMePhg41C/s320/Chester%20Me.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Check out Himes' work. If crime isn’t your thing, check out Lawrence Jackson’s excellent biography. It is among the best I have ever read.</span></p><p class="has-small-font-size"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo at the top, does not belong to me. It is used for instructional/educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine. The photo above, "WAY Past My Bedtime" is by and belongs to myself. I've kindly agreed to the photo's use here for educational/illustrative purposes. Which I think is damn nice of me.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-71446423174583580482024-02-06T08:15:00.001-05:002024-02-06T08:15:18.287-05:00Black History Month Books and Authors: Devil in a Blue Dress<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6-2PiDgF5asCyUKnGeYblSYCkW-JFT-v3AbljDCOQSAzkN5SnJKYCxZ-A1DLmRu_sIFEx6IBWB7yh4HPNRp0-hrryM62yUgvJ_PVaoZJfwpRIwelxbkiVKjCytegBGtk8NLRHXR4_8xXvylD98KXew927KVuIEiQUjraTcijlNuVA9SViDzTMmN6CTXZ/s387/Devil_in_a_blue_dress2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6-2PiDgF5asCyUKnGeYblSYCkW-JFT-v3AbljDCOQSAzkN5SnJKYCxZ-A1DLmRu_sIFEx6IBWB7yh4HPNRp0-hrryM62yUgvJ_PVaoZJfwpRIwelxbkiVKjCytegBGtk8NLRHXR4_8xXvylD98KXew927KVuIEiQUjraTcijlNuVA9SViDzTMmN6CTXZ/w266-h400/Devil_in_a_blue_dress2.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In 2004 Walter Mosley changed my life for the second time. My Missus introduced me to his work in 2001. I had heard of the movie, <em>Devil in a Blue Dress</em>. But I neither saw it nor knew that it was based on a book. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And what a book... </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Published in 1990, <em>Devil in a Blue Dress </em>is the story of Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, a transplant from Houston’s Fifth Ward, living in 1947 Los Angeles. Easy is a black man making a place for himself in a white world that certainly doesn’t want him, has no idea what to do with him, but needs him all the same. A veteran of the vicious fight to break Nazi forces after the shock of D-Day, Easy doesn’t bow or scrape, step or fetch. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When we meet him, Easy has just been fired from his assembly-line job at an aircraft manufacturer. Unable to bend himself to apologize to a foreman who wouldn’t hear anything approaching dissension from a black man, Easy is looking for a way to make his $47 mortgage payment without compromising his hard-won principles. That’s when Joppy, Easy's bartender-friend, introduces him to Dewitt Albright. A white private investigator who needs a leg man to run down leads in the black community, Albright sets Easy’s teeth on edge. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But the only thing that truly frightens Easy is the specter of poverty that haunts him more than the ghost of his long-missing father’s memory. Easy takes Albright’s upfront-money and his under-handed job.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you’ve read any P.I. stories written in the last hundred-or-so years, you know what to expect—deadly secrets, people who aren’t what they seem, and a good-as-gold man in the churn, trying to navigate it all. What is completely different about <em>Devil in a Blue Dress</em>, is Easy Rawlins. Neither Philip Marlowe nor Sam Spade, Easy is chasing the American dream rather than suffering from it. He is house-proud, community proud and motivated to maintain his place in both as an upright man<em>.</em></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As a black man, anywhere but especially Los Angeles—where the boundaries are unmarked but always arbitrary—makes his determination to live free and right up to the limits of his rights potentially deadly. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>“</em></strong><strong><em>A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is, are you on top of that trouble or not?”</em></strong><strong> Easy Rawlins, </strong><strong><em>Devil in a Blue Dress</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Easy’s perspective is what sets <em>Devil in a Blue Dress </em>apart as perhaps the greatest noir novel ever written. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking for Daphne Monet, a rich man’s fiance, (who purportedly has an affinity for black people) Albright wants to use Easy against those same black people, specifically a deadly man named Frank Green. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Todd Carter, Daphne's </span><span style="font-size: large;">fiancé, </span><span style="font-size: large;">offers even more money to use Easy against white men angling to hurt her. Daphne has plans of her own against her enemies, white and black. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And, wherever Easy goes, death follows. First it’s his friend-in-common with Daphen, Coretta. Then a white private investigator is found beaten to death. Each new body points to Easy. The violence, like the LAPD dogging his steps, is always right there on Easy’s shoulder.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Convinced everyone is using someone, Easy decides to not be used by anyone.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Smarter people than me have written about the power of Mosley’s commentary on what it means to be a black man in America. His fiction contains the real history of black men and women in communities under constant siege—but going about their lives because what else can they do? But as important as perspective is, the power is in the prose and the story. Mosley’s books punches with one line and delights with the next. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Raymond “Mouse” Alexander is Mosley’s gift to the hardboiled tradition and is a JOY to read.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mosley’s understanding of L.A. in the 40s and 50s is not academic. His knowledge of Fifth Ward, Galveston, and Port Arthur is pitch-perfect—as befitting the son of a Texas transplant. Mosley himself grew up in the L.A. neighborhoods and on the L.A. streets he writes about. When he cites people, places, and prices, (like that $47 mortgage payment) it’s not nostalgia. It’s living, breathing fact. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At my wife’s urging, I read <em>Devil in a Blue Dress</em> in 2001. Mosley’s book completely rearranged my ideas about what a mystery novel could be and what genre can do. As my dear-departed writing buddy Derrick Ferguson said, “Mosley makes hard writing read so fun.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, in 2004, I did little more than piddle around with my attempts at fiction. With WAY more stops than starts I never really found my stride. Mostly because I imitated others. Then my Missus took me to a reading by Walter Mosley at Murder By the Book, in Houston. <br /><br />There were probably 75 of us shoehorned into a room intended for ten people and two brooms. I don’t know who asked the question—or, for that matter, even what the question was—but Walter Mosley looked right at me and said, “Whatever you read, whatever you write, it’s supposed to be fun.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">That “simple” statement changed my outlook on writing just as his first book changed my outlook on genre. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mr. Mosley’s generosity to other writers, (especially writers of color) is legendary. His collection of short stories, <i>Five Easy Pieces</i>, is published through a black-owned press. He teaches workshops on writing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The previously mentioned pulp-writer, Derrick Ferguson met Walter Mosley and was surprised that the great man knew of Ferguson’s adventurer, Dillon. Mosley’s words of encouragement and support kept him going when he felt like his writing had gone stagnant. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For Black History Month I highly recommend Imani Perry’s <em>South to America</em><em>: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation. </em>I also recommend read Jelani Cobb’s <em>The Matter of Black Lives. </em>Both are on my to-be-read stack. Both will give you tremendous insight into race and politics in this country.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But please, also read <em> Devil in a Blue Dress </em>and revel in a master at the work of truth-in-fiction. There is a reason why Mr. Mosley’s book is in my top-five crime fiction books. Mostly, it’s there because it is simply one of the best written stories you will ever find. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CDW6aXM5BFyCH0AnGxY9r27ftHrNbbg48GM9pg0bKkHdUk1xfzQWBTG03iQDE0xzNymnVAnXVL7Sl6LCefEW5bbi6BC1MFRcN0gYFOjH38iIST3qSS8z5TC4QHDFt1hjNUvKX5z0hmuF6OH7t5NEqFfxZmm2_z3JKQSS5BwL92JVO-OlbGdBhWWEkfxT/s252/Walter%20Autograph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="252" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CDW6aXM5BFyCH0AnGxY9r27ftHrNbbg48GM9pg0bKkHdUk1xfzQWBTG03iQDE0xzNymnVAnXVL7Sl6LCefEW5bbi6BC1MFRcN0gYFOjH38iIST3qSS8z5TC4QHDFt1hjNUvKX5z0hmuF6OH7t5NEqFfxZmm2_z3JKQSS5BwL92JVO-OlbGdBhWWEkfxT/w320-h245/Walter%20Autograph.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><p><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p>The photo above, the author himself and me, is by Gaye McClellan and remains her property. It is used here with her kind permission. The photo at the top, Devil in a Blue Dress movie poster, belongs to Tri-Star Pictures. It is used here for instructional and educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span><p></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-9399938022964466382024-01-31T13:55:00.003-05:002024-01-31T13:55:27.485-05:00In Books, as in Movies, Relationships Matter<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4hQOtPIf3oxegJ7dYTSkQ0uyTJFCI1Vd_0kBLdbiqwfgVbVk9PAoFSCWmeqsfTa8N5HwRBEI3FLIM-ds19gW95kkjGj_QL3G34bmLOAWBbE1Mdq3t9Xhsi4xgFHSqy9JwVpt68sUxTb815q4ojhwMVwR6zpmzgWG5ZmZtRqbVPlEJZevKAWQnoPIsfg9/s1280/dune-1701627712924.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4hQOtPIf3oxegJ7dYTSkQ0uyTJFCI1Vd_0kBLdbiqwfgVbVk9PAoFSCWmeqsfTa8N5HwRBEI3FLIM-ds19gW95kkjGj_QL3G34bmLOAWBbE1Mdq3t9Xhsi4xgFHSqy9JwVpt68sUxTb815q4ojhwMVwR6zpmzgWG5ZmZtRqbVPlEJZevKAWQnoPIsfg9/s320/dune-1701627712924.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like many people with access to streaming services, I’ve been delving into old movies that I haven’t seen in years (decades?) as well as those I never got around or were unavailable to me. More than just entertainment, many of those films are great study for writers. Especially when writing the hard to nail dynamics in character relationships.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You may think that movies have an advantage. Actors do most of the heavy lifting. Screenplay writers, directors, and music composers provide vital assistance. Books rely exclusively on a staff of one—the writer—who sells the romantic, familial, or friendship bonds with nothing more than subject/verb agreement and turn of phrase.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, movies have their blind spots. Misfire casting can sink an otherwise sure-hit production. Likewise, a director’s decisions can wreck chemistry. Rarer still, there is the movie that shouldn’t work that succeeds against all odds—and studio meddling.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s not always apparent why…</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wachowski sisters’ 1999 film, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Matrix</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, had an embarrassment of riches. Lawrence Fishburn, (seriously the man personifies charisma) played Morpheus, the mentor. Enigmatic Carrie Anne Moss opened the movie as Trinity, the (kick-ass) love-interest. A solid supporting cast, including Joe Pantoliano, Hugo Weaving, and Gloria Foster, (an epiphany as the Oracle) supported puppy-dog warm Keanu Reeves’ Neo, the hero.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And none of them clicked</span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It would be easy to blame this all on Reeves, (and some critics have). Truly, Neo’s interaction with his mentor feels like a routine OS update running in the background. But that’s not all on Reeves’ shoulders. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Morpheus scarcely acknowledges his crew, all supposedly brought out of the Matrix by the good captain. Trinity is supposed to be a long-watching-long-waiting lovelorn for Neo. The movie opens with her stalking our hero. Yet every scene they’re in is flat as wood paneling and their “romance” feels forced. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even what is supposed to be a sexy hug-up for the elevator scene—both dressed in their fetishy-best—is yawn-inducing. You almost feel sorry for them. Then you remember that you paid to see this. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s like they’re all making a different movie</span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Morpheus has better chemistry with Agent Smith (the baddie) than with Neo (Morpheus’ mentee). All three actors do perfectly acceptable acting work. But the writing allows little for the characters to work with and clearly, the directors had an agenda without an inch to spare for a wistful glance, an approving nod, or an affectionate gesture.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By contrast, Francis Ford Coppola’s brilliant failure, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cotton Club</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, should not work. Okay, it tanked at the box-office, so it didn’t work as business but as film it soars. And it shouldn’t. Richard Gere </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can’t act</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has limited range. Diane Lane, while almost as cute as Gere, isn’t much better. Don’t get me started on Nicolas Cage.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The good news is there’s another movie going on around the headliners</span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You see the love between brothers, Sandman and Clay Williams, (brothers Gregory and Maurice Hines) through their joy at “making it” as dancers at the Cotton Club and in their bickering over choreography. Mostly you FEEL it in their resentment-fueled breakup and then their reunification embrace.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Romance? We fall in love with Lonette McKee’s Lila Rose Oliver almost from her introduction—and not just because it’s Lonette McKee. Before we fall in love with Lila, Sandman falls in love with her. Before Sandman falls in love with her, though, the director fell in love with her. Coppola’s love is evident through generously languid shots of McKee in both theatrical and mundane acts.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The great lesson of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cotton Club</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is that the real act (relationships) is behind the curtain</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The interplay between club owner, Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins) and his right hand, Frenchy DeMange, (Fred Gwen) is worth viewing all by itself. Both mature men with a long history, their friendship is borne out in their dialogue, all soft jabs and easy repartee. It’s also shown in the way they anticipate each other.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a rare moment of anger toward his friend, Frenchy smashes Owney’s pocket watch. Just as quickly, Owney mends their rift, (the set up of the scene is too good for me to spoil here). Frenchy immediately hands him a gift-wrapped box. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“What’s this?” Owney asks.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“A new watch,” Frenchy replies.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); white-space: pre-wrap;">It's relationship gold in less than five minutes.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“I’m proud of everything I’ve done…except Dune.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Lynch’s 1984 film, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, based on the Frank Herbert novel, is another brilliant failure. The sets, the costumes, the spectacular cinematography—it is beautiful to look at, mostly. The cast is top-notch with some of the best actors of their day doing good work. Mostly.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perfect, it was not. The chemistry between romantic leads Paul (Kyle MacLachlan) and Chani (Sean Young) produced more light than heat. Their acting is perfectly functional if not inspired. It’s the director who failed them. Lynch’s other work points to an inability to comprehend what what makes for a romance. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mobsters or Space Jesus, Arrakis or Harlem, love is love and romance is new every time.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hit and miss, the mentor/hero relationships between Paul and Gurney, (Patrick Stewart) or Jessica (Francesca Annis) and Reverend Mother Mohiam (Sian Phillips) or Paul and Thufir,(Freddie Jones) are promises that the movie never delivers on. Instead, the audience suffers a one-two punch of “over,”—overacting/over directing and voiceover.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lynch could’ve established those relationships with a castoff phrase or three. Instead he burns time with multiple sequences dedicated to grossing out the audience. Sadly, “weird” advances neither plot nor character. What should’ve been brilliance was, instead 2-hours-17-minutes of missed opportunities. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes less is more, really</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2018 Denis Villeneuve announced his intention to bring </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">back to the big screen. Fans were guardedly optimistic. Lynch’s Dune is ~ahem~ polarizing. The Syfy (Science Fiction Channel, not ‘Syphilic Fuck Yodels’) mini-series has its admirers. I swear, twenty-minutes in and it was the best nap I’ve ever had. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Once again, with feeling</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sicario</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Villeneuve had established himself as a director capable of compelling suspense. His breakthrough film, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Incendies</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, dealt with family secrets and sibling dynamics. Both </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arrival</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bladerunner 2049</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> proved Villeneuve could convey complex ideas in heart-rending relatable terms. So, yeah, guardedly optimistic. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The first step in avoiding a trap is knowing of its existence.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -Thufir Hawat, mentat Master of Assassins for House Atreides.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rule of thumb is each page equals a minute of film-time. So, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is 400-odd pages, a “true-to-book” movie would run nearly seven hours. Been there, done that, really enjoyed the nap. Villeneuve ran counter to Peter Jackson’s model. Instead of adding, Villeneuve cut. The result is a taut, tense, frightening world. Mostly, he cut the sentiment.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gurney Halleck, the troubadour-swordsman, as played by Josh Brolin, is battle-scarred and haunted. His affection for Paul is borne out in harsh training and mean truth. Gurney’s declaration, “You’ve never met Harkonnen…I have and they’re BRUTAL…” rattles Paul. It is also the first toe over the ragged edge the Atreides must trod. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stephen McKinley Henderson infuses warmth and depth to Thufir. He also depicts a man at the end of his rope. Tired, war-weary, and scared, Thufir wears a uniform from another time—and the guilt of failing a previous Duke. He is out of step and he knows it. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The brief moment of unguarded affection between Paul and his teacher feels forced—as it should. Thufir carries the weight of the entire Atreides house on his back as they march into the jaws of death. He knows that, too.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Only Jason Momoa’s Duncan flies unfettered, unrestrained affection for Paul, like a flag. As stated in the book, Duncan, though much older, is the closest to Paul in age and the closest thing to a playmate Paul has ever known. It makes the inevitable so much more painful.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Villeneuve’s editing knife is just as sharp when it comes to the ladies. Mohiam is ruthlessly short in her criticism of her former student, Jessica. For her part, Jessica bears the weight of her love for Duke Leto, (played with ice-water in his veins by Oscar Issac) and juggles it with her terror of what her decision may cost them all. Far from the smitten ingenue, Chani, (Zendaya) wears her distrust (disdain?) for Paul on her face even when she offers him a knife as a “great honor to die holding it.”</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, among all the relationship dynamics that Villeneuve jettisons the best may be the infatuation that Duncan has with Jessica. Likewise, the obsession Pietr carries for her—which the Baron leads him around by—is dropped. Both subplots—one is mawkish, the other a base objectification—are clumsy. Like weaponization of the Baron’s sexuality, (Herbert’s Freudian slip on full display) in the book, it’s past time to let go of old prejudices and stupid tropes.</span></span></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Balance is key</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every interaction within your book—friend/foe, parent/child, partner/spouse—is rooted in relationships. You can do a lot with a little and nuance will trigger the readers’ imagination to fill-in the details. Big shows of affection are unnecessary. Think Wesley’s “As you wish,” from </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Princess Bride</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Be deliberate</span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Every scene should have a goal in your mind. Every character should have a goal on your page. Every relationship should be defined with name, status, and demonstration. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Example: </span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">James sighed in relief for Josh’s success. His son had escaped so many of pitfalls, he himself stumbled into. He clapped the now-grown man on the back. “Let’s see if you learned anything about fishing on your travels.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now you try.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">The image at the top does not belong to me. It is used for instructional/educational purposes, as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-42057586199748513972024-01-16T09:36:00.005-05:002024-01-16T09:36:54.468-05:00Every Writer is NOT a Scribble Sibling<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPQ3_Iv4hnwxebShdf15y8N5-0BjCA6cVyuy_y_54rzb0ilEaVTNRIWnfn0JdyaL4jZ3vqe-3HTekgyj_EYx_-yumPRwiU_7QWrGADON_i5KQxit95P-gDpcQQLUGE2tsI15Fdu71vQfoG3WHDVAZfTJrjnwgIxRTaXYR7UK8Qy_xo5BhbdkZWPBBE-K0/s1115/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-16%20at%208.13.38%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1115" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPQ3_Iv4hnwxebShdf15y8N5-0BjCA6cVyuy_y_54rzb0ilEaVTNRIWnfn0JdyaL4jZ3vqe-3HTekgyj_EYx_-yumPRwiU_7QWrGADON_i5KQxit95P-gDpcQQLUGE2tsI15Fdu71vQfoG3WHDVAZfTJrjnwgIxRTaXYR7UK8Qy_xo5BhbdkZWPBBE-K0/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-16%20at%208.13.38%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As noted in another <a href="http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2023/12/where-to-go-when-youve-had-it-with-x.html">post</a>, I recently left X (the platform formerly known as twitter). Upside, I found new writer-communities on </span><a href="https://bsky.app/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bluesky</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://post.news/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://spoutible.com/start" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spoutible</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><a href="https://www.threads.net/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Threads</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. But every creative community, (writing, art, music) no matter how supportive, has a cross-section of creatives who insist on eating alone. They do nothing to support other creatives. The only work that matters to them is their own.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to tell who is which. Upon joining Bluesky, I immediately followed an absolutely brilliant writer who is also a brilliant social activist committed to uplifting those most likely to be under the boot heel of our socio-economic system, (LGBTQ, ethnic minorities, impoverished, etc.). If Bluesky Writer (BW) is a bit harsh, well, not everyone channels their passion through a tact-filter. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And, of course, it is very rare to encounter anyone who shares all of your views and approaches. As it happens, I follow anarchist writers. I follow conservative writers, (few). I even follow apolitical writers, (fewer). So, I took BW’s exuberance in stride.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, a week or so ago, BW launched an incendiary attack on other writers. BW proclaimed they were tired of seeing “fake” writers posting about hating writing, not writing, and/or struggling with writing. That’s when I dropped BW like a bad habit. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s called Social Media for a reason</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Writers on social media just to promote their book and/or never interact with other writers? I question their logic but it’s not a deal breaker. Baby writers making declarative statements about writing/publishing/marketing that they would/will see as faulty with some experience? Cringe but not cancel. Writers who trash other genres and/or books in the misguided belief that doing so elevates their genre/book Their insecurity slip showing is their problem, not mine. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But openly slamming other writers because of self-importance, (or insecurity)? That is a deal breaker. If the late-not-so-great twitter taught us anything, it’s that social media is a privilege predicated on perception. The interactions you have are largely based on the energy you put out there. Negative runs in ever-diminishing returns.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g8L2u7-46xQRQydsSKepMfrXiS6vm8r_Lf9I7BnqXy91Hfm3JizTpd0kLN2xjpCFfFVEQDccQ0mCNVPwMsmnz1WJFkLw-TMr-7uLZuLO2akNBLMrjax_Yc5IdLnwhoV_mSZO7sonQL5qIR0zkpj8D34aUcaRIvtiZfkCIhvK-gmHcVSHGg1dkWKkJdAM/s830/Law.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g8L2u7-46xQRQydsSKepMfrXiS6vm8r_Lf9I7BnqXy91Hfm3JizTpd0kLN2xjpCFfFVEQDccQ0mCNVPwMsmnz1WJFkLw-TMr-7uLZuLO2akNBLMrjax_Yc5IdLnwhoV_mSZO7sonQL5qIR0zkpj8D34aUcaRIvtiZfkCIhvK-gmHcVSHGg1dkWKkJdAM/s320/Law.jpeg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Community is based on reciprocity. Modeling other, more mature writers, I regularly share new release information for fellow writers. Additionally, I do book reviews for fellow writers—many outside of my home genre. The reward is immense and immediate. I have learn SO much about writing, publishing, and promotion.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8B-E0POsDkuXGoJuASKFAka8IMTtLcZLUoFakgVADEszbLmymweDyEkXeB2vUS0DCPUzLyOc7LQu79upOEMGUDJErOPy7ndBvyxTEWyws5ijbKFKwxNulyAWFqtNpCEk5VXr53xCCRHJUPKrtJjWkbg3v5PZtjwHbLXayxTQK-cSzDxC5INSkorJKs7V/s634/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-16%20at%208.29.55%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="634" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8B-E0POsDkuXGoJuASKFAka8IMTtLcZLUoFakgVADEszbLmymweDyEkXeB2vUS0DCPUzLyOc7LQu79upOEMGUDJErOPy7ndBvyxTEWyws5ijbKFKwxNulyAWFqtNpCEk5VXr53xCCRHJUPKrtJjWkbg3v5PZtjwHbLXayxTQK-cSzDxC5INSkorJKs7V/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-01-16%20at%208.29.55%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m months, if not another year away from publishing my little crime ditty (cancer sucks, yo). Still, I firmly believe that karma is doing the right thing and, when the need/cause arises, other people will do the right thing, too. I also believe that lessons learned from other writers is an ancillary benefit of karma.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My book brother Michael Cook truly helped me on my emotional journey to self-publishing. A happy warrior, Michael embraces the process with an exuberance that is infectious. Fiona Quinn could teach a master class in leveraging self-publishing success into an optimum partnership with one of the big five publishing houses. With her latest book, J.L. Campbell took me to writing school in building an atmosphere of tension that touches every character.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The narcissistic writer, (NW) fails to reap those karmic benefits. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">BW is the driver who’s annoyed with other cars on a very public road. That road was cut, leveled and paved by CENTURIES of writers before us. Every new writer, with every new essay, poem, short story, and book, contributes another paving stone that benefits all the rest of us.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-m3Oqq0j7NR11Mow3HLUSxozCWl7vAao25ja2C6AAkhe8hL_L3hVUYXTZ1ZHgk0N3NVfxtvxcbTRIap2wrJH4uJaa985ysWVrrSxYw5diTHlhJg9qGhlRDW72DXRGr2UySVz8jvGIgpfCRsKYW_R39oBII5tZZpv7AFP2Qws5PZUCWfJIz28TK8-2TnZC/s1024/WW5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-m3Oqq0j7NR11Mow3HLUSxozCWl7vAao25ja2C6AAkhe8hL_L3hVUYXTZ1ZHgk0N3NVfxtvxcbTRIap2wrJH4uJaa985ysWVrrSxYw5diTHlhJg9qGhlRDW72DXRGr2UySVz8jvGIgpfCRsKYW_R39oBII5tZZpv7AFP2Qws5PZUCWfJIz28TK8-2TnZC/s320/WW5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sadly, BW is far from the only writer who fails to recognize the benefit in other successes (and failures) born of other writers. I’ve written of NWs who use the writing community to build platforms and then turn their backs on genuine friendships once the NW “arrived” at publication. This is tragic for a variety of reasons but mostly because there are too many examples of HUGELY successful writers demonstrating great care with their fellow scribblers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGsiBsZCp_GdAkzHc6i_t5h_lSf9SEc3LNeNpusO8PP8X1SdOHN5ZTjf3_6qLvdWzqrdX488WEhyphenhyphenLoJG3g4Jh14X03-C52arPKI-15EIoxfHiM-UD_vwGB9eX2O58KNcEMnWKVIVP-xyPELwMQkgXdLN9QqHDx4rpQgj8w-PRpDBwiJb4ueD9RRV0d1Mu/s700/afterlife-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="700" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGsiBsZCp_GdAkzHc6i_t5h_lSf9SEc3LNeNpusO8PP8X1SdOHN5ZTjf3_6qLvdWzqrdX488WEhyphenhyphenLoJG3g4Jh14X03-C52arPKI-15EIoxfHiM-UD_vwGB9eX2O58KNcEMnWKVIVP-xyPELwMQkgXdLN9QqHDx4rpQgj8w-PRpDBwiJb4ueD9RRV0d1Mu/s320/afterlife-4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">l-r unknown, Octavia Butler, Harlan Ellison</td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p>The Late Great Harlan Ellison and Samuel Delany both mentored and (monetarily) supported other writers. Ellison famously paid Octavia Butler’s tuition to attend the Clarion Writers workshop. Yes, the photo above looks like a police lineup, but really, they were great friends. </p><p>Or, you could, just offer encouragement to your fellow writers.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neil Gaiman is unstinting in his commitment to helping fellow writers. Chuck Wendig has been supporting us mad scribblers nearly from the beginning of social media. Walter Mosley, (a huge influence on me as a writer and a human being) talks mucho-mucho shit about his peers but is unstinting with his support of new writers and accomplished writers still fighting in the trenches for success (by publishing numbers terms). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, we’re all besties, now?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Would I get along with Hemingway? No. Dude really sucked all the air out of the room. Likewise, Harlan Ellison was notoriously “flinty” which means we would’ve ended up hurting each other's feelings. I’ve met Walter Mosley and admire him greatly however, I also believe a little of the guy goes a long, long way. And, yes, I am a “hoot” at parties, can’t you tell? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We are scribble siblings—the same ink runs through our veins.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yours truly, EJM</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s always about the writing and the struggle we all face to get the words on the page (or screen, you know, whatevs). Other writers are not our competition. They are our natural allies. We owe it to them and us, to read, review, and support each other. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And if we cannot help—even as we drink from the same well, dug by our predecessors—we certainly should not hurt.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I own none of the images above. All images are used for educational/instructional purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p><p><br /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-76726999815854276882023-12-19T08:02:00.003-05:002023-12-26T23:00:19.712-05:00Where to Go When You've Had it With "X" and Musk<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48ZOZZSmLZpyMO1l7impvd3wGMe4xq2TMmgILumrwAXlVVuyAV7zsZVohp6trAGe0TQ_sbSadXNGu_P_BvPFSbwas03elLh8fAn7MyxnHHa0jotJKek5TmkktxtADxGlvez09njGRpJ6MgHOFq033VI8YFFrA_sUNv2BKvQYpX2y2FWymyV-1MSicuUmQ/s1400/STK160_X_Twitter_004.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48ZOZZSmLZpyMO1l7impvd3wGMe4xq2TMmgILumrwAXlVVuyAV7zsZVohp6trAGe0TQ_sbSadXNGu_P_BvPFSbwas03elLh8fAn7MyxnHHa0jotJKek5TmkktxtADxGlvez09njGRpJ6MgHOFq033VI8YFFrA_sUNv2BKvQYpX2y2FWymyV-1MSicuUmQ/s320/STK160_X_Twitter_004.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To paraphrase (or mug) Stevie Wonder: you can’t say you’re in it but not of it. That’s where I’m at now. I’ve been on twitter for eleven years. Through the second Obama administration, Tea Party shenanigans, and Trump, I watched it all play out in 140 characters (now 280). I’ve also enjoyed many PitMads, WriterWednesdays, and great friendships, many of which continue to this day. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I can no longer support the meth-fueled-carney brawl that Musk is orchestrating, even for 18K followers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, when you’re DONE with X where do you go? I mean hopefully not to a hermitage in the woods or a leaky old cave. It's not my kink, but I don't judge. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just know, you do have other options. But where to start?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ll start with purpose. I like to write. Music is a big deal. I also like to talk politics. I LOVE cats. Then there’s the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe thingy. I’m a man of eclectic interests. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As previously mentioned, once a week I engage in a promotion for writers called #WriterWednesday. It’s from when twitter was still a thing. I do a blog crawl, (sharing links to blogs I find informative, topical, or just of interest to writers) I promote fellow writers with new books, poems, or posts, and I post memes. So many memes. Somewhere in there, I also pimp my own posts. It’s cheap entertainment and I don’t get out much.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Obviously, not every platform is suited to my needs. I require a lot of lumbar support and knee ro— Wait, different evaluation, different product.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s easier if we get the also-rans out of the way first. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HIVE Social: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There's a waiting list and it’s a mobile-only app. I’m old and can barely see my phone, much less use a small-screen interface. That’s a nope for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been on site for years, I only just figured out how to post something to the platform. It is still highly limited, (you can’t post a hyperlink). Hard pass. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mastodon Social:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Lots of early buzz. Then the user experience caught up to the buzz. It is a community of silos. You either stay in your writer silo (or political silo, or music silo) or you have multiple user profiles. Again, no.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tribel Social: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Same as Mastodon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tik-Tok, Telegram, Whatsapp,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> no, no, and no.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So who did make the cut?</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://counter.social/index.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Counter Social</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtKpEN8OapwFfz3aqMglkdNdUXiGRF9GwQrOI6aVdsvdouPzbkhJclSlg8kQh_NSrywTJyTx1f8icC1WPUOr1hWvltjso6_rm5aIPKhyphenhyphenAbxg1G3fy73Jm-T8qnMMiq0yMhVjNNTC_YeoAi-xiy9ZdXsNRj5h4lKk-VRG-zQh-pET1FC3dgzqeUr5RRLxG/s1243/Social%20Counter%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="1243" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtKpEN8OapwFfz3aqMglkdNdUXiGRF9GwQrOI6aVdsvdouPzbkhJclSlg8kQh_NSrywTJyTx1f8icC1WPUOr1hWvltjso6_rm5aIPKhyphenhyphenAbxg1G3fy73Jm-T8qnMMiq0yMhVjNNTC_YeoAi-xiy9ZdXsNRj5h4lKk-VRG-zQh-pET1FC3dgzqeUr5RRLxG/w400-h101/Social%20Counter%201.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upside: they have the right ideas. It’s easy to sign up, (no invites, no waiting list) and the community is strong with a lot of good-hearted interaction. Posts may be up to 500 characters, with hashtags, links, and polls. While mostly easy to use, the interface is BUSY. Every square cm of real estate is in play and it can feel claustrophobic. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcQv6-OBz7QkygV2jEp5jWlI281HJXkk4XZ7ewEaxoptSV1OtlUMoySTbfBXcfPanyXMNVk09nI_u_UGO4mflTOLMgZ5HJGqSsLeJQGHgkZpJBUUi9lVM9_LCHQTpmMpZ6vqrOlFBUfG4MnEnZcTWhmrQVp5vT4YLX3GxdTpFsl6fEEawWOGdrgOPBuhq/s1382/Social%20Counter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1382" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcQv6-OBz7QkygV2jEp5jWlI281HJXkk4XZ7ewEaxoptSV1OtlUMoySTbfBXcfPanyXMNVk09nI_u_UGO4mflTOLMgZ5HJGqSsLeJQGHgkZpJBUUi9lVM9_LCHQTpmMpZ6vqrOlFBUfG4MnEnZcTWhmrQVp5vT4YLX3GxdTpFsl6fEEawWOGdrgOPBuhq/w640-h278/Social%20Counter.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Downside: did I mention three columns? One column is the main feed, in real time, the second is friends/follows posts, and the third is your notifications…I think. You will still likely miss notifications, replies, etc. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been on site for over six months and my stats are underwhelming to say the least: for 1K posts, I’m following 280 people, and I got maybe 150 followers. The interactions have not been as easy as on twitter.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I dropped CS from my Writer Wednesday activity in August. There simply wasn’t enough interaction for the time I tied up in it. Not terrible, not great.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://post.news/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post.News</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOBuGT5DoPnVa3ICKqzk29pBHmKe90R1XR6ViEKaY8TZtqMCAMoFduQnx_ST6cWaiAWxxo0Wmsb-Ofd64-GGT-bfPD3VuKtKXmliGH0xO2v1QHTCVM8S5KLBbhhRu6ceiiHuOdGhu69iXLyxbhq8qJILVHJizHcH19Z8Lfv876hH4N7lUSHu7vxoLeejQ/s576/Social%20Post%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="576" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOBuGT5DoPnVa3ICKqzk29pBHmKe90R1XR6ViEKaY8TZtqMCAMoFduQnx_ST6cWaiAWxxo0Wmsb-Ofd64-GGT-bfPD3VuKtKXmliGH0xO2v1QHTCVM8S5KLBbhhRu6ceiiHuOdGhu69iXLyxbhq8qJILVHJizHcH19Z8Lfv876hH4N7lUSHu7vxoLeejQ/w400-h129/Social%20Post%201.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upside: while Post News is not as polished as CS, the interface is simpler and closer to twitter. There is no character limit. There is some kind of points/money thingy I have yet to understand. Downside: the platform is still a bit buggy. It may take two or three attempts to post something, especially with a link. More than once I simply could not share a link/post at all. The notification alerts are not ironed out yet. Notifications I saw—and cleared—in August still show up as new but none of that is a deal-breaker. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5PNlh-_MAqeJSK8GHaBDcfoGNg4AgxGwF4W2E5mWwmMCqhXKJDo4qUEpx_4N2hmexKVP1_LtH19sQbksoxrUWKg9N3NzI0NJEKD-5ArivgsV_P9qKl8lXJe86NLN_2QpYSQ7Qv3_MiSYwo__bhDaTDL9i25Dexn7AUMPsqj91lIME9ezQ66VTC5dQmkI/s1295/Social%20Post.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1295" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5PNlh-_MAqeJSK8GHaBDcfoGNg4AgxGwF4W2E5mWwmMCqhXKJDo4qUEpx_4N2hmexKVP1_LtH19sQbksoxrUWKg9N3NzI0NJEKD-5ArivgsV_P9qKl8lXJe86NLN_2QpYSQ7Qv3_MiSYwo__bhDaTDL9i25Dexn7AUMPsqj91lIME9ezQ66VTC5dQmkI/w640-h340/Social%20Post.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, the big issue isn’t even a problem. The big issue is in the name “Post News.” That’s the point of the platform—news. Ninety-percent of the folks are there to discuss events, people, news. There is some writer-interplay but not much. Like CS, I’ve been on site for six months or better, posting my Writer Wednesday shenanigans. For 800 posts, I’m following 130 people and have almost 100 followers. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But yeah, the interactions are few/far inbetween. I’ll likely go silent on PN, soon.</span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://bsky.app/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blue Sky</span></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe-oj9q0DL2c1uvWgT1z_q83r46TvkXgqUdH2nC6FaHYxzfvbc1CpYe9dffi1JShOHIKUFqcHHDpjVG3OmeP6MzdlHHvADFoqbwqnnj1rzg7DqWks9mTHihXIr_T7In086M5Ox6Nqrw8c6hBZzc7fDUmkGTn6us2Aq1MGDiFF55cMxBQnKU0LTAE6MSC_/s669/Social%20bsky%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="669" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe-oj9q0DL2c1uvWgT1z_q83r46TvkXgqUdH2nC6FaHYxzfvbc1CpYe9dffi1JShOHIKUFqcHHDpjVG3OmeP6MzdlHHvADFoqbwqnnj1rzg7DqWks9mTHihXIr_T7In086M5Ox6Nqrw8c6hBZzc7fDUmkGTn6us2Aq1MGDiFF55cMxBQnKU0LTAE6MSC_/w400-h199/Social%20bsky%201.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been on Blue Sky for only about three months.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upside: as the site was developed by Jack Dorsey of twitter fame, the interface is the closest to twitter and very user friendly. The character limit is 300 which is more than generous. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7CaWt6e40tFFi_4B0KXl7ZbmgxgNCX7x3wDGfRU5W28PraJf294axgAomWi-DNNcOZvi50SnuTfC0H3gL6GAewCAWeOKBtCEPrx2e0vS7GxvUZd1IT5rBNuiPqTbFVUz_G2h3E37IFF8O1WYtXJ8RAs-c2s4-vn0cvZ1vj-ZjXcYN3A4QBWFk2AZQl1l/s1377/Social%20Bsky.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1377" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7CaWt6e40tFFi_4B0KXl7ZbmgxgNCX7x3wDGfRU5W28PraJf294axgAomWi-DNNcOZvi50SnuTfC0H3gL6GAewCAWeOKBtCEPrx2e0vS7GxvUZd1IT5rBNuiPqTbFVUz_G2h3E37IFF8O1WYtXJ8RAs-c2s4-vn0cvZ1vj-ZjXcYN3A4QBWFk2AZQl1l/w640-h340/Social%20Bsky.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>Downside: it still feels like a rough draft. There can be a lag for your posts to show up in your profile/log and a longer lag for notifications. There are no hashtags, which hampers building communities around an activity or even, (like #WriterWednesday). Some of the more…passionate elements of twitter have found their way there but I’ve encountered no hostility. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, not much writer interaction but more than the previous cited sites, (puns). In two months: 400 posts, I’m following 250 people and have almost 150 followers. I’ll hang for a bit longer just because it took so long to get an invite.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://spoutible.com/start" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spoutible</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmxKhefZP71m1vIHIqzJdQnCj0NlJucLsFmls0iEA4s7z79mWlvDin6X54pgbwhfmFbPi7qKVS0t4ansPG5mGfyTle_K7IbPO2AekxbkehzOfm1CTau5DGZC-lC7eLm2s7HNL-YLFRXKgmVY2pO-B8ChVOc4ZQ9sqFbifouu1HGaXFkCMDDNKfImagRwC/s643/Social%20Spoutible%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="643" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmxKhefZP71m1vIHIqzJdQnCj0NlJucLsFmls0iEA4s7z79mWlvDin6X54pgbwhfmFbPi7qKVS0t4ansPG5mGfyTle_K7IbPO2AekxbkehzOfm1CTau5DGZC-lC7eLm2s7HNL-YLFRXKgmVY2pO-B8ChVOc4ZQ9sqFbifouu1HGaXFkCMDDNKfImagRwC/w400-h319/Social%20Spoutible%201.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>Spoutible is, (as they say in the Army) easy to use, easy to clean. Like bsky, the interface closely resembles twitter with a 300-character limit. The notifications are relevant and near-real time. The community is diverse and I’ve had the greatest interaction here, to my own surprise with a lot of new author connections and even some of my old schoolies from twitter.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2EvdjICPXTVE06OHllrKJhPEv0TdFx7kzefDJbFankV_fb5_sEgjTHM9kIsnNRethJw8fbpFuoMpaWUGk8AvTHtH-d3pWuUooqGHaZBJjOpeXPr10eD1_GWVUzhZ7RDSBIt4qQ9FvOcu0dSqnSZEimO0ox6exAJcR_tpqd463Y46HEzsvhvlRxnbPryR/s1247/Social%20Spoutible.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1247" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2EvdjICPXTVE06OHllrKJhPEv0TdFx7kzefDJbFankV_fb5_sEgjTHM9kIsnNRethJw8fbpFuoMpaWUGk8AvTHtH-d3pWuUooqGHaZBJjOpeXPr10eD1_GWVUzhZ7RDSBIt4qQ9FvOcu0dSqnSZEimO0ox6exAJcR_tpqd463Y46HEzsvhvlRxnbPryR/w640-h342/Social%20Spoutible.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>In six months and 800 posts, I follow 490, and I have 450 followers. Obviously, I’m not going anywhere.</span><p></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.threads.net/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Threads</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGB-S2OvdE8D6gutNQlcobzx34Uwk12F1N8Rrbl5whgLa18VWSEO_OnvP0tQ2cS5LzIbSRVxnzFKI7EhYl2GUQLBlP93HyqQtGO5miZBv0VfjRZhhNjhaCeR8khWYDi_8YZd0k7RLHXip5tsuZU30SUVcQDh9MVkUIvrwvx-f09yrD9BlU_9FuBODwsze/s1341/Social%20Threads1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="1341" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGB-S2OvdE8D6gutNQlcobzx34Uwk12F1N8Rrbl5whgLa18VWSEO_OnvP0tQ2cS5LzIbSRVxnzFKI7EhYl2GUQLBlP93HyqQtGO5miZBv0VfjRZhhNjhaCeR8khWYDi_8YZd0k7RLHXip5tsuZU30SUVcQDh9MVkUIvrwvx-f09yrD9BlU_9FuBODwsze/w400-h53/Social%20Threads1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been on Threads the shortest time of all, only about a month.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomCOlHFnIsLAfebDgq0GG3JF85M8A2s2ziyrpFki5EYQka6liqp7JpLpNSttWquoxWtkNVHoij3EU__I0vM_ZdYG6TVQySDHgRop2XeTb1kjHhSKHMLuFWwCttvc3rEF3AZfbF3ygMgDGXcovjq6pHKsuYAZ_UbT0TE928kcaCxqZLQi07dhFe6BQNfYx/s1252/Social%20Threads.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1252" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomCOlHFnIsLAfebDgq0GG3JF85M8A2s2ziyrpFki5EYQka6liqp7JpLpNSttWquoxWtkNVHoij3EU__I0vM_ZdYG6TVQySDHgRop2XeTb1kjHhSKHMLuFWwCttvc3rEF3AZfbF3ygMgDGXcovjq6pHKsuYAZ_UbT0TE928kcaCxqZLQi07dhFe6BQNfYx/w640-h348/Social%20Threads.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Threads is the least like twitter, fitting as the platform was developed by folks behind Instagram. With that stated, the interface is clean and simple to use with 500-character posts, hashtags, and links. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upside: if you’re on Instagram, everyone who follows you there will follow you on Threads. There is even a handy toggle to move between Instagram and Threads. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">No real downsides, just differences. And, the differences are minor. Do you really need a cover photo/graphic when you have an AVI?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The community is civil and supportive. Everyone is pretty much just figuring the place out. I have engaged with a number of writers. I’ve also discussed politics, movies, and food. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a month-ish: there is no count of posts, but I estimate around 150, with 40 followers, and I’m following 70. The numbers don’t tell the whole story. I really enjoy the platform and look forward to interactions. I’ll be sticking around.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I may yet investigate other platforms. Sadly, twitter is gone and the sooner we accept that, the sooner we can build something better. BTW, if you want to connect, I'm EliasJMcClellan on all the above evaluated platforms. Stop by on Wednesday and we'll talk books, or any other day and we'll talk cats, or something. </span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I have no further need to discuss "X." It's done.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ikNoRuSEVfGceaLDnjfwv_O5Dk9xiWURO8ztARL3-X00KOsRVgUWDndxtq1enTJ-8QATGOrm88F3ay4HtLi_Lx_3caO3Eb4xd3YamKCECx3EzI021Fb9Vn6q6jdyBBMsXTtXLP1JiGnAe5JU-nz0QLZxvZnnI3ae1v6UXATYHfqc3Gh6FWMfMAsF-6im/s453/Social%20Twitter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="453" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ikNoRuSEVfGceaLDnjfwv_O5Dk9xiWURO8ztARL3-X00KOsRVgUWDndxtq1enTJ-8QATGOrm88F3ay4HtLi_Lx_3caO3Eb4xd3YamKCECx3EzI021Fb9Vn6q6jdyBBMsXTtXLP1JiGnAe5JU-nz0QLZxvZnnI3ae1v6UXATYHfqc3Gh6FWMfMAsF-6im/s320/Social%20Twitter.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">All of the images belong to the author except the very top image. All images are used for educational/instructional purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-17033854200867153342023-12-06T12:09:00.008-05:002023-12-13T17:27:26.821-05:00Direction—Does your Story Have It?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5FH8j1eItJFoc2JbBBS8yaz4cd3V22xZZ9CM_J81KIA1-72zg2RfMAkF63N0_dUJ4bPtjn9WSrzwEcPqIHHGGzrC6vNUFwG8daEjllFbROgtgoSyS9NxLGfRDW6WROkNbKG77cZlxUYCXHTGuBdqNa2lpvsmOKGV6B2drMgSMTBouUaschCjI3Z82ckD/s857/899fkx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="857" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5FH8j1eItJFoc2JbBBS8yaz4cd3V22xZZ9CM_J81KIA1-72zg2RfMAkF63N0_dUJ4bPtjn9WSrzwEcPqIHHGGzrC6vNUFwG8daEjllFbROgtgoSyS9NxLGfRDW6WROkNbKG77cZlxUYCXHTGuBdqNa2lpvsmOKGV6B2drMgSMTBouUaschCjI3Z82ckD/w564-h187/899fkx.jpeg" width="564" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past week, Netflix announced the cancellation of five original series. Sadly my new favorite, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shadow and Bone </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was at the top of the list. Honestly I didn’t read much further. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There were a lot of challenges for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SaB. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a big story with a huge cast set in a fantasy land. Think </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Game of Thrones, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(set in late 19th century Europe) but a lot less savagery. No CGI dragons or white walkers but gorgeous sets, sumptuous costumes, and clearly-not-back-lot locations. All together it was a big draw for me and, no doubt, countless others. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSmRIrnZ1dm7Da4N0Y6noVLvM0cOM3PwTj7YpNkxCGas6U1DjBGzrDq8S57JL25gmcuXmt6N9fgqKDC2VXdNmd7awippUYPCGQWZDPuxSuNEJChTRIB4Er968-G77l8v-Yi_Vr-kTfv9k7J9zk9N9Mz2DvCxFaphHbRwCw4rKIaOrEh9IeqjY_mQqRAqC/s586/SaB.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSmRIrnZ1dm7Da4N0Y6noVLvM0cOM3PwTj7YpNkxCGas6U1DjBGzrDq8S57JL25gmcuXmt6N9fgqKDC2VXdNmd7awippUYPCGQWZDPuxSuNEJChTRIB4Er968-G77l8v-Yi_Vr-kTfv9k7J9zk9N9Mz2DvCxFaphHbRwCw4rKIaOrEh9IeqjY_mQqRAqC/s320/SaB.jpeg" width="307" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We certainly do!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">But, yeah, NOT cheap. Of course dual strikes did nothing to help. *Note* I’m pro-union, I support and believe in the courage of WGA and SAG-AFTRA members. No, I think the biggest issue with </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SaB</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was the second season. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">*Spoilers*</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Seasons one embodied the word “want.” Alina Starkov, (Jessie Mei Li) is an army mapmaker with a secret. She must brave that secret to save her childhood bestie, Mal, (Archie Renaux) an army scout, in front of the frontline. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYryGDvWLSxD9nFEO1FLkCp8-WAuQ5CnvpGmfd3S9lLaVFu2e4Y0MqaAykGkXqhuz7A_9ysgvLAQHZ0cTO3x-sC2h1PN-jcam4KPfpzvj_Pgslsc0ekqfx328beIcXioVj2GsJAF2nqFI1EhhJ4_f_gr3bosFrkOZCcaQ2uT_g_qrBO9eXRuXHWk2nAP9/s792/Alina.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="792" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYryGDvWLSxD9nFEO1FLkCp8-WAuQ5CnvpGmfd3S9lLaVFu2e4Y0MqaAykGkXqhuz7A_9ysgvLAQHZ0cTO3x-sC2h1PN-jcam4KPfpzvj_Pgslsc0ekqfx328beIcXioVj2GsJAF2nqFI1EhhJ4_f_gr3bosFrkOZCcaQ2uT_g_qrBO9eXRuXHWk2nAP9/s320/Alina.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alina REALLY wants to <i>save</i> Mal.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the other side of a deadly darkness, gang-leader Kaz, (Freddy Carter) has one hope and he’ll move heaven/earth to free his true love, Inej, (Amita Suman) from indentured servitude—and for a shot at revenge. </span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jVsEiFYemFqNI1vfjfL22IipW0gXtyGcZ8lZYBFqXV_bhVdQCt6DG1ApS_QmnIlUixQLOnH1YvcRKu0soEDvCamTFNF9bZgTndc7QiAmwUMvR4s5D2v8UTV_XbDTlOldmZY8-DMF9TuMOuCClgXanDYAbmS0NG4FbxuF8rooWhIejqv04RZrUeCLIUCu/s630/Kaz.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="630" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jVsEiFYemFqNI1vfjfL22IipW0gXtyGcZ8lZYBFqXV_bhVdQCt6DG1ApS_QmnIlUixQLOnH1YvcRKu0soEDvCamTFNF9bZgTndc7QiAmwUMvR4s5D2v8UTV_XbDTlOldmZY8-DMF9TuMOuCClgXanDYAbmS0NG4FbxuF8rooWhIejqv04RZrUeCLIUCu/s320/Kaz.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But, yeah, mostly for revenge...</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then there is General Kirigan, (Ben Barnes) who wants control over a power that can literally change the map for good and strip him of his tyrannical hold on power.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHunQb1qnYAmaqBUykruj-La99w-RfPd17fk47IgPQgLGewPasX0k0yLo3HkWVi7oW7EibHr5MvHrIU8942UGWsJY7FBnArzXf5LlfDi-etiOYHmE4Uit7vx8r-6LI_w3Vf3SFnt9HOeAFIWJpz6LkozKNQ-v94gI8IEfAWF_wfAYcmVwhx-GTTlNVJJ2D/s395/Kirigan.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="395" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHunQb1qnYAmaqBUykruj-La99w-RfPd17fk47IgPQgLGewPasX0k0yLo3HkWVi7oW7EibHr5MvHrIU8942UGWsJY7FBnArzXf5LlfDi-etiOYHmE4Uit7vx8r-6LI_w3Vf3SFnt9HOeAFIWJpz6LkozKNQ-v94gI8IEfAWF_wfAYcmVwhx-GTTlNVJJ2D/s320/Kirigan.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Nothing untoward, my dear. I just want your power."</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And every bit of it worked because you felt the need, individual to each person. It compelled me and countless others to watch. So much so, when I read of the cancellation I immediately bought the first book in Leigh Bardugo’s series. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, if season one could be reduced to one word: “want,” season two could be truncated to much weaker word: “malaise.” While the fabled Sun Summoner still has a want, now complicated with power and accomplishment, Kaz and his band of Crows satisfy their objective in the first two episodes and the rest of the season is a fumbling quest-list. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Make no mistake, there are moments of brilliance. I remain staunchly team-Crows but after the first two or three episodes the arc feels forced and, as compelling as Alina may be, she can’t carry the show alone. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStciXL9F69fkX_M_34_pRLgFBZtvtEeXaLpa7RbJ0ijccW9kXckj-5wagvwTKhcKgPfmjfVZwXvDe6iS4ov09aAoh1zHXRsoMO2IuhiJW7HrZuAcqfZh0HHub2sbpxAIH_Rl7O7yF0IK-uqoIM4eN_gOakw6diUxdHS3gM-zd5CQNwMT0eSS-LhbYI2RI/s634/Kaz2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="634" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStciXL9F69fkX_M_34_pRLgFBZtvtEeXaLpa7RbJ0ijccW9kXckj-5wagvwTKhcKgPfmjfVZwXvDe6iS4ov09aAoh1zHXRsoMO2IuhiJW7HrZuAcqfZh0HHub2sbpxAIH_Rl7O7yF0IK-uqoIM4eN_gOakw6diUxdHS3gM-zd5CQNwMT0eSS-LhbYI2RI/s320/Kaz2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heart-breaking brilliance.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Starting a fire is harder than it looks…</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">October Faction</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is another Netflix original that got the ax, albeit in 2020, after season one. Nowhere near as expansive, epic, or expensive, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OF</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> followed a husband and wife team of monster hunters returning to the town where they grew up, met, and married over a shared grief-and-shame secret. The problem with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OF</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s single season is the same with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SaB</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s 2nd season—direction. It is inconsistent. Just as the crows are pretty much just hanging out after Kaz gets his revenge and secures Inej’ freedom, (again, in the first 3 episodes) the Allen Family are just hanging out, killing the odd demon through the first six-ish episodes without much really going on. THEEEEEEN, around episode six we find out that the kids are not the Allen’s biological children (and why). In successive episodes we learn more about the shared pain that connects Fred (J.C. MacKenzie) and Delores (Tamara Taylor). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We also learn that both have been keeping other secrets from each other. Chief among them is Fred’s affair. See? If those points had been loaded up around episode 3 this show might’ve generated ratings to support renewal. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4E5E25peH5tMEYcuyz6dHeoC3hDmKwA4iULkep_QYyg_RpnKnx68xEnr47zoXW7QRjfLhtZfYQj4M3O_Ov0c4J6TPxnBZCUaEPNBO26OP5iYTRDPrLkUznLvxFbf5_2U3XDo5rooLAig7clS1ST3yNAFx65OXztPonmg_jAjUZmAGVrvi4PdIRQKgIzI/s848/October.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="848" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4E5E25peH5tMEYcuyz6dHeoC3hDmKwA4iULkep_QYyg_RpnKnx68xEnr47zoXW7QRjfLhtZfYQj4M3O_Ov0c4J6TPxnBZCUaEPNBO26OP5iYTRDPrLkUznLvxFbf5_2U3XDo5rooLAig7clS1ST3yNAFx65OXztPonmg_jAjUZmAGVrvi4PdIRQKgIzI/s320/October.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the drama is just (6 slow episodes) below the surface.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Direction issues are rare. Honestly most television shows with direction issues don’t make it beyond the pilot, if that far. It is also rare to see a show stumble once they have their direction lined up. Books simply don’t make it beyond developmental edits. Self-published books with direction issues seldom do the business to support a follow up.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, most shows, (or books) fade under the weight of their success. A UPN original, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Babylon 5</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—a science fiction epic with shades of Asimov’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Foundation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series, Tolkien’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord of the Rings,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and a dose of cold-war paranoia, all aboard a five-mile-long space station—started strong. While sporting a large cast, every person had their own direction, agenda, or, “want.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5j6x_aI7uOo8L58Jq9Ut8u8_L8VuFGeEtKOaIJYxzAThd0eThnTqkCvqpYuMgb6OzIAMwhryklapwXmugOjQn-CP-Kxa6RZJFsyw7zsJCGs8gauCBGkI5iNDbP1LO-ppItyDqREDqhqtrZD9y3CuepjDxOhjp5_16l_O68UEyCtYKzwUYN_721IZLs03/s700/babylon_5_Cast.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5j6x_aI7uOo8L58Jq9Ut8u8_L8VuFGeEtKOaIJYxzAThd0eThnTqkCvqpYuMgb6OzIAMwhryklapwXmugOjQn-CP-Kxa6RZJFsyw7zsJCGs8gauCBGkI5iNDbP1LO-ppItyDqREDqhqtrZD9y3CuepjDxOhjp5_16l_O68UEyCtYKzwUYN_721IZLs03/s320/babylon_5_Cast.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you can't wait to fight but it's picture day at school.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">G’Kar, (Andres Katsulas) wants to consolidate his species’ power, solidify their place in the galaxy, and then exact revenge against the species that oppressed their world for hundreds of years. His foil, Londo, (Peter Jurasik) a disgraced nobleman is on </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B5</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> mostly to get him out of court but also to build alliances to contain G’Kar. Mimbari ambassador Delenn, (Mira Furlan) works to preserve the fragile peace while harboring her own plans. Commander Sinclair, the human administrator, (Michael O’Hare) a hero under a pronounced cloud with his own people (and the Mimbari) struggles to hold onto his sanity while plagued by waking nightmares from a disastrous war. All around them agent provocateurs (of all origins) campaign to destroy the fragile peace.</span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, it’s a lot</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, it all worked. Creator and chief writer, J. Michael Straczynski had written </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B5 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with a five-year arc in mind. Then Warner Brothers announced they were pulling the plug at the end of season four. It was only after Straczynski had revised his story arc to wrap everything up that Turner Network Television offered a fifth season. The results were “meh.” All the conflict that has been carefully, methodically built over five years had been resolved in seasons three and four. Straczynski’s own conflict: proving that audiences were sophisticated enough for a hard-arc in their television entertainment had also been satisfied. He had nowhere to go with the characters who remained and the writing reflected that with half-baked conflicts that feel like filler episodes. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3qhq46pXKIyothxvTdQxAamdBIgMrAdQuslC0qY-0EiLhkUTWHTfpTWb5lY9YDZXZJZZ1hMsuj1X0rCiiXdiUF-nKpoCRaW1f9bCgJat7qTb0PRNQhaEh_9nTgJ-3AMFjkAKHqT9GE0JaKoYR8BZojWJNLUVUwpiOftgRw85IaWDrhVJBijy2epunFbK/s344/Girlfriends-opening03-06.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="344" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3qhq46pXKIyothxvTdQxAamdBIgMrAdQuslC0qY-0EiLhkUTWHTfpTWb5lY9YDZXZJZZ1hMsuj1X0rCiiXdiUF-nKpoCRaW1f9bCgJat7qTb0PRNQhaEh_9nTgJ-3AMFjkAKHqT9GE0JaKoYR8BZojWJNLUVUwpiOftgRw85IaWDrhVJBijy2epunFbK/s320/Girlfriends-opening03-06.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No jokes, just a lovely, lovely title card.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Following closely on Babylon 5’s success </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Girlfriends</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> broke sit-com ground. Created by Mara Broc, Akil and following five friends in contemporary Los Angeles, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GF</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was smart, funny, and a mature take on single life. Best of all, there was strong direction denoting living/breathing people and not sitcom-caricatures. Joan (Tracy Ellis Ross) is an associate at a mid-sized-law firm. She is a third-generation Angelino success story. The only thing missing from her picture-perfect life is family—needle, meet haystack. </span></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNtzsjQ376WvgxJ6Su4IBS0MNfbROxBkmKaWEtT6YW_URbVTICxiBhB5XsWA8j3a0YqZ9IVRq9Bu00C-QXB6SJF4Yj_Ei_SV22oQb-Rz5Zl_SCAivbNL57Y0oK_BcluWnc9fvrMsdKAkCyDHd-eEAYlR0wD5CnVikevZ-l4WAyP2NJxM6JcvS_Q6PG9Xt/s750/1361803.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="750" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNtzsjQ376WvgxJ6Su4IBS0MNfbROxBkmKaWEtT6YW_URbVTICxiBhB5XsWA8j3a0YqZ9IVRq9Bu00C-QXB6SJF4Yj_Ei_SV22oQb-Rz5Zl_SCAivbNL57Y0oK_BcluWnc9fvrMsdKAkCyDHd-eEAYlR0wD5CnVikevZ-l4WAyP2NJxM6JcvS_Q6PG9Xt/s320/1361803.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of drama, no space ships necessary.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rest of the cast, Maya, (Golden Brooks) Lynn, (Persia White) Toni, (Jill Marie Jones) and William, (Reggie Hayes) have equally fully fleshed out lives, backgrounds, and goals. Often those goals intersect. Just as often, those goals clash. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Girlfriends</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> punched WAY above its weight and I honestly hold it superior to the WAY overrated </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sex and the City.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sadly, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GFs </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">suffered from contract disputes, screwy scheduling, and a spat of mergers. The stated nail in the coffin was a writers’ strike and declining ratings. They leave out mergers and decisions away from programing directed at African American audiences.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, again, the decline in the show tracks to the writing and a clear loss of direction. The dynamic between the characters could and did withstand the departure of Toni in season six. The writers were slow to abandon their “replace Toni” arc but worst was the forced relationship between William and Joan. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The tension between them, indeed across all the relationships, was a large part of what made the show so much fun to watch. More than squashing the “will they, won’t they?” suspense, rushing the relationship felt shoehorned. Then, when the relationship fell flat the writers went nowhere fresh. They hit reset and hoped no one would notice.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">By the final season, we got to see fully executed arcs from Maya, Lynn, and even Monica while Joan’s arc is flatlined and William’s story is regressed. Without logical direction, Joan and William become side characters. The eventual cancellation was almost a relief. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Endings are hard</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just as no genre has a lock on lack of direction, no genre has a lock on lost direction. Cops and robbers have been a television staple since black-and-white pictures and tin-foil on the antennae. The direction is simple. Good guys chase, catch, and arrest bad guys. The formula worked for decades but after Frank Serpico uncovered systemic corruption in the NYPD, audiences were ready for a little more reality in their routine. </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdln4H8tOzhze29H0QQNZGUx3AUgGswUPLnBGFVi0l38NEQFQCz2_PXlUvsLdm6qrLtZ3BCixEtA7u_1vEGYPSBV1Lq0VfP8SCLw2kbNbUxxoEUZm-dFXBUM0SQJFwphMUOHP0Lp9lfEh3WTuNCMowDsCQjHBZ8jEheHZaa1XJpIG22lQMOKgJLltu8J3-/s400/Wire.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdln4H8tOzhze29H0QQNZGUx3AUgGswUPLnBGFVi0l38NEQFQCz2_PXlUvsLdm6qrLtZ3BCixEtA7u_1vEGYPSBV1Lq0VfP8SCLw2kbNbUxxoEUZm-dFXBUM0SQJFwphMUOHP0Lp9lfEh3WTuNCMowDsCQjHBZ8jEheHZaa1XJpIG22lQMOKgJLltu8J3-/s320/Wire.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like an edgier <i>One-Adam 12</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fast-forward a couple more decades and you get </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wire. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most influential television shows of all time, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TW</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> follows officers on the Baltimore Police Department as they tackle the crack trade in the projects. With the taskforce as a backdrop, we meet McNulty, (Dominic West) is alcoholic degenerate who is only ever good when he’s on the job. Bunk, (Wendell Pierce) is a veteran detective who aspires to advancement beyond the street. Greggs, (Sonja Sohn) has graduated from law school and is ready to level up from street-police. Omar Little (Michael K. Williams, RIP) is a stick-up man out for revenge after the man he loves is murdered.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHMbS3qGZTdSCVUOT78Ju76eq7hcaBvC_hNEKuxnsLgqShq1JKKPhGmMr2EzXwoWWMQA76mcLYwmfKmHgvrTRzlI6uZDQpGkQAj4mbHL6PZhd3qQx4Csrm7PdOrwD86uFK37V5JmlBT2RSYpM7ijvvlZSEOx_jg-MJRkLkKc6153pYTPtWRlZ9B1esMLV/s960/omarfeatured-960x430.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="960" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHMbS3qGZTdSCVUOT78Ju76eq7hcaBvC_hNEKuxnsLgqShq1JKKPhGmMr2EzXwoWWMQA76mcLYwmfKmHgvrTRzlI6uZDQpGkQAj4mbHL6PZhd3qQx4Csrm7PdOrwD86uFK37V5JmlBT2RSYpM7ijvvlZSEOx_jg-MJRkLkKc6153pYTPtWRlZ9B1esMLV/s320/omarfeatured-960x430.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Omar comin'!" And he's a good guy.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone gets twisted and everyone gets dirty in the churn. That is the brilliance of the show. Season one and two, they’re chasing a multi-generational Baltimore crime family with connections to the Greek mafia. The direction is toothache real. By season three, the detail has chased the Greeks off the waterfront and focus on dismantling the Barksdale’s crime network legally, while Omar goes after the Barksdale street-style.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But season four sputters. New characters are introduced. As-is a new baddie but he is a pale comparison to Barksdale, Bell, and the Greek. The outcome is just as fraught with jeopardy. But the direction of the show is mundane-mid-career vague. Who wants what? Why do we care?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Season five takes a hard turn into writer self-indulgence. Ed Burns, one of the creators of the show, is a retired police officer and former teacher. The salient storyline is the classroom-to-crime conduit. Critics claim that the season is about media consumption. No one cared. There were hints of what made the show great. Mostly it was closure and the tone was that of a sendoff, which it was.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHcCbM_A6-QmUa3Gj0kwlQYv1dDXhO5fyHFV19umv0BWuk3jB4-0jEodQUUMBVfxA1RbErfJfE_Vp3zF2CQHzQWhMMERhbeb_reUb2nFG0orwOKhOWRHP7_IfHhyphenhyphentuMwcLdlkcbYcjrk4p7js09huz75iEi9JkVAcCDt94CcVL9G6xQ7dQGsYmxFpGSBL/s843/walhberg-in-the-happening-mark-wahlberg-13938108-853-480.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="843" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHcCbM_A6-QmUa3Gj0kwlQYv1dDXhO5fyHFV19umv0BWuk3jB4-0jEodQUUMBVfxA1RbErfJfE_Vp3zF2CQHzQWhMMERhbeb_reUb2nFG0orwOKhOWRHP7_IfHhyphenhyphentuMwcLdlkcbYcjrk4p7js09huz75iEi9JkVAcCDt94CcVL9G6xQ7dQGsYmxFpGSBL/s320/walhberg-in-the-happening-mark-wahlberg-13938108-853-480.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really, there are worse endings.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">None of that is necessarily wrong. Stephen King (regularly) teaches how hard endings are with the frequency in which he abandons the characters and story and just stops typing. Others, (</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Martian</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) over-wring their endings and rob them of impact. However, if your characters lose direction, lose focus, the story is already over, whether it is page 300 or page 3. </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7NNvdfTNcyA8r_XJUBjassU2WktBXb-_c6X73WR32yNcFjctGwF8b8qrSi8NGeBBb7rerc5zGsm7fpF-kb3ke36Ov0v5-Jkr3hscopNmnHmZTIHZVRzSmKfiwqX1IS9z4PARLVwsfqkEDGsecsaaXnomn5XHqWRYNhCQpLcDjTjvx9HZpKtDylhyxcKM/s960/McNulty.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ7NNvdfTNcyA8r_XJUBjassU2WktBXb-_c6X73WR32yNcFjctGwF8b8qrSi8NGeBBb7rerc5zGsm7fpF-kb3ke36Ov0v5-Jkr3hscopNmnHmZTIHZVRzSmKfiwqX1IS9z4PARLVwsfqkEDGsecsaaXnomn5XHqWRYNhCQpLcDjTjvx9HZpKtDylhyxcKM/s320/McNulty.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still a better ending than whatever Wahlberg is doing.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">I own none of the images above. All are used for educational/instructional purposes as defined by the Fair Use Doctrine. </span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-44269200923120368012023-11-20T15:29:00.001-05:002023-11-20T15:29:25.580-05:00The Characters That Make Up A Thriller<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eJJy0ekKwoY6hl9CFIHJNmizHbLwIkvAnAj6nCTkR5ZzJssLc0bFEHMKfMXdpaOvtvsZwE9T8tSlpohQ9Wrk96dMF3ogBXbKJ7U3hNkjo9KQlspSM9nu-0rKiCVqs3z2S7bfE6VlBbAfsZ31E6qgKrRUNFRFeHkp6hdBA4sAwNz-P41juzlegdeUdPaJ/s1080/Flames%20of%20Wrath%201%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eJJy0ekKwoY6hl9CFIHJNmizHbLwIkvAnAj6nCTkR5ZzJssLc0bFEHMKfMXdpaOvtvsZwE9T8tSlpohQ9Wrk96dMF3ogBXbKJ7U3hNkjo9KQlspSM9nu-0rKiCVqs3z2S7bfE6VlBbAfsZ31E6qgKrRUNFRFeHkp6hdBA4sAwNz-P41juzlegdeUdPaJ/s320/Flames%20of%20Wrath%201%20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A trip to Jamaica during spring break changes the lives of Geneva Leighton and her daughter.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>When the cybersecurity expert discovers that her child is the victim of a violent crime, she uses the first recourse open to her—the law—to find out what happened. When that doesn’t work, Geneva takes her own route to finding out the truth.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While thrillers are mainly plot-driven, the characters inside the pages can make or break the<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>story for me. In most cases, I’m all about the people between the covers—what sets them on<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>their hero’s journey, what makes them do what they do, and how they manage their situation.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The best thrillers have compelling characters that readers can relate to, or empathize with. The<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>protagonist faces intense challenges, and their development throughout the story can be both<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>inspiring or not, depending on where their adventure takes them and how the book is written.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Peeling back the layers of each character helps me relate to them and makes the journey more<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>personal. I can root for them if I know what’s driving their actions.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The human psyche is a source of endless fascination and these books dive into the depths of<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>human motivations, fears, and desires. These lead to psychological games between characters,<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>which work well alongside the dangers they encounter on their story journey. This exploration<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>of the human mind is thought-provoking, and readers enjoy delving into the darker aspects of </span><span style="font-size: large;">human behavior. I should know ‘cause I’m one of those readers, too.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Learning about other cultures and seeing how people live is another interesting aspect of<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>cracking open a good thriller. I’ve read books that have taken me to various places in the world<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>and shown me unique snapshots of other cultures that I would not have otherwise had a clue<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>about. When these snippets are built into the fabric of the storyline and the unexpected plot<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>twists, I’m left with a lasting impression of the people I’ve been journeying with and the why of<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>their behavior patterns.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, the thrill of the chase and the unrelenting pace are what grab many readers, but for me a<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>story is top-notch when I can relate to the characters, their motivation, and the fact that I’m<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>still thinking about them days after I’ve finished the book. Of course, I hope I’ve created these<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>kinds of individuals in Flames of Wrath.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>About Flames of Wrath</b></span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">The need to right a wrong against an innocent victim triggers a hailstorm of revenge!</span></i></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In less than twenty-four hours—before Alexia Leighton is scheduled to return to Miami from<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>spring break in Jamaica—a group of friends betray her in a grisly assault that stops a heartbeat<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>away from murder. The seventeen-year-old prays for the mercy of death. She survives. While<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>on the road to recovery, Alexia’s attackers become victims of mysterious acts of violence,<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>leaving authorities confounded and racing against time to prevent another deadly attack. Concern looms, as the perpetrator has proven to be two steps ahead of them at every turn.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When the attention swings to Alexia’s mother, a cyber-security expert, the family closes ranks.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Geneva Leighton must quickly eliminate herself as a suspect, but not without handing down more punishment. The offenders fear for their own safety and the secrets that plague them.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Can they trust the police to find the killer before someone else dies, or has their fate been<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>sealed—leaving them with no place to run, and no place to hide…</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Buy link: https://books2read.com/FlamesOfWrath </span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>About the Author</b></span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">National Bestselling Author, J.L. Campbell writes in a range of genres. Campbell, who hails from<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Jamaica, has penned over forty books. She is a certified editor, and book coach. When she’s not<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>writing, Campbell adds to her extensive collection of photos detailing Jamaica’s natural beauty.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Visit her on the web at www.joylcampbell.com</span></p><p style="font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Connect with her on social media via Sociatap. https://sociatap.com/JL_Campbell</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-1810433645597437002023-11-14T20:27:00.002-05:002023-11-14T20:27:15.759-05:00Crime Report—FalconClaw: Bones, a Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqfJEmPqpWcTuuoIJnwQHyfT_60GuiMK2HRPv0UO_hVWoputzoWi9nYRb9GavtIsNFwkW7QnE5j2Vngv50YCvZ6UfSgZA8J5LRowrx6UYJA_mzTHmNETzbR3wxv4ULUaI0sWsDFvWcHnlj2FUDsU8corZr8dUI0_hEmUa0_zPiwIUQyHv02FvLlfq5FMZ/s530/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-14%20at%206.30.37%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqfJEmPqpWcTuuoIJnwQHyfT_60GuiMK2HRPv0UO_hVWoputzoWi9nYRb9GavtIsNFwkW7QnE5j2Vngv50YCvZ6UfSgZA8J5LRowrx6UYJA_mzTHmNETzbR3wxv4ULUaI0sWsDFvWcHnlj2FUDsU8corZr8dUI0_hEmUa0_zPiwIUQyHv02FvLlfq5FMZ/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-11-14%20at%206.30.37%20PM.png" width="220" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Detective Jon “Bones” Sullivan fights to simply make through each day. Recovering from physical and emotional wounds tied to a shootout that left his partner dead, day-to-day is the best he can do. Then he is confronted by the specter of death, another loss in his police family, and the return of a woman he let go.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Instead of rolling over, Bones dives head-first back into his job to preserve his sanity.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, neither Candace Weatherby’s return nor the specter of death is a coincidence. Both events are heralds of a killer on a mission of retribution and tribute played out across North Philadelphia. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Bones </i>is Michael Cook’s fifth book in the <i>FalconClaw </i>series. In the course of five books he has explored a range of sub-genres, cozy to mystery to police procedural—and now serial-killer thriller. Book one was Frank and Penny, (based on actual North Philly detectives). Then we met the second generation Frank and Penny, (spiritual descendants in contemporary circumstances). Now the baton has been passed to Bones Sullivan.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“…Sylvia Langham walked down those steps and into oblivion.”</span></i></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On heels of the afore-mentioned death in the family, Bones is thrilled to be reunited with Candace, even as she takes on a consulting job that puts her on the streets among the very people Bones hunts. All too soon, they are investigating the disappearance of a college student, snatched off the street.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then visions begin to point Bones toward something more than random abductions and subsequent killings. The visions also suggest that he is now the hunted.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Only the dead know Brooklyn</span></i></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thomas Wolfe wrote his famous commentary on Brooklynites, and their borough, almost 100 years ago. Yet the idea is as fresh as morning coffee in Cook’s world. Both cops and robbers, good guys and bad are directed as much by lessons from the dead as they are by their own mortality.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If Candace Weatherby’s reception at the storied 39th is frosty, (they refer to her as Ms. Montreal) it is from a lack of history. Shared history, like shared loss and shared jeopardy, unite the men and women on the job. How do you trust someone who doesn’t know the city? How can she know the city if she doesn’t know the ghosts of the city?</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
Only the haunted know the ghosts of Philly’s streets. Haunted by generational abuse and unrelenting loss, Bones knows Philadelphia through and through. Which brings us to the star of the story.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
The backbone (puns) character uniting all five books of Cook’s <i>FalconClaw </i>saga is Philadelphia. Rustbelt trauma and end-of-the-gilded-age reality dot each characters’ emotional landscape. History informs day-to-day life for the scrappy survivors in Nicetown and Franklinville. History permeates the 39th District.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">North Philly carries the race-tension real story through every twist and turn of undead streets and the walking ghosts who populate them. Cook’s sense of place is only exceeded by his ability to subvert expectations. Place, tone, and tension make for a breakneck pace.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Note: this is not a cozy. The big-bad here is a serial murderer. The details are graphic. There are also accounts of sexual and domestic abuse. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With that stated, <i>FalconClaw: Bones</i> is also a lot of fun to read. As stated Cook will pivot your expectations like a judo-master. Also, as with previous books, there is a genre crossover that this review won’t spoil. However fans of Robert van Gulik’s Judge Dee will thoroughly enjoy Cook’s work. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He clearly had fun writing it and you’ll have fun reading it. Check it out <a href="https://www.amazon.com/FalconClaw-Bones-Detective-Book-ebook/dp/B0CL5FNR1F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AL3YVH32ZRKI&keywords=falconclaw+bones+michael+cook&qid=1700011532&sprefix=falconclaw%3A+bones%2Caps%2C511&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here</a>!</span></p><p><br /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-56773679814972509652023-10-24T14:48:00.001-04:002023-10-24T14:48:12.234-04:00Crime Report—Flames of Wrath a Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l1ZA0hN7KOx7mrura6qNdAVo7tRkm0-hgzar8N82dBDeQ1ln6ABX8s6iDy1v7VR_RJ9gRkPquYxYWxufUElLj3WxuVP1mlG-nPv9bDgp9CvOqY54OPcq2_vA6HHu8Hd3bSu292upsF8zno0uzyD4TZo6tx-iCGlmb_UmGfax92VhL4oRptJCTCttbrcv/s1080/FOW.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0l1ZA0hN7KOx7mrura6qNdAVo7tRkm0-hgzar8N82dBDeQ1ln6ABX8s6iDy1v7VR_RJ9gRkPquYxYWxufUElLj3WxuVP1mlG-nPv9bDgp9CvOqY54OPcq2_vA6HHu8Hd3bSu292upsF8zno0uzyD4TZo6tx-iCGlmb_UmGfax92VhL4oRptJCTCttbrcv/s320/FOW.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">J.L. Campbell’s new thriller, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Flames of Wrath</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, opens at a house party. We meet Alexia as she navigates a group of college kids while making for the exit. With her mother and grandmother’s voice of reason in her ear, Alexia has read the debaucherous room and decided to bail, just as soon as she finds her friends…</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">**Trigger Warning: the following review subject deals with sexual assault**</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However Campbell writes respectfully and maturely. There are no graphic or salacious details here. Which is not to say </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FoW </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is bloodless. The aftermath is far more brutal than the assault.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alexia is our introduction to </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FoW</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but Geneva, the young woman's mother, is our guide. We see the horror of what Alexia has suffered through her mother’s eyes. We also see the rage of all mothers, indeed all women, in Geneva’s actions.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Tears resolve nothing…”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Geneva is FIERCE in her love for her child, in her anger at her husband, (stymied by convention) in her disgust for a system that—rather than speed justice—spokes the wheels of law and exacerbates healing. Once she realizes that even in the best of circumstances, a system designed by men and administered by men, seldom holds men accountable, Geneva strikes out on her own path. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">NOT Jessica Fletcher</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unwilling to play a game she cannot win, Geneva goes after the boys who assaulted her child on her own terms. Unconcerned with courts and laws, Geneva seeks justice. And Geneva’s justice is as indelible as the scars Alexia will carry forever more. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Someone you know has been a victim</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that one-in-four women experience some form of sexual assault some point in their lives. A U.N. study is more exacting: six-out-of ten women suffer sexual assault before the age of 18. Nine-out-of-ten suffer sexual assault in their lifetime. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Do you know how much grief you’ve caused this family?”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Campbell deals a sharp indictment to the contributing factors to rape: poverty and privilege, generational abuse and societal attitudes—worst of all, the shrugging complicity in some women. While another mother castigates her daughter for seeking justice after years of childhood abuse and trauma, Geneva comforts, protects, and in the absence of justice, she seeks retribution for Alexia. Never once does Geneva blame her daughter. Instead, she cocoons Alexia in love and support. Even as her marriage suffers. Even as her other child questions her motives.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">“...without a roadmap to get back home…”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Campbell writes as maturely and soberly about families as she does about violence against women. Geneva’s marriage is the real deal, with years of grievances just under the surface of crisis-diplomacy. Her husband, Spence, is as hobbled by issues with his police-commissioner father as he is with parental fury. They dance around one another with only the imperative of their child uniting them.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And speaking of dances</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Each risk she takes is a wind-gust to Geneva’s balancing act. Each repercussion of her actions is a shock to the tightwire Geneva spans between protecting Alexia and exacting justice. But even as the police question her, (inept as they may be, the cops know vigilante work when they smell it) Geneva pushes forward, risks be-damned. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Real people, real injustice, real responses</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a review of Pierre Morel’s 2008 movie </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taken</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the reviewer calls the movie “dad porn.” The hero, retired CIA agent, Bryan Mills, (Liam Neeson) warns his daughter against a trip overseas. When the daughter is kidnapped in Paris, Mills unleashes horrible retribution against the abductors. I get it, sorta. It’s wish-fulfillment for a lot of something-something-year-old dudes who wish for a license to do terrible things to “foreign people” in a violently-punctuated “I told you so…” because their kids just won’t listen to them.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The movie took the capable man trope from clichée to punchline.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are no heroes here, no jokes either, only survivors</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What makes Geneva—no special-forces badass, no spy, no cop—so compelling is who she is: a mother and an IT professional. That makes her more dangerous than those stock characters. Determined to protect her daughter and get justice with the tools at her disposal as an IT professional, Geneva punches above her weight, swinging at powerful people with connections and money. She is us and we are her.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pain and anger in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FoW</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is universal. So is the delicious revenge that Geneva twists out of the predators she hunts. Suspenseful and satisfying, J.L. Campbell’s </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Flames of Wrath </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is way more entertaining than it should be. Check it out for pre-order </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flames-Wrath-J-L-Campbell-ebook/dp/B0BZ3579DM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UXUMP0DXIRNO&keywords=flames+of+wrath&qid=1698148407&s=books&sprefix=flames+of+wrath%2Cstripbooks%2C118&sr=1-1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The photo at the top belongs to Black Odyssey Press. It is used here for instruction/educational purposes as defined by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-34800923012706740702023-10-11T14:27:00.005-04:002023-11-29T15:18:36.224-05:00Over-Done Tropes—Women Can't Fight<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNPLhOmQhulKXZxayJ9o07PPCGFMmBx3MR97OCZRqsLBnJY68HAj_0GOO_DszCULOmQEqZXkmBFSBZcpW6404QA85VkIgq3gWcjpjEnAu9KEqyMin3TpLppx1JVspOWRpfk1xmTUuGX30dU68tNwBpMrkDq9EuCxxNSYcaKtpFf4vOOKdRO1z06bHvaUP/s225/Neil.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNPLhOmQhulKXZxayJ9o07PPCGFMmBx3MR97OCZRqsLBnJY68HAj_0GOO_DszCULOmQEqZXkmBFSBZcpW6404QA85VkIgq3gWcjpjEnAu9KEqyMin3TpLppx1JVspOWRpfk1xmTUuGX30dU68tNwBpMrkDq9EuCxxNSYcaKtpFf4vOOKdRO1z06bHvaUP/w400-h400/Neil.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In a 1994 Rolling Stone article, a reporter followed a gang-intervention counselor making field visits to recent gang school graduates after their release from prison. Embarrassed by the visit and desperate to reestablish his street-cred, one gang member starts an argument with his foster sister. When the girl </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">(younger and smaller) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">cusses him out, gang boy takes a swing. The author wrote that the sister slammed into gang boy so hard her earrings flew from her ears. In the resulting mee-lee she beats gang boy to the ground.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNdfzlqUOMYMfqOq-AcK0aIdSeaAVVaoYaEO9_nGJOoIF2kFk8vSdd5snRyAYJ3tjTHJk5cWOvtgxFJEp0Z1_y3am2iNYAMUcLWm8i2Y7famYlcOGcXAQCgXzFKzKaiXT2JSA2JsH56H2KpT6clFu7wm-BtTBjzPFqbGZmACB5leFt72BHJ4umsechUYd/s512/mi%20vida%20loca.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="341" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNdfzlqUOMYMfqOq-AcK0aIdSeaAVVaoYaEO9_nGJOoIF2kFk8vSdd5snRyAYJ3tjTHJk5cWOvtgxFJEp0Z1_y3am2iNYAMUcLWm8i2Y7famYlcOGcXAQCgXzFKzKaiXT2JSA2JsH56H2KpT6clFu7wm-BtTBjzPFqbGZmACB5leFt72BHJ4umsechUYd/s320/mi%20vida%20loca.jpeg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Go ahead, assume they are weak.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is one example of why </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> basis in reality is important no matter what flavor of fiction you write. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In previous posts I’ve taken some </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: line-through; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">well-worn</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> over-done fiction tropes and deconstructed why the tropes are used. From there we explore why what makes the tropes over-done and/or outdated. Most importantly, I attempt to give examples of better ways to write.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Note: I did not say easier, I said better.</span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A writing trope is device specific to genre, e.g., the burned-out police detective, the ne’er-do-well family member, (usually a brother, usually with an addiction) the thief/hitman with one last score before retirement, are all crime-fiction tropes. Most have been done...to death. Some may argue that they are tropes (rather than cliches) because they are relatable/reliable guideposts for the reader.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">For the reader or for the writer?</span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s subject: women can’t fight. This is a scene-setting device cueing up the “real” hero, usually a dude, to rescue the fair maiden. In extreme examples like </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taken, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(movie) </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deathwish, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(book and movie) </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spider Man,</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (comicbook) the victimized woman is the catalyst for the dude to “hero-up” and seek justice.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mUQ_L7lMKGOI4_XlmRZB2vZAjZUFzpDFzCUzCgqj2smOLuYhJ8IWuexPZrJW6hxuljHIdOd8ltZs9tsEjFFcpNJVT5gVE9MVw7uu2sHwIpnulQaQfmzSgOHtl5GRFZoMH6Je3LF6LOvNmOEqOcbUUzU3IHCNBfcbzHCR_6UOOjzzMo3MGlQdwe1dh3do/s500/tumblr_inline_nk98053mUj1t1jx1j.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="500" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mUQ_L7lMKGOI4_XlmRZB2vZAjZUFzpDFzCUzCgqj2smOLuYhJ8IWuexPZrJW6hxuljHIdOd8ltZs9tsEjFFcpNJVT5gVE9MVw7uu2sHwIpnulQaQfmzSgOHtl5GRFZoMH6Je3LF6LOvNmOEqOcbUUzU3IHCNBfcbzHCR_6UOOjzzMo3MGlQdwe1dh3do/s320/tumblr_inline_nk98053mUj1t1jx1j.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Slanging that thing around without any problems...and the knife, too.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Honestly, it’s just lazy/unimaginative writing. </b></span></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In all fairness, damsels in distress has been a trope across all genres going back to Cervantes (at least). It was permissible, (sorta) for Cervantes. What role models did he have?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, Shakespeare had just as many print guides (meaning “none”) but he was also a social commentator and a phenomenal student of contemporary events. He encountered Lady Elizabeth Russell, (among the first women to command a fortress and the first to claim the rights and rights/powers of sheriff). As a result Shakespeare’s women were FIERCE and he gave his best lines to Portia and Rosalind among many, many other women.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6N2Jj6mr05KZVFcyVUy2Utz7gJKFkZS4v1HU-W7Cik1krtHaY6q5c_RHK5MabpZnjPxZ1UfwQwtAZ_aY1fa74JVaIKk_Y6_MquGo73eQzOwYxVhtYTl0R3huOXcpbd5uQ7GixNcjLcqT0XESmDoVDmbcMfFSzvjUhXj1ChfLB2DOp1fIM2vrnr1JzguV/s1575/elizabeth-russell-westminster-abbey.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6N2Jj6mr05KZVFcyVUy2Utz7gJKFkZS4v1HU-W7Cik1krtHaY6q5c_RHK5MabpZnjPxZ1UfwQwtAZ_aY1fa74JVaIKk_Y6_MquGo73eQzOwYxVhtYTl0R3huOXcpbd5uQ7GixNcjLcqT0XESmDoVDmbcMfFSzvjUhXj1ChfLB2DOp1fIM2vrnr1JzguV/s320/elizabeth-russell-westminster-abbey.jpeg" width="244" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To be or NOT to be... f'd with.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Something-something-hundred-years later…</span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve referenced Diana Gabaldon’s historical fiction piece, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Outlander, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before for lazy/irresponsible writing. The treatment of LGBTQ characters is irresponsible, to say the least. However her treatment of her heroine is not much better. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our protagonist, Claire (Caitriona Balfe, in the TV show) is perpetually abducted and/or brutalized. And considering that the books/show is marketed primarily to women, you would expect some arc to character. And, in true, high-fantasy style, Claire does develop/grow. She goes from intrepid WWII nurse to 1960s doctor, so, yeah, growth. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3n2Ux2X_DwtuPHdLcvk-zNgbIVvEN58yL6WpBgDUiB1Eh7QTFMpvu4Xhg6sZMO_TtBzoISeyIJfubuX4E2aPtue8ed2NS-pv05xtGr5nhnXr98GJHTo8ArTZJQpQq-PQ6b8kTaK7bIP-UjHm5Nh73Kt-D67jhd4g1f2WyR_QdJoUJvqGbyO8a9ZyFf5xH/s640/Claire.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3n2Ux2X_DwtuPHdLcvk-zNgbIVvEN58yL6WpBgDUiB1Eh7QTFMpvu4Xhg6sZMO_TtBzoISeyIJfubuX4E2aPtue8ed2NS-pv05xtGr5nhnXr98GJHTo8ArTZJQpQq-PQ6b8kTaK7bIP-UjHm5Nh73Kt-D67jhd4g1f2WyR_QdJoUJvqGbyO8a9ZyFf5xH/s320/Claire.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Basically Claire's situation throughout <i>Outlander</i>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, in season five, Claire gets manhandled, (yes, that’s the extent of the description) yet again. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Yep, season five.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the preceding four seasons, (based on five books) Claire has been beaten and tortured as well as taught to shoot and handle a knife. She has also killed multiple men. So, when Captain Bonnett seizes hold of her daughter, Claire pulls her trusty knife and holds it fully extended in front of her, just begging for Bonnett to take it from her, which he does. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLOcQzRqHTivmRxnnOYSen-pzSHyvj-qF1SAq7qpr_Xk8CgBpiDaoOM3rd2mihByjh0Mjjk6q-_eDJt9LhTqMVtcQRZ9mWSTvHBbqk_SR5o8hzQzzTIVQRz0-md610AVgvJZXOEZxjoE-2sA0xNs3VB9ys-c6OntIehlcSN6xu3cr5-w0zecszfp7yWei/s498/jack-sparrow-pirates-of-the-carribean.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="498" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLOcQzRqHTivmRxnnOYSen-pzSHyvj-qF1SAq7qpr_Xk8CgBpiDaoOM3rd2mihByjh0Mjjk6q-_eDJt9LhTqMVtcQRZ9mWSTvHBbqk_SR5o8hzQzzTIVQRz0-md610AVgvJZXOEZxjoE-2sA0xNs3VB9ys-c6OntIehlcSN6xu3cr5-w0zecszfp7yWei/s320/jack-sparrow-pirates-of-the-carribean.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This action is so common in books, movies, and television that it is very nearly a setpiece. Women swing wide with an open-hand slaps, telegraph stabbing with a knife held ice-pick style, or they hold a gun at full-extension just begging for someone, (male) to punch, deflect, take away. Which, seemingly, ALWAYS happens. </span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyIgTEJTxHzN4jQd9lY_ixhZYVb6bDYE-otXAjz6gcnqYH-lIF2X6dBqpARiobWfwDAsaXuriBIuVyiYnAXfAu3st6brjfRFw15r8ngy8U7EddihcxqBPkHshB8uxpUgYlMJm_9oY_bk6uvcKyP4CW68ngrHEd9VyUFQZKJnp7QHLTma-7eQCh3m50opc/s353/Claire%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="216" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyIgTEJTxHzN4jQd9lY_ixhZYVb6bDYE-otXAjz6gcnqYH-lIF2X6dBqpARiobWfwDAsaXuriBIuVyiYnAXfAu3st6brjfRFw15r8ngy8U7EddihcxqBPkHshB8uxpUgYlMJm_9oY_bk6uvcKyP4CW68ngrHEd9VyUFQZKJnp7QHLTma-7eQCh3m50opc/s320/Claire%202.jpeg" width="196" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just take it, the writer doesn't know what they're doing.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">It doesn’t have to be this way.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1981 Robert B. Parker wrote intrepid-television reporter, Candy Sloan, in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Savage Place</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. About half-way through the novel, Candy realizes that Spenser, (Parker’s PI protagonist) will not be able to serve as a bodyguard forever. So, she has him teach her how to use a handgun. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spenser finds </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Candy after one of the big-bad guys shoots her with the gun Spenser armed her with. Spenser then avenges her. There is all kinds of moralized subtext on Spenser’s guilt (avenging his failure more than his client) and commentary on women “acting like men” but that’s a different rant for a different time.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotJZHFUoMtosX7iDbU0owDcMeGXjVprmfuJiYHuPA4e4gGkbe_ig0mPAoNmRIscr1txr58YONPy9agJYzkS1dmI4Gu4kpuKzc7CAwxZvdwpZjvetE9eKogfJxT3zFo2f88i0GKfkl2j_1XhZnIKd4VVt26XtG7_W5kb5vxQb-QbHNwmFMYO-kpbdFJGC8/s480/3688661-rexfeatures_5885695ax.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotJZHFUoMtosX7iDbU0owDcMeGXjVprmfuJiYHuPA4e4gGkbe_ig0mPAoNmRIscr1txr58YONPy9agJYzkS1dmI4Gu4kpuKzc7CAwxZvdwpZjvetE9eKogfJxT3zFo2f88i0GKfkl2j_1XhZnIKd4VVt26XtG7_W5kb5vxQb-QbHNwmFMYO-kpbdFJGC8/s320/3688661-rexfeatures_5885695ax.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you try to take that pistol from her, you're getting shot.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As if by contrast, Starling, (Thomas Harris' FBI cadette) debuted a couple of years after <i>A Savage Place. </i>She is the hero of the book. There is no man coming to save her. In fact, her boss and mentor are both several hundred miles away when Starling is knee-deep in the sh—tuff. But Starling is Quantico-trained. She keeps her Model 19 close to her body (so serial killer Buffalo Bill can’t snatch it from her) and, when Bill gets too close, she uses the weapon to devastating effect.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, but in the real world…</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rhonda Rousy might not be able to beat Mike Tyson, but Gina Carano would give him a run for his money until the weight advantage worked against her. Women regularly kick ass, often punching WAY above their weight. That’s neither hyperbole nor female idealization. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Facts</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Anne Bonny sailed with a pirate crew out of Jamaica, armed with a machete and a brace of pistols. Disguised as a man, D</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">eborah Sampson, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">fought in Washington’s Continental Army. Also dressed as a man, Cathay Williams served in the Union Army. U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth flew combat missions in Iraq. Aileen Wuornos killed seven, (that we know of) men. These are simply among the best known (by me) instances of women who can (and damn-well do) fight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s easy to dismiss fictionalized accounts based on dramatic license but to do so is a disservice to the reader/viewer. It is also dishonest. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But you’re saying, “Wait a minute, let’s talk about how most of these examples involve military training. Even Starling was FBI trained and drilled on gun-retention and pistol combat at Quantico, while Candy Sloan was informally taught by some guy.” </span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKVKJc79h9__yzcmLHWL703BpDOvs9Db0wJCTgjcSPKUjeglN1NHvfwsT9FNMZ6hesxLRCRQqcEW9dnHV-J96i3_W5k8aDMllXKIt8HI6ZTw02prZiRTXgHfnsro98wwn2wdHXLpUrK1dhjQJE28-hmPN75oTKPthefe1qz9xXkKq_f8n2tlHYkNRogDw/s768/Jodie-Foster-as-Clarice-Starling-in-Silence-of-the-Lambs-Elevator-Scene.jpg%202.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNKVKJc79h9__yzcmLHWL703BpDOvs9Db0wJCTgjcSPKUjeglN1NHvfwsT9FNMZ6hesxLRCRQqcEW9dnHV-J96i3_W5k8aDMllXKIt8HI6ZTw02prZiRTXgHfnsro98wwn2wdHXLpUrK1dhjQJE28-hmPN75oTKPthefe1qz9xXkKq_f8n2tlHYkNRogDw/s320/Jodie-Foster-as-Clarice-Starling-in-Silence-of-the-Lambs-Elevator-Scene.jpg%202.webp" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">She got the same training as those dudes. Sure.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you suppose the foster-sister, who the gang boy took a swing at, had formal training? Or do you think maybe she had a lifetime of scuffles with boys and girls? You may not learn perfect form from getting knocked around by other kids but you learn how to dodge a punch, take a punch, and most importantly, deliver a punch. And as with anything else, the more you do it, the better you get at it.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Red Dragon</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Will Graham informally teaches his girlfriend, Molly, how to use a handgun days before Frances “Tooth Fairy” Dolarhyde ambushes them. Drawing on what Will taught her, Molly runs for her life, drawing the Tooth Fairy away from her critically wounded boyfriend. Then, after she draws the Tooth Fairy into her house, into her bedroom—where she keeps her weapon—she “blows a rat hole” in his chest. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Harris understood that a) it is much more satisfying for the prey to “get” the predator and b) it pays off on the peril rather than exploit violence against women for cheap thrills.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“But, but, I write fantasy where ladies in fine dresses don’t fight…”</span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2Zx3nQKX0e5-7-9C2cmxLBaZSE735V2oSNUGklGOkaWendm20pJWFjcfVD1t5NEId4KBuiJnWCm2-4cYGcN6pmJ2W7wE3r_MQaBuFyoDIGDWa8_v7aaUf8pFHOc8WqN1Z4dk1deAiohXOHuVTlFZ5MvfzGCu0BMQqnasDrMnwePrzV8jwYsomo_lWFoM/s275/SB2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2Zx3nQKX0e5-7-9C2cmxLBaZSE735V2oSNUGklGOkaWendm20pJWFjcfVD1t5NEId4KBuiJnWCm2-4cYGcN6pmJ2W7wE3r_MQaBuFyoDIGDWa8_v7aaUf8pFHOc8WqN1Z4dk1deAiohXOHuVTlFZ5MvfzGCu0BMQqnasDrMnwePrzV8jwYsomo_lWFoM/s1600/SB2.jpeg" width="275" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"I wear a fine dress, also, fight me."</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In Leigh Bardugo’s </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shadow and Bone</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Inej Ghafa aka the Wraith is a spy. Sculking and dealing in shadows all around the ladies in fancy dresses. She is imminently skilled with knives and adept at hand-to-hand combat. But when she encounters a bigger, stronger adversary, (seriously, his name is “Mogens” which means “powerful”) Inej suffers a bloody defeat and is nearly killed. </span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTlsi1HHEct435mb1iKEkBeqVP4yC3WHNyEJ96sbn1HAbKg-ygvehdx3YuYuVRfqNZnR6B-G77zzA7J9Ly7iprO11fS-hr4N_nTMgqnTt0UeDMOZdOdMnszJGSFv_PhxaSiTQgld7Ubjj790vvrCnMaJfFgOrMTYtHI-TWom2b7kkkcGv-YpYhuAsVNF9/s768/Inej%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTlsi1HHEct435mb1iKEkBeqVP4yC3WHNyEJ96sbn1HAbKg-ygvehdx3YuYuVRfqNZnR6B-G77zzA7J9Ly7iprO11fS-hr4N_nTMgqnTt0UeDMOZdOdMnszJGSFv_PhxaSiTQgld7Ubjj790vvrCnMaJfFgOrMTYtHI-TWom2b7kkkcGv-YpYhuAsVNF9/s320/Inej%201.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also NOT to be f'd with.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Knowing she must face him again, Inej struggles to find something to offset Mogens’ size and strength. Rather than step into the space as the hero, Kaz, her boss, (who has his own challenges) offers her a tactic. Look for the tell, the gesture, expression, or habit that precedes an attack. Kaz, (a slight man, dependent on a cane to counter a pronounced limp) is skilled at leveraging tells, from a lifetime of competing against men with full use of both legs. </span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFETsHvm0CEX23DjWVvxcR3cuSHdLEp8dOnuCILqzGi1cCCttiNxRQwCKCf0jt0Ttk3o8KQHDw9Wso3i72HoBZbUa16tgTWtmzgg2luZS172MSVzwXoRmty807y4Kv_pE8oafuKPWNCXQfZVQ_hbvTuW3pO4jmJ0kF0h_f41PxHr77vG6xmU5yac_LBw6/s843/Inej2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="843" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFETsHvm0CEX23DjWVvxcR3cuSHdLEp8dOnuCILqzGi1cCCttiNxRQwCKCf0jt0Ttk3o8KQHDw9Wso3i72HoBZbUa16tgTWtmzgg2luZS172MSVzwXoRmty807y4Kv_pE8oafuKPWNCXQfZVQ_hbvTuW3pO4jmJ0kF0h_f41PxHr77vG6xmU5yac_LBw6/s320/Inej2.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>"You protected me better than any saint," Kaz Brekker to Inej Ghafa</i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Inej faces Mogens again, armed with Kaz’ tactic. Rather than react to Mogens’ attacks in fear or even in defense, Inej plays to her own strengths. By using her agility against his advance and anticipating his moves, she plays a very physical chess match and destroys Mogens with his own tools.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As with any work of fiction, you have the license to write any character you choose. If you want to write about the defenseless little woman, futilely beating her little fists against the barbarian’s chest, hey, it’s your story. Just consider how much more that set-up scene, that character, that person can be.</span></span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-size: x-small;">I own none of the photos here. All are used for instructional/educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-81438196788072631412023-09-20T09:39:00.004-04:002023-10-25T11:50:10.972-04:00Got all Your Ducks in a Row? Where's the Motivation (or drama) in That?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D-Ra8VasA44WuQa8uzhoU37QAe6ZCuwfUkEQFsQ4CFlWCNDRqw0AOxZAbPNeJBgBs1xhUb9KksvJsGmn2wnFwEXaH6-6i66xCSNP2hsGHzuU-3khCJMvqU8tOGgm9PhjzlL17Agu8A-q0orWKyExTvijqhqWkjwgU2R-LKUQeYMcjEnfvKWBut61ncNe/s1920/Jackie%20.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D-Ra8VasA44WuQa8uzhoU37QAe6ZCuwfUkEQFsQ4CFlWCNDRqw0AOxZAbPNeJBgBs1xhUb9KksvJsGmn2wnFwEXaH6-6i66xCSNP2hsGHzuU-3khCJMvqU8tOGgm9PhjzlL17Agu8A-q0orWKyExTvijqhqWkjwgU2R-LKUQeYMcjEnfvKWBut61ncNe/s320/Jackie%20.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does John Irvin’s 1987 film </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hamburger Hill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Stanley Kubric’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Full Metal Jacket</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (same year) have in common? Both films follow military personnel during the Vietnam War. Sadly</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, both are also flat as printer paper and just about as memorable.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of these things is not like the other. Hey! One of these things is not quite the…</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oliver Stone’s 1986 film </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Platoon</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, while covering the same subject matter, is like a different world. What sets it apart from the others? Motivations. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kubric’s Marines are meatheads, intent on whoring, drinking, and, when necessary, killing. Even our protagonist, Joker, the combat journalist (Matthew Modine) treats the war like a backpacking tour. Then, when the sh—tuff hits the fan, they all pull together against one of the biggest boogiemen on the battlefield, the sniper. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #202124; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Professionals with face-forward objectives, Irvin’s soldiers still struggle with race conflicts and fears of returning home to people who don’t understand them. Sadly what should be forefront individual conflict, is instead background noise. The net effect is we never really connect with any one character or care all that much about the cast as a whole. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwleL8T9UNr7nshyphenhyphenw2tEjdV_iob_DUl7HsLlBZyyQ5X1MhMKaSkoOtaoubnbDLwq8dN09yM4O8Bk_BRl2xw5pEcctx1_rim6d9i7M0DoSeVDQL68l7Ao22WDn7Ipss1sihvfYSHS6Uw-K8rDOo222sog1TsumSFUFxBxF6Ju3ZIkoIsd3Eo3xQnrAQBts/s259/Platoon.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="195" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwleL8T9UNr7nshyphenhyphenw2tEjdV_iob_DUl7HsLlBZyyQ5X1MhMKaSkoOtaoubnbDLwq8dN09yM4O8Bk_BRl2xw5pEcctx1_rim6d9i7M0DoSeVDQL68l7Ao22WDn7Ipss1sihvfYSHS6Uw-K8rDOo222sog1TsumSFUFxBxF6Ju3ZIkoIsd3Eo3xQnrAQBts/s1600/Platoon.jpeg" width="195" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>Stone’s film narrows the focus. Mostly due to a stingy budget, he tells a fast and lean story following Chris Taylor, (Charlie Sheen) a brand-new infantryman who finds the war he volunteered for is WAY different from all he read, heard, and imagined. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Chris realizes that whatever the Army’s objectives, (and no one is really sure what those may be) his motivation is simple: stay alive. You’re thinking, “no kidding, he is in the middle of a war.” But while the threat of highly motivated Vietnamese troops is distant, the power struggle between two sergeants, both with life-or-death power over Chris, is immediate. Elias, (Willem Dafoe) is a three-tour veterant determined to keep his squad alive. Scar by combat, Barnes, (Tom Berenger) is fighting his own war and his field of fire is anyone who isn’t following orders. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cross purposes—where the drama is.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm27QmGmHCuUXvm1KG6cUpCl09RC-cUwohOPPJwC2SHNt7ewS5haHx17ANzlWyKeOJZSFXZUkM6wo07kE4OOeB3hT_p7nBiA1tHK0_bjzRPmvQ35pVpO8RQ6mDXO4sJckTVZ3cowfQ6lpmIC9mqFe8WDU2thWvy-hl6fim5iA7J8tDlvNRwsL6kqEeKy8a/s481/oceancast.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="481" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm27QmGmHCuUXvm1KG6cUpCl09RC-cUwohOPPJwC2SHNt7ewS5haHx17ANzlWyKeOJZSFXZUkM6wo07kE4OOeB3hT_p7nBiA1tHK0_bjzRPmvQ35pVpO8RQ6mDXO4sJckTVZ3cowfQ6lpmIC9mqFe8WDU2thWvy-hl6fim5iA7J8tDlvNRwsL6kqEeKy8a/s320/oceancast.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Barry Sonnenfeld’s 2001 film, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ocean’s Eleven</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) assembles a dream-team of crooks and oddballs to take down a once-in-a-lifetime score. Up against a savvy casino owner (Andy Garcia) who knows that his vault paints a target squarely on his back, the crew must navigate state-of-the-art (means “Star Wars fantasyland”) security. But gosh-darn-it, they just manage to do it!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Oh, yeah, spoilers…</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There’s never really a doubt that the crew, (no, I’m not naming all 11) will prevail. The entertainment here is not the “if” it’s the how. And it is a fun movie.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Was it sit-through-two-sequels-of-the-same-premise fun? Different rant, different time.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where the film runs shallow is drama. Like the previously mentioned </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Full Metal Jacket </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hamburger Hill</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OE</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> suffers from everyone moving in a logical direction, along a well-executed plan. Which. Never. Happens. Like, ever.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also, most people have their own agenda. Many people are (often) dishonest. Some people are just born fu—to lose.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Now sooner or later, they’re gonna get around to offering me a plea deal…That’s why you came here…” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jackie Brown. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Quinten Tarantino’s 1997 crime film </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jackie Brown, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(based on Elmore Leonard’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rum Punch</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) Pam Grier is the eponymous flight attendant who is arrested with a bag of cash and coke intended for gunrunner Ordell Robbie, (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackie is between the proverbial rock and hard place. With a previous conviction, Jackie is facing a long fall. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">FBI agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) wants Jackie to testify against her boss (who has already killed the loose end that pointed the cops at Jackie). He really wants Ordell in prison. He’s not terribly concerned about Jackie thereafter. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ordell, the gunrunner, wants his money. He wants Jackie “got.” And he REALLY wants to avoid prison.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdA6ZSA1V3qlel3hdim67GogcQ5uWzPuYjs6W7u9HkcYQHVyU_eAdFoRstGAnDMpY5cLRG5FIGSllpigQ0whTgoJDVFTLzyRTa4pYHztVFUmih5DunPXhFVjxJ7DQrtTd02IWQMmzoVYgUoSLs1WR6HlQZMudwT2WKwokgVv-JKjixQrrDY0xkjwaGDIy/s465/Jackie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="465" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdA6ZSA1V3qlel3hdim67GogcQ5uWzPuYjs6W7u9HkcYQHVyU_eAdFoRstGAnDMpY5cLRG5FIGSllpigQ0whTgoJDVFTLzyRTa4pYHztVFUmih5DunPXhFVjxJ7DQrtTd02IWQMmzoVYgUoSLs1WR6HlQZMudwT2WKwokgVv-JKjixQrrDY0xkjwaGDIy/s320/Jackie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No matter your plans, a woman like Jackie will change them.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there is Max Cherry, the world-weary bail bondsman. Struck by the thunderbolt at first sight of Jackie, Max is the fulcrum between her and Ordell. Max wants Jackie to live. He wants Jackie to avoid jail. He would like a chance with her. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You can't trust Melanie. But, you can always trust Melanie to be Melanie.”</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ordell Robby, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jackie Brown </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jackie has her own plans. Death, prison, and unemployed poverty have no part in those plans. Sensing a kindred spirit, (and opportunity) Jackie co-opts Ordell’s gun moll, Melanie. Jackie moves Melanie, the fed, Max, and even Ordell himself all over the chessboard. The net effect is an enthralling game and HUGE drama. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Every character should want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -Kurt Vonnegut</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The parent who raises you to adulthood also cannot wait for you to grow-the-hell up so they can get on with all the farting around they couldn’t do while being responsible for your wellbeing. Your childhood-best-friend, dedicated mentor, workplace comrade has lottery fantasies that do not involve you at all. Your significant other, who seems so content to second-seat your success, has imagined life without you. More than once.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the most human example, read James Joyce’ novella </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Dead.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> No matter if you write Crime or Regency Romance, Sci-Fi or Urban Horror—those 64 pages will shift your perspective on character motivation and what happens when you realize that not only are you not the center of someone else’ universe but they have motivations that have nothing to do with you. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just a suggestion.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The image at the top belongs to Miramax Films. It is used here for instructional/educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine. </span></span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-4546307750297450242023-09-05T11:06:00.002-04:002023-09-05T11:06:11.823-04:00Crime Report: FalconClaw Fraternal Book Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM32uK4ToDCaEdGjL5fO-Eepu5JPSZwDSWPdGx9zUDNiEjwm1bwXUII3FGZfLoWbFYrSl62QHYe_-Cf5nWgAQ6gthAFtgwhCP9HCyIiW95pw_0PW1EfD_ueR3amQ-ctWClR1YCMvbGTAFYHzgnGG5ZhTKt-Akg6LnVB7gU_l4p84GCNjLQCilY3LAdaacF/s346/51gzbOpZg8L._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="229" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM32uK4ToDCaEdGjL5fO-Eepu5JPSZwDSWPdGx9zUDNiEjwm1bwXUII3FGZfLoWbFYrSl62QHYe_-Cf5nWgAQ6gthAFtgwhCP9HCyIiW95pw_0PW1EfD_ueR3amQ-ctWClR1YCMvbGTAFYHzgnGG5ZhTKt-Akg6LnVB7gU_l4p84GCNjLQCilY3LAdaacF/s320/51gzbOpZg8L._SY346_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michael Cook’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FalconClaw Fraternal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> takes us back to Philadelphia, the 39th Precinct, and to our old friend, Detective Frank Calazzo. Unfortunately, it is no longer Frank’s Philadelphia. Killers have taken the town.</span></span></p><p><b id="docs-internal-guid-bc7ce19b-7fff-b883-3e5f-3eb64a6af28d" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Talon and Genesis, abandoned kids, working from abandoned buildings have taken ownership of the shadows and the streets. By striking down the protectors, the killers seize the keys to the city.</span></span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is Cook’s fourth book in his 39th Precinct series. And like the three previous books, it is completely different in tone. The first book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Old Man Winter</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a cozy with an edge. The second book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sleep Room</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is an old-school procedural while the third, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Säters,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was a white-knuckle thriller. </span></span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fraternal </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a thing of its own that I’m almost scared to name for fear of spoiling the turns. Cook crosses genres and to call the book by any one of those genres discounts the punch of the others. Suffice to say, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fraternal </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is NOT a cozy. Nor is it a book for the faint of heart. The violence here is graphic and visceral. It is also far more immediate.</span></span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like Frank and Jon “Bones” Sullivan, ( Frank’s new partner) the cops, Talon and Genesis the killers, are all bound by the past. All wounded by family horror, loss, and pain. While the previous books gave us bits and pieces of familiar comfort in steamed-heat and joint-aching cold on snowy mornings, winter-desolation of dread permeates </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fraternity</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, even in mid-May where we begin. The specter of death dogs Frank’s heels as he hunts the killers hunting him and other police through the dark-night Philly streets. </span></span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Every killing, every dead cop takes a toll on Frank, already stretched to his limits. Even as his friends Doug Cantrell and Captain Beatrice Jackson attempt to save him, Frank dives deeper into his investigation. Truly, he has nothing else. Exiled from his family home, alienated from new cops stumping for political advancement and old cops who see Frank as a bad luck, all he has is the hunt for the killers before they kill anymore of his family-in-blue.</span></span></p><p><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is both </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fraternal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s greatest strength and heart-aching weakness—isolation. No one is safe and Cook deftly reminds us of this with every twist and turn. We miss Penny (Frank’s wife and one-time police partner) as much as Frank does. His pain is our pain as well.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But between sleeping in cars and dodging intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and fears, Frank hunts the hunters. The job, the only handle on life and his mental health, keeps Frank moving even as it takes years off his life. Therein lies Cook’s other balancing act: character development and writing development.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cook delivers the readers’ expectations. Frank Collazo is steadfast and dedicated; just as we remember him. But Frank’s world has shifted. Cook’s writing reflects the shift, the pain, and the trauma. We feel it right along Frank.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But where previous books were target-locked on the hunters, Frank and Penny, here we never lose touch with the predators. As a result we also get the most fully fleshed out villains in Cook’s repertoire. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A note on tone. This a composite of my reviews of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sleep Room </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Säters</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While the tone is different, the focus, and the killer are completely different, what Cook has retained is his sensibility for the reader. There is violence, (more so than in OMW) but this is no gore-fest. While there is coarse language, indeed, grown-up discussions, there is no explicit sexual scenes or any sexual violence. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mostly, this still holds true. The violence here is more emotional than in previous books. But do </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">note, this is not a cozy. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here, Cook steps out on the tightrope of his story and trusts his balance as a storyteller. It’s a risk that pays off in a taut visceral story. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What has not changed is the pace. Four-hundred pages fly by. Philadelphia natives will delight at recognizing factual events and factual people that fill out this work of fiction. Ultimately, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FalconClaw Fraternal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a thrilling read for a dark and stormy night. Check it out </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/FalconClaw-Fraternal-Detective-Book-ebook/dp/B0C34R7MMP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=N0FGF1AUIUC3&keywords=falconclaw&qid=1693926102&s=books&sprefix=falconcla%2Cstripbooks%2C758&sr=1-3" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The image above belongs to Michael Cook. Its use here for educational/instructional purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-46420462837650165342023-08-20T17:30:00.002-04:002023-09-24T16:03:32.610-04:00Justified v. Jack Ryan; Show v. Tell<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCZ-oEARF9cdcWuga07owcrNg1fSzNu1XVfS4IKRc_qKvtlOQWxb9Ei2vK3rykRlSzKmHjftUbLzo8cJG2nTtn_wf9CmU9_bky_njMxy7DTnWeudcPI0H1Ty45UuemqY2UMBj_PpfHBKot4Q9GHlB8eWz073MpICWNJd7cAoxnd8lFr3ub-AT9N1ExHr3/s601/Cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="601" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCZ-oEARF9cdcWuga07owcrNg1fSzNu1XVfS4IKRc_qKvtlOQWxb9Ei2vK3rykRlSzKmHjftUbLzo8cJG2nTtn_wf9CmU9_bky_njMxy7DTnWeudcPI0H1Ty45UuemqY2UMBj_PpfHBKot4Q9GHlB8eWz073MpICWNJd7cAoxnd8lFr3ub-AT9N1ExHr3/s320/Cover.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2016 the Missus and I had a crisis of media overload not to mention a serious case of post-election despair. The Hallmark Channel became part refuge, part detox. Seriously, as much as cozy mysteries are derided, when you’ve had more than your fair-share of reality, a nice/nonviolent cozy can be balm for the over-thinkers’ soul.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We went from cynical-overload to looking forward to new episodes of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Garage Sale Mysteries</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murder She Baked</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mystery Woman</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> movies. Soothing plots, above average acting, and a low/no misery index—what’s not to love? But for every </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mystery Woman</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, there is a </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hailey Dean</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Caveat, I haven’t read Nancy Grace’s </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hailey Dean Mystery</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> books, nor do I intend to*</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t say how much of the unfortunate writing in the Hailey Dean series is original to Nancy Grace’s novels and how much “credit” goes to screen writers Jonathan Greene and Michelle Ricci. Yet every episode the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hailey Dean Mysteries</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> involves someone (a character we’re supposed to like) telling someone else, (usually a character we’re not supposed to like) how smart, experienced, and/or dedicated Hailey Dean is—every episode. Apropos of nothing, we hear that she was a star prosecutor who won all of her cases or how she graduated at the top of her class or how the ONLY case she has never solved was the murder of her fiance. The constant validation of character bonafides reads like a mash note to a stunningly insecure protagonist. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or like a new author too famous for beta readers or editors</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, Hailey Dean has no lock on the ego-stroking. Unlike a lot of dudes my age, (Gen-X) I came late to the Amazon Prime series </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jack Ryan.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I only just started the first season a couple of weeks ago. But, having read Tom Clancy’s </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hunt for Red October</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I have a little more experience with the prose. Still, I held out hope that the folks at Prime might eschew some of Clancy’s more heavy-handed writing. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are some good and necessary updates. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEkCBmOVOVD-id_6kS5WgjTSKdFQMCYkRtcNljkyvI8_UYMDSP1h6MV2LElOJSJb2Gg3eF3RVCVVmujy16TCpTsepM0gGtSugSBy9l8AYrNAc2s5OgSbK-loDEXcz39TbCHG0AEYhoQad2O6y7F24nixnEv5ubGBJ7oZhSFeWMepLgbYOBHhbRPYUAr40/s670/JackHair.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="670" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEkCBmOVOVD-id_6kS5WgjTSKdFQMCYkRtcNljkyvI8_UYMDSP1h6MV2LElOJSJb2Gg3eF3RVCVVmujy16TCpTsepM0gGtSugSBy9l8AYrNAc2s5OgSbK-loDEXcz39TbCHG0AEYhoQad2O6y7F24nixnEv5ubGBJ7oZhSFeWMepLgbYOBHhbRPYUAr40/w363-h225/JackHair.jpeg" width="363" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A government employee with a $300 Park Avenue haircut.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gone is Clancy’s suave, subject-matter ubermensch Jack Ryan. Larry Ferguson (et al) renders an unsteady Ryan still finding his way after a derailed military career and an aborted private-sector gig. He is still the clear-eyed-do-right man on a mission. He just rides a bicycle to work and wears skinny-pants.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m gonna need to see your CV to tell you this story…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sadly, the screen writers don’t trust the viewers any more than Clancy trusted his readers. Both spoon-feed how great Ryan is to us. In the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hunt</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it’s an Admiral telling a ship captain all about Ryan’s heroic recovery from a helicopter accident and writing his the series, it’s Sandrine Arnaud, a French intelligence officer working a joint task force with the CIA. </span></p><p><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Obviously, spoilers*</b></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Captain Sandrine Arnaud, Ferguson & Co. craft a smart, demonstrably tough, intelligence officer who happens to be a woman, only to employ her as a tell-device. See, after an episode of Jack fighting off two (2) armed terrorists—while wounded—the scripters (and director) really wanted us to know that Jack is a tough guy. To wit they have Sandrine tell Jack, (us) that he’s only acting like a sheep but actually he is a wolf. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8v-0DRknuG4I3BrFOnKeairLfFHSsveEB8N_aSjxuxpsi5F030MgSXET5cdwR5xf-oJaraBp8gDyLtLL1g53jHrSnG0RsYMnEi-odW04cYQige1qDPpo8psCISi5S9BU2Xt2GoL0Ebf_omodnIwl8mI9Pop7RlY2nxwY6NK9CkTOaucg5MXAQOrhJURo/s295/Sandrine.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="210" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8v-0DRknuG4I3BrFOnKeairLfFHSsveEB8N_aSjxuxpsi5F030MgSXET5cdwR5xf-oJaraBp8gDyLtLL1g53jHrSnG0RsYMnEi-odW04cYQige1qDPpo8psCISi5S9BU2Xt2GoL0Ebf_omodnIwl8mI9Pop7RlY2nxwY6NK9CkTOaucg5MXAQOrhJURo/s1600/Sandrine.jpeg" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">$300 for a haircut, are you #%&! kidding?</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yep. Sandrine is a strong, experienced, complex character with demonstrated introspection and national-self-awareness. Aaaaaaand her longest bit of dialogue is squandered on stroking the main-character’s…ego. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pro-tip: if the book/show/movie is named after the main character, there isn’t a great need to prop the character up—just let them loose and we will see (read) it in action. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who does it right?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2gz8wrqMlafYM0ALxrUNScTVGuZzhC8EG8e0pKV9vFapU2v-3eZojmUktWUQFIxdp7KlfaytOZH4R_EmrkAHleAr-WkHrytNL9huO38CvtImvU1Ha2n98l7Oy8uhuYngvDdKLsQJJ2wmBIF-_xys1FuEF5vDINiU_4iti3TSt3KaznFUbebtTiGMm4e1/s766/stranger-1-cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="766" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2gz8wrqMlafYM0ALxrUNScTVGuZzhC8EG8e0pKV9vFapU2v-3eZojmUktWUQFIxdp7KlfaytOZH4R_EmrkAHleAr-WkHrytNL9huO38CvtImvU1Ha2n98l7Oy8uhuYngvDdKLsQJJ2wmBIF-_xys1FuEF5vDINiU_4iti3TSt3KaznFUbebtTiGMm4e1/s320/stranger-1-cover.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>When we meet Police Chief Jim Hopper, he has just gotten out of bed to immediately open a can of beer and light off a cigarette. At the crack of dawn. Also, he scarcely acknowledges the woman he left in the bed and seems relieved when she leaves sans conversation. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This sets our expectations for the chief and they are low.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4d6Qn5uZJylwpgUkxUqwjyYdtdcBBtRxX1QrlUReS8PKNmmgiuBeq_uk8kvaeOtmj97ayTHu3w7-CEVNwD6NWWZnDmXU9Zs2j3_xLNxfBNqGApF113_LUBWPcc8NaCRSJ1JFjV1vFvox1HORQdVvvFb3ox3MBBkiDwoY15LhsqnkI7SLtrgDtZ5Xo842/s566/Jim%20Hopper.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="566" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4d6Qn5uZJylwpgUkxUqwjyYdtdcBBtRxX1QrlUReS8PKNmmgiuBeq_uk8kvaeOtmj97ayTHu3w7-CEVNwD6NWWZnDmXU9Zs2j3_xLNxfBNqGApF113_LUBWPcc8NaCRSJ1JFjV1vFvox1HORQdVvvFb3ox3MBBkiDwoY15LhsqnkI7SLtrgDtZ5Xo842/s320/Jim%20Hopper.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a yes-or-no question, kid. Do you have a light?</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When other characters Joyce and her ex-husband, Lonnie mention Hopper it is with disdain that reinforces the low-first-impression he has made. But then writing magic happens as Matt and Ross Duffer proceed to unwrap Hopper like a Christmas present. Over the successive four seasons we see that Hopper was married, had a child, and was a detective in the big city. He was a do-right man. And then his child died of cancer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murray U.B. Bauman, the “U.B.” stands for “undercover badass”</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5L-QUcKL8bhYtab6Arx-HCxUJX1w9iWgWBbzdp8oX18uuOWHM49kcryLqQkGaPNqsShSfdWMu2Ijixq07n9NxucLs6JNlZ63_L_2j2eaApD-chqlJcA3ddWG0i557wbW96fLToi0P8IvZbXbWNZs4ZUCQj8KBv2MsUBlw3TeoZo8gR3dKWJt-tNTRZjj/s831/MurrayTwo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="753" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5L-QUcKL8bhYtab6Arx-HCxUJX1w9iWgWBbzdp8oX18uuOWHM49kcryLqQkGaPNqsShSfdWMu2Ijixq07n9NxucLs6JNlZ63_L_2j2eaApD-chqlJcA3ddWG0i557wbW96fLToi0P8IvZbXbWNZs4ZUCQj8KBv2MsUBlw3TeoZo8gR3dKWJt-tNTRZjj/s320/MurrayTwo.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But like, deep undercover...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murray Bauman is a former journalist, private investigator, and government watchdog. He’s also mentally brilliant if physically average. Yet he aspires to more. A disciple of martial arts, he carries a copy of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Belt </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">magazine on his plane trip to Alaska. But we never really trust Murray’s shopping-center karate, especially after he divulges that he’s been repeatedly beaten in sparring matches with a teenage boy. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then he’s drugged and kidnapped. He quickly learns one of his only friends is in a gulag and another is set to be sold to Russian security forces. In that moment, Murray’s best karate surges out in a torrent of righteous defense.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikLarHWL7RYP2HFi3DnL0fpNQj5IVVVGEH09Bm29Zcox1o3ydKOrbE21mRlW_E-M8xl5S_5yOKHKm7ROGD6JWIVLdT_h_ZYdXks1GrV3wAGcdH4QlCJ2IrTgMCnD4RAzFlKu5eCfoUfNpn5Oc8ZIMUX7GqEtRUbnx3uKg9iiv8czHNkxaMMZ5aU4dabZ0/s542/Murray%20Four.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="542" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikLarHWL7RYP2HFi3DnL0fpNQj5IVVVGEH09Bm29Zcox1o3ydKOrbE21mRlW_E-M8xl5S_5yOKHKm7ROGD6JWIVLdT_h_ZYdXks1GrV3wAGcdH4QlCJ2IrTgMCnD4RAzFlKu5eCfoUfNpn5Oc8ZIMUX7GqEtRUbnx3uKg9iiv8czHNkxaMMZ5aU4dabZ0/s320/Murray%20Four.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yet his best karate is still inside.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But perhaps the best example of character, demonstrated in action, is Marshal Raylan Givens. Elmore Leonard crafted Givens for his novel, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pronto.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> And as is the requirement for any Leonard protag, there isn’t an ounce of fat on Givens. Not an ounce of exposition, either.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;">“You and your hat are famous…”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the latest iteration, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Justified: City Primeval</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we see Givens just as everyone else sees him. A fish out of water, he is too “hillbilly” for Florida where we meet him. He is certainly too hillbilly for Detroit where the local police treat him like a joke. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Givens has talents that no one speaks of. On a hunch, a Detroit judge requests Givens investigate an assassination attempt resulting in the death of the judge’s car. That is immediately after the same judge jails Givens for contempt of court. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, no one tells us (or each other) how strong/smart/fast/do-right Givens is. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Justified: City Primeval </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">writers, (like Givens’ creator, the late-great Elmore Leonard) trusts us (viewers and readers) to see for ourselves. When Bryl, a Detroit alpha-cop readies a battering ram to knock down a door and show Givens’ “how we do things in Detroit,” Givens turns the door knob and pushes the door open. When Bryls later kills an Albanian gangster, Givens manages to bring his man in, alive and unharmed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But it is in the dynamic between Givens and the big-bad where Elmore Leonard’s throwback lawman shines. Both Givens and Mansell know how their game of cops and killers will be resolved. Even as both make moves to avoid it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mansell instigates a beat-down with the intention of charging Givens with assault or, at least, having him removed from a hate-crime-turned murder case. After seeing how the easily the marshal was provoked, Carolyn Wilder, Mansell's defense attorney sees Givens as a simple tool to use against her murderous client. Yet as simple as Givens presents, there is great depth under his placid surface. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Givens ultimately proves them both wrong. Even as he out-manuevers the killer with the intent of a live arrest, a fair trial, and a righteous verdict, the marshal must contend with uncooperative partners, wild cards, (the defense attorney Wilder, Albanian gangsters, et al) and outrageous luck. Neither infallable nor a pawn, Givens does what he does—stand up and do-right when everything else fails.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” Augustine of Hippo </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bottom line is if you write actively, your readers won't need a program, notes, or a narrator. Just like the truth, set the characters loose and let them show the reader who they are in action. Everything else is false and a waste of words that the reader is likely to skip over anyway.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Obviously, I don't own any of the images used here. All are used for instructional/educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-37642675370573510382023-08-01T11:46:00.004-04:002023-09-05T11:03:07.661-04:00Crime Report: Blue Monsoon Book Review<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuF5EpRJfS2qxz8j150jB6PGOO8S5ZzgOkbDIEJiKxEfryXZtpC_HHZeLkr1pMbyMgMulD_kcbQceGsvL86NcAEKhbV0PbIysbIwzStL2QQY_zKlVXEB5-upHWJmnhMLawGpb-0BMhmX1QO-lz-PC4O8c752qUJkRxm96EDHpkfKROtofX2hoSoEm6PCv/s594/Final-cover-e1685828423113.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuF5EpRJfS2qxz8j150jB6PGOO8S5ZzgOkbDIEJiKxEfryXZtpC_HHZeLkr1pMbyMgMulD_kcbQceGsvL86NcAEKhbV0PbIysbIwzStL2QQY_zKlVXEB5-upHWJmnhMLawGpb-0BMhmX1QO-lz-PC4O8c752qUJkRxm96EDHpkfKROtofX2hoSoEm6PCv/s320/Final-cover-e1685828423113.webp" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Senior Police Inspector Arnav Rajput speeds through flooded streets on a homicide call. A body has been found outside a temple. Expecting a murder, he races against storm waters to recover all possible evidence but what Arnav and his team finds is something much more horrifying.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“…men murdered in or around Kaali temples in what looked like ritualistic…”</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Vermilion powder and hibiscus pedals signify something more than a crime of passion or greed. Mutilated eyes and missing genitals point to rage and shame and more frightening: a plan. Then, as crime-scene video is posted on the internet, politicians seize on the opportunity to stoke public outrage.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The sequel to her excellent sophomore book, <i>The Blue Bar,</i> Damyanti Biswas’ <i>Blue Monsoon</i>, reunites us with Arnav Rajput, on his dangerous beat. Like a police ride-along without the reassurance of backup, Arnav works his cases from the edges and angles, often at cross-purposes with his superiors’ objectives and his subordinates’ agendas. He is always one misstep from dismissal or worse.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But if Arnav is the over-worked-bone-aching honesty of <i>Blue Monsoon</i>, then Tara, Arnav’s wife remains the beating heart of the story. She infuses light and hope to Arnav’s world. Crippled from events in the previous book, (which won’t be spoiled here) Tara remains optimistic even as her anxiety for lost mobility, her protracted recovery, and her unborn child prays on her unguarded thoughts. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When we rejoin Tara she is hosting a <i>Shaadh </i>or a baby shower. Like the city she loves, Tara welcomes everyone, regardless of faith, economics, or caste. To Arnav’s dismay, she has invited kinnar, the “third gender” or transexual women to perform. Disarmed by the kinnar’s gratitude, she embraces their blessing on her and her unborn child.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>“…a policewoman with no women’s toilet at her workplace…who refused the weekly</i> hefta <i>or bribe to let things slide…” </i></span></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sita Naik—Arnav’s erstwhile sub-inspector—contends with the legacy of caste dynamics that high-caste Arnav cannot understand. Ambitious far beyond low-level positions and low-level games, Sita turns societal prejudices to her advantage, using her schedule-caste status and gender to gain entry to places and access to people closed to high-caste men like Arnav.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“Ran battered down like scattershot bullets…”</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However the best reunion is with the star of Biswas’ <i>Blue</i> books: Mumbai. The city remains intriguing and seductive and at the same time menacing and deadly. <i>Blue Bar’</i>s sun-seared sweltering dread gives way to <i>Blue Monsoon’</i>s unrelenting rain and noon-to-sudden-night clouds. Killers lurked in blazing sunlight in <i>Blue Bar</i> but in <i>Blue Monsoon</i> death rules the shadows, dark halls, and dank factory floors.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“Everyone ran…whether they liked it or not.”</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What remains the same between books is the real villain here: generational abuse and generational poverty. Like cities all over the world, everything is available for the right coin. And just like everywhere else, the poor and the weak pay the ultimate price.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Biswas balances party and caste politics right along with religion and organized crime to illuminate a city of staggering contradictions. Awash in wealth and technology, Mumbai is also inhabited by women who still sell their hair to feed their families. Girls and boys are prayed upon for exploitation. Ancient hatred has deep roots in the fear and greed that drive men. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“No pausing for a breather. Not in Mumbai…”</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yet, for all the commentary <i>Blue Monsoon</i> is never preachy. Biswas never forgets the story. Never gets in the story’s way. The pace is breakneck as Arnav stalks the streets for a killer. Driven by a dread she cannot name, Tara seeks healing for herself and her young daughter, by volunteering at a charity for children and Sita chases down leads on a pervert accosting young girls with unrepeatable propositions. None realize the how deeply their lives, personal and professional, are enmeshed with seemingly unrelated tragedy and terror. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the churn of life and death in Maximum City, they each dance a deadly circle with the killer.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the rains threaten to drown the city, outrage turns to a powder keg of civil unrest. Arnav, Sita, et al must contend with cellphone videos and influencers, a lethal turf war between gangsters, and a slew of personal grudges. At every intersection, the wheels are greased—or spoked—by the ever-present corruption.<br />
<br />
And with each turn, the circle tightens as Tara, Arnav, and Sita, (all on different but converging paths) draw closer to the killer. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">“You sign up for a task, you see it through…”</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then, as if by provenance, Arnav’s <i>khabri,</i> (informant network) comes through with a tip on a local gangster concretely linked to one of the victims with possible ties to others. The gunfight that follows rivals Clarice Starling’s throw-down with Jame Gumb in <i>Silence of the Lambs</i>,<i> </i>for atmospheric tension and gravity. Unlike Starling, our heroes find no “gun solution” here.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If not readily apparent, Biswas packs an embarrassment of rich characters in <i>Blue Monsoon</i>. Zoya, Tara’s bestie, is a delight. Tambe, the medical examiner is adult-in-the-room honest. Sita Naik is the hero Mumbai needs, but certainly doesn’t deserve. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The conclusion rolls over everyone like the titular monsoon, engulfing them all in rip currents of betrayal, secrets, and redemption. No one is unscathed. Everyone loses something.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Blue Monsoon</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> is a mystery/thriller of 394 (quick) pages. While there is violence, NONE of the graphic/gory stuff is shown. It is highly engaging and you can easily read it in a day but it will stay with you well after you close the book. Check it out by pre-ordering <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Monsoon-Mumbai-Thriller-Book-ebook/dp/B0BLFCGXR2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=B8FFE457YDL4&keywords=blue+monsoon&qid=1690904329&s=books&sprefix=blue+monsoon%2Cstripbooks%2C114&sr=1-1" target="_blank">here</a>.</span> </span></p><p><br /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-83259289254165892432023-07-18T22:31:00.008-04:002023-07-28T20:33:35.396-04:00Critics Get It Wrong—Don't Let Them Sink Your Dream<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPh18C_1UnyaDAl5eiNxKBnv2MwgHRz_696ZqQz9P4rlKaOjikzGub-kAHxJi2rnR5HMDHQB_MBeWTsuNUKRBd4-7iUibDOgVwaA3VPLcJ1ZdEYib4sLZ3B8u64tVaHkbOqeAZQsckCdc_2R7lOiPsNNU8AfXmkL2UGtVMRfQzboiMEH3GFnMnlPF8Bs76/s665/Critic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="665" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPh18C_1UnyaDAl5eiNxKBnv2MwgHRz_696ZqQz9P4rlKaOjikzGub-kAHxJi2rnR5HMDHQB_MBeWTsuNUKRBd4-7iUibDOgVwaA3VPLcJ1ZdEYib4sLZ3B8u64tVaHkbOqeAZQsckCdc_2R7lOiPsNNU8AfXmkL2UGtVMRfQzboiMEH3GFnMnlPF8Bs76/s320/Critic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A million years ago or, you know, 1991, I read a review of the movie </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Billy Bathgate</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in a Houston newspaper, (when we had more than one). The story of a Prohibition-era teen who jumps head-first into organized crime in service to his hero, crime boss Dutch Schultz, the movie was based on a historical novel of the same name.</span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">The newspaper critic claimed that the movie lacked the visceral impact of the novel. For reference he cites a scene between the fifteen-year-old protagonist, Billy, and his childhood sweetheart Becky. The critic states that in the book, Billy gives Becky a dollar to have sex with him but in the movie, they “just talk.”</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did they not teach “nuance” in film-critic school? </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time of reading the review, I had already seen the movie, mostly because I had read E.L. Doctorow’s book. I wondered if the critic had actually seen the movie or read the book. While we never see Billy and Becky bumping uglies, we do see Billy flash a dollar bill to entice Becky to the roof. The next scene is Becky, buttoning her blouse as they both smoke a cigarette and, yes, talk. Then Becky inspects Billy’s dollar bill. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">Subtle.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the record, Robert Benton’s film, (from a script by Tom Stoppard) improves upon Doctorow’s overly-sentimental book. Benton drops the cut-and-dried-happily-ever-after ending. While Stopard cut Doctorow’s subplots that served neither character nor story.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfprDA2XSvzapl9d5CyRh8Q44xQXk6vhjHcQLRHab__f2-pQ5wq3ZumtB2vXV8a-b-SdJ2T6zVtuTMu88pA3ukKvpMaN-dL7wkQaMkMf5UvBFpPbb0XG-u9ripDvu6NA53dSoDGDtgGw6SdUVypxQRAIO5Ul1tKPS04Uda6Q9AQAc9aPpVusf4B3RK4HB4/s314/Chili.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="314" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfprDA2XSvzapl9d5CyRh8Q44xQXk6vhjHcQLRHab__f2-pQ5wq3ZumtB2vXV8a-b-SdJ2T6zVtuTMu88pA3ukKvpMaN-dL7wkQaMkMf5UvBFpPbb0XG-u9ripDvu6NA53dSoDGDtgGw6SdUVypxQRAIO5Ul1tKPS04Uda6Q9AQAc9aPpVusf4B3RK4HB4/s1600/Chili.jpeg" width="314" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Remember: it's supposed to be fun.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end, (of the movie) Billy is fundamentally changed. WAY beyond hero-worship he no longer harbors delusions about that gangster life. Best of all, Billy is untethered to Dutch Schultz and to crime. The open-ended fresh start is the best happy ending a Bronx boy can get. In his comparison to the book, the movie critic missed all of that.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">As I’ve written before, the critics are prone to be wrong and not just, “I didn’t catch that,” wrong. Too-often, they are ambition-wrong. In instances that resemble larceny, they may be “agenda” wrong.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ambition-Wrong</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few years after reading the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bathgate </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">review I began a composition and rhetoric class at community college. The professor was a published short story author, book critic, and aspiring novelist. In the ramp up to our big finale, (an essay of any book) the professor introduced us to critical analysis, Aristotelian Syllogism, and most importantly (to him) politics.</span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">See, the prevailing logic is critics “can’t create” so they criticize. The truth, more often, is that critics are themselves creators of one form or another. Criticism is not only used to analyze and develop writing skills but to also to advance careers, build clout, and align allies. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dervia Murphy wrote about the AIDs crisis in Africa. Toni Morrison wrote of gender and race in politics. Our comp and rhetoric professor wrote to advance his job prospects. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">He walked us through a critical review of a novel by a prominent writer and member of the new guard. African-American, tenured at a prestigious uni and prominent on a lit-award panel, the man had achieved everything our professor could only aspire to. The professor outlined his argument: the man’s book, a revisionist western, was highly political and the professor objected to the commentary. True, he had taught us literary composition using Cormac McCarthy’s revisionist westerns, (with highly political commentary) but the late-great McCarthy was a white man. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The professor reasoned he wasn’t likely to win one of those spiffy literary awards. So, why not tear-down the man’s book? That kind of controversy could get him noticed, might even get him into a PhD program with his hero, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">literary</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">critic of the day, Harold Bloom. </span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you can’t beat them, write a hit piece on their book…</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our professor did publish his review and he did get into his PhD program. The last I read, his novel achieved middling success and he now teaches at a college in Elvis country. Oh, Bloom died in ignobility as a serial sexual harasser. The review made not even a dent in the man’s book or career.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOl0FmyZxvy_NdvwsytvkOeWNjwBGfebmwWm-FEqy3jKuV5LO4EJsDXLrIYCXNzcjdOx6PNAosdl8IGy3aFSBhdKx9V9Itg6wUDrfvZFLsroqhi5s5N_jhPq-PNqdK5rR3y7r9rLraU8i6_khjnucKkRRcSPMmZXAr8K2A9C3m0Pjq_oKh-R5uZLntOqg/s350/Agenda.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOl0FmyZxvy_NdvwsytvkOeWNjwBGfebmwWm-FEqy3jKuV5LO4EJsDXLrIYCXNzcjdOx6PNAosdl8IGy3aFSBhdKx9V9Itg6wUDrfvZFLsroqhi5s5N_jhPq-PNqdK5rR3y7r9rLraU8i6_khjnucKkRRcSPMmZXAr8K2A9C3m0Pjq_oKh-R5uZLntOqg/s320/Agenda.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An objective, unbiased fellow, no-doubt...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Agenda-Wrong</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there is the true believer AKA the critic with an agenda. Harrold Bloom (the previously mentioned professor’s hero) championed the literary tradition with xenophobic zealotry. Never mind that there wasn’t/isn’t a threat to said tradition. Shakespeare is still taught in English lit. Plato is still taught in political theory. Hemingway is still (Yoda help us all) the darling of the American lit textbook. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, Bloom called writers of color, feminists, and new critics “inspired historicists” and “deconstructors.” while he embraced Cormac McCarthy’s use of literary license and historical revisionism. In his critique of Toni Morrison’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Song of Solomon</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Bloom called the African American experience—the root of her work—“unimportant.” But he cited McCarthy’s southwestern roots as infusing the author’s understanding of the borderlands. McCarthy was born in Rhode Island and raised in Tennessee. </span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of Children’s author J.K. Rowling, Bloom said her books were little more than gateway drugs to Stephen King’s books. He also criticized her repetitive phrasing—when his bloated essays (dude loved to read his own copy) recycled the same five or six phrases in three or four arrangements with sprinklings of “strong” or “weak” descriptives but little to back up his opinion-as-fact assertions. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the same Bloom who wrote:</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Imaginative literature is otherness, and as such alleviates loneliness. We read not only because we cannot know enough people, but because friendship is so vulnerable, so likely to diminish or disappear, overcome by space, time, imperfect sympathies, and all the sorrows of familial and passional life.”</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apparently certain exclusions do apply.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">The net effect of Bloom’s assertion that only the work matters, not the author’s ethnicity/gender/politics—WHILE DENYING THE RICH STORIES AND INSIGHTS OF AUTHORS BASED ON THEIR ETHNICITY, GENDER, AND/OR POLITICS is not simply hypocritical, it is artistic malpractice. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is the malpractice that led to the New York Times publish a 1973 review of CBS’ </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, in which Stephanie Harrington stated not only did she not read the Ernest Gaines novel but she hadn’t even really watched the show, “I </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">found myself not minding when the children called me away from the set for a glass of water or another goodnight kiss.” Further stating that the teledrama taught her, a white woman, “nothing she didn’t already know about history.” </span></span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t even with this. Thankfully, I didn’t have to, (especially since I was all of four at the time).</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">In her counterpoint to Mrs. Harrington, Nikki Giovanni reminded the New York Times of its place as “an opinion making body.” Just as Ms. Giovanni reminded Mrs. Harrington of the reviewer’s duty: to study, to analyze, to report. Yes, exercise ambition. By all means, execute an agenda. But only after you’ve done the first part of the job: read/view/listen. </span></p><p><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When the critic puts agenda/ambition ahead of their work, they fail in the appearance of objectivity. </span></b></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">As sensational as the JT LeRoy and the James Frey failures were for American opinion makers, (the NYT wasn’t duped, btw) those were honest mistakes, victims of stories that resonated with select reviewers. The professor, Bloom, Stephanie Harrington—they all got it wrong.</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">So shall so many more. The question is, will you allow critics, honest, ambitious, or zealot to impact your writing? Will you write for—critics, audiences, social, economic—interests? Or will you write for yourself?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOnz6Sml1sh_bIrXunvbDyFSUpT2j8wDSmaq1fqc_YBeIJ9eHnChBBiHB0AK1j_8VlBICwrCWX2FLkajt7BEfYxruhLT3hQlTD-06WdZ98kuccZQSfFUWMfz2g3cwuAbpBEptgHzQUOHQVtcnj7vzRSBsnpYbvoIaapn_5ta8IL0dOXfW-jKOyPuolf_-/s720/the-wedding.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOnz6Sml1sh_bIrXunvbDyFSUpT2j8wDSmaq1fqc_YBeIJ9eHnChBBiHB0AK1j_8VlBICwrCWX2FLkajt7BEfYxruhLT3hQlTD-06WdZ98kuccZQSfFUWMfz2g3cwuAbpBEptgHzQUOHQVtcnj7vzRSBsnpYbvoIaapn_5ta8IL0dOXfW-jKOyPuolf_-/s320/the-wedding.jpeg" width="206" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>In 1995, as E. Lynn Harris wrote groundbreaking bestsellers about being black and gay, as Octavia Butler published her prescient </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Parable of the Sower, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Sistah Soulja loosed a strong new voice in social commentary, Dorothy West published </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wedding. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A generational epic set against the backdrop of an African American enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wedding</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was West’s first book in 45 years. </span></span><p></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">West, like her contemporaries, wrote her story. As must we all. Publication, success even, by gimmick doesn’t last. Nor does writing by committee endure. Follow your story where it leads. That’s the business of the writer. The business of the critic…well, that’s the critic’s business.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">I own none of the images above. All are used for instructional/educational purposes, as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-58087220935705006252023-07-04T12:32:00.005-04:002023-09-08T10:16:38.650-04:00James Bond is a Psycho and Spy Fiction is Really Crime Fiction<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhALur6tUL9gbCN-3yxA01zULyzfMsAsJYOBRqOI5wkrpKtkm5gEy5ohinsV06fjrXu1NxMZ0r2lhbxGZltFpW6e0VpNbZ55pIp8tyqv9Q7zrCABVJQr6DdszjmupT0RVeYcTKJhKJLfiIFUw5pPxwkoNWN7XS_xWrRuZlqn1VQ9ZF9zvUGj4PPP-jar7/s381/Mission-_Impossible_%E2%80%93_Dead_Reckoning_Part_One_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhALur6tUL9gbCN-3yxA01zULyzfMsAsJYOBRqOI5wkrpKtkm5gEy5ohinsV06fjrXu1NxMZ0r2lhbxGZltFpW6e0VpNbZ55pIp8tyqv9Q7zrCABVJQr6DdszjmupT0RVeYcTKJhKJLfiIFUw5pPxwkoNWN7XS_xWrRuZlqn1VQ9ZF9zvUGj4PPP-jar7/s320/Mission-_Impossible_%E2%80%93_Dead_Reckoning_Part_One_poster.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Brian De Palma’s 1996 film, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mission Impossible</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, spy-catcher Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tells international baddie Max, (played by international baddie Vanessa Redgrave) she’s about to find herself surrounded by “Virginia farm boys.” No doubt a reference to the Central Intelligence Agency’s Camp Perry training grounds, (nicknamed “The Farm”) near Williamsburg, VA. The reference makes for fun dialogue. It also evokes images of clear-eyed-clean-cut-do-right men acting with patriotic purpose. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, fun fiction. Of course the truth is much less clear but WAY more interesting.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Historical precedence</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At the outset of the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress knew they faced tremendous deficits. The English literally outgunned, outmanned, and outclassed the colonials. They also had ships and easily moved troops along the coast and up the big rivers. The only thing the colonials could hope to counter the crown’s advantage was information.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Continental Congress needed a spymaster. He had to be cunning, if not brilliant. He had to understand tactics, economics, and weather. If that were not enough—because the Continental Congress was also perpetually broke—the spymaster had to be cheap. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“It just so happens I know a guy…” </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Benjamin </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">(probably not) </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Franklin</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Continental Army was many things. Mostly, as Benjamin Franklin said, he was always the tallest man in any room. What Washington was NOT was cunning, tactical, and probably couldn’t spell “economics.” However, Boston was not the general’s first taste of war. A junior officer with the English Colonial Army Washington made his bones at Fort Necessity hip-deep in the French and Indian war. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFZmPtrKyQhhiMMeAAcL1x7JthgpMldHF0AlUP6MbtOaMpnhiX1ZSy6sNIGd_mvL_qkiTA96P8FCUkAlZavMw4EE0w0GGz4II0Gjous6fQqou26jkfG4fBrcxEFlf9rI9RVC7n5ACr_F5-OT6M9ar99zCscN3lLIYUWd66tbmbri0UMomfKqmPpVWMCGR/s500/Washington.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFZmPtrKyQhhiMMeAAcL1x7JthgpMldHF0AlUP6MbtOaMpnhiX1ZSy6sNIGd_mvL_qkiTA96P8FCUkAlZavMw4EE0w0GGz4II0Gjous6fQqou26jkfG4fBrcxEFlf9rI9RVC7n5ACr_F5-OT6M9ar99zCscN3lLIYUWd66tbmbri0UMomfKqmPpVWMCGR/s320/Washington.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the spies…</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Washington knew the value of intelligence and he also knew the best people to press into service: criminals. Criminals know the back roads, back rooms, and back doors. They know how to dodge the authorities and/or which authorities will look the other way for a coin or two. Criminals also know how (and when) to listen. If they failed to cultivate those talents they don’t stay criminals (or free) long. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Best of all, with the promise of amnesty after the war, criminals are spies who pay themselves.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“Poverty is the mother of crime,” -Marcus Aurelius</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Culper Ring began with Abraham Woodall, a farmer who’s crop had failed to blight. The pithy cabbages he managed to salvage wouldn’t pay his bills in Suffolk County, New York. However those crops were worth ten times as much across the river on the besieged Manhattan Island. Overnight, Woodall went from farmer to smuggler. Just as quickly, he went from smuggler to spy. Writing reports as “Samuel Culper,” Woodall provided Washington with troop movements, prisoners in custody, and even the status of enemy provisions.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRxCUXtAY8OHuMD1jgiKnZuyQ44B2v9YamD-rUgavJfKvDou6YV1r-HKowh1norCHMywcpjjX4AvnWfuH3EP45QnFF6i4LukHvkH0lGTsmq11IO_F_X-opUxk6mGZuqHMiFH7Ilw9NCPjs13U34oGzihNdhqhToEMz8OVWyPc-wC4HnruaSgxiiO_Wt6c/s1116/Prostitute.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="706" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRxCUXtAY8OHuMD1jgiKnZuyQ44B2v9YamD-rUgavJfKvDou6YV1r-HKowh1norCHMywcpjjX4AvnWfuH3EP45QnFF6i4LukHvkH0lGTsmq11IO_F_X-opUxk6mGZuqHMiFH7Ilw9NCPjs13U34oGzihNdhqhToEMz8OVWyPc-wC4HnruaSgxiiO_Wt6c/s320/Prostitute.jpeg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like the oldest profession but less scrupulous </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Art of War</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, written in the 5th century BCE, includes lessons on the importance of reliable intelligence and how to cultivate spies. Two hundred years prior to Tsun Tsu’s masterwork, the bible mentions spies in Numbers. Even earlier, spies were documented at Pharaoh’s court a thousand years before the first scrolls of the Old Testament. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The elements are the same: discretion, listening, and patience to build a network of connections/conduits of information. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFjJkvqq-HoHVVzn9Yfc9bMBOBlWZJ23SaOcMhbaTahxxE-vFjWB_nxrbZnXh_VXjEAwhzInXkxzoZvkdBOszL2WxHAw7bSffhRAYfsygHxevejWM66oO7qQgR1FPJO8lItmfgq0-yscjpSTPM3cgjo8guGA6dG1iP6DSFYBsyIf8jUJaiu69bGAdne4M/s1024/Bond.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="601" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFjJkvqq-HoHVVzn9Yfc9bMBOBlWZJ23SaOcMhbaTahxxE-vFjWB_nxrbZnXh_VXjEAwhzInXkxzoZvkdBOszL2WxHAw7bSffhRAYfsygHxevejWM66oO7qQgR1FPJO8lItmfgq0-yscjpSTPM3cgjo8guGA6dG1iP6DSFYBsyIf8jUJaiu69bGAdne4M/s320/Bond.webp" width="188" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p>And then came Bond</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Discretion, listening, patience? Yeah, no. Ian Fleming’s international player has none of those things. Also, he doesn’t do a lot of spying. Nor does he do a lot of spy-catching. Where he does fall perfectly in line as a spy is in psychological profile. Bond is pathological in his motivations. Angry, violent, and bigoted, he perfectly reflects a substantial segment of entitled, upper class white men in postcolonial England. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Diamond in the septic tank</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Amid the racist attitudes and misogyny, Bond/Fleming does evolve in the mindset of who the enemy is. Over the course of 11 years and 14 books, Bond went from early fisticuffs with Nazi expats and errant Soviets to ultimately battling the true enemy of any nation: unchecked wealth in unscrupulous hands. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bond/Fleming accurately predicted the rise of the ultrarich—with ALL the money and privilege money can buy but no fulfillment, their pastimes are unraveling the social fabric. They are THE salient threat to national, if not global, security. They: Sills, Blofeld, et al, are the existential threat to earth. However Bond’s motivation remains shockingly similar to the monsters he vies with—the threat simply represents a license to kill, rape, and destroy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-J7dIU3JgF8iAekVFSoFUZoQiHS96xu8PuGtYg0kbGamTkXsECAZCw2wOCZEVx2YzEgpsO0WVmRuVC2F00El7-wTNKpq2rmI288mTv8irOd-cavFfzZkbV0Jl3sY_MbMBDW_BU2RErKHh7A4BEJTimA3umD_M5Pk0HjqUd_YuuNvAnSYPM6eZidjiM4CI/s572/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-04%20at%2011.16.12%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="572" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-J7dIU3JgF8iAekVFSoFUZoQiHS96xu8PuGtYg0kbGamTkXsECAZCw2wOCZEVx2YzEgpsO0WVmRuVC2F00El7-wTNKpq2rmI288mTv8irOd-cavFfzZkbV0Jl3sY_MbMBDW_BU2RErKHh7A4BEJTimA3umD_M5Pk0HjqUd_YuuNvAnSYPM6eZidjiM4CI/w353-h190/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-04%20at%2011.16.12%20AM.png" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinks and birds? A lot of bloody reading is what it is.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The spy in the unemployment line</b></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In his arthritic-real spymaster, George Smiley, John Le Carré wrote the anti-Bond. A dedicated civil servant, Smiley is workman-like in cultivating and running street-level spies. Spies like Ricki Tarr, a field agent posing as an import/export man (with all the graft that goes with it) and Toby Esterhase, a multi-lingual command officer, as well as a smuggler and con-man. In short, Smiley actually does the work of spying and does it quietly. Also unlike Bond, Smiley is able to subvert his ego when, in the aftermath of a Kim-Philby-esque defection, Smiley (previously fired) must find a mole in “The Circus” through insult-to-injury circumstances. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEnxUvboxmdxPx5mYkhxzUUePle9oTA0GLlvtlWdKALHwHO7pOnyv7YXD_jal3ydren69oQLkvcWDJtgfKGNtJq1dAG374qsT-Nwb4ZGpGnsXuJLpgh7qTtE8rjC7ZlcKGZKAsihRr_YraEAMKqULLL0n1nRkNveh3QcKlYjub9ZdXSGUQDOlciUSRep1/s570/Sidney_Reilly_German_Passport_September_1918.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEnxUvboxmdxPx5mYkhxzUUePle9oTA0GLlvtlWdKALHwHO7pOnyv7YXD_jal3ydren69oQLkvcWDJtgfKGNtJq1dAG374qsT-Nwb4ZGpGnsXuJLpgh7qTtE8rjC7ZlcKGZKAsihRr_YraEAMKqULLL0n1nRkNveh3QcKlYjub9ZdXSGUQDOlciUSRep1/s320/Sidney_Reilly_German_Passport_September_1918.jpeg" width="225" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The ultimate man of mystery.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Ace of Spies who inspired them all</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sidney Reilly, or Zigmund Rosenblum, or Pedro, is perhaps the ancestor for all modern-day spooks. With exploits known only years after his execution, Reilly meticulously muddied all waters of his background. What is known is that he was well-educated, likely upper-class, and probably Jewish by culture if not faith. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The greatest talent for any spy to cultivate</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Reilly claimed to have arrived in London with £1500 and a passport as a reward for saving a British military officer in Brazil. Purportedly starting as an immigrant informant, he parlayed his talents into higher and more political circles. Ultimately, he worked for no less than four intelligence services across half-a-dozen conflicts.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is more commonly believed that Reilly landed in London with a large (much more than £1500) amount of cash just after two political extremists were found robbed and murdered on a train in France. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yan Voitek, Reilly’s Polish accomplice, most likely did the knife work. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Therein lies Reilly’s greatest talents. A master liar and manipulator, he wrote his own story, created his own mystique, while duping others into doing his heavy lifting. With those skills, he betrayed a British intelligence agent into tipping his hand and sealing his own doom, so Reilly could get the plans for a nascent German war fleet—which he then sold to the English for a fortune. Reilly would repeat the process countless times.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A bridge too far</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Reilly confounded everyone who would “know” him and ultimately controlled his own image. Mysterious and dashing, British Diplomat, Robert Lockhart recounted Reilly could discuss a variety of subjects (but possessed little more than superficial knowledge on anything), exuded charm, and drew attention from women. Lockhart also stated that Reilly was personally courageous or at least indifferent to danger. Which would ultimately lead to his undoing.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVejV51rlh3KI2i6ve3khPVE4I1ocsx8ESFw488jBqCrvFJPdJdPp3HFc25nnjX4gnIxsTdIpwXrAnUlmHIK1sr81aAc8ybhT9--koXAI866gu1poDCuxpjUPa1B0f8fYkFizkRFoo_3FZUZKVsGSqnB4Dy9pHdNbxjHF9v5HWA4jnFKgpGHDI20zq0oC/s640/Kaplan_fanny_1918.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVejV51rlh3KI2i6ve3khPVE4I1ocsx8ESFw488jBqCrvFJPdJdPp3HFc25nnjX4gnIxsTdIpwXrAnUlmHIK1sr81aAc8ybhT9--koXAI866gu1poDCuxpjUPa1B0f8fYkFizkRFoo_3FZUZKVsGSqnB4Dy9pHdNbxjHF9v5HWA4jnFKgpGHDI20zq0oC/s320/Kaplan_fanny_1918.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As mugshots go, it's not the worst I've seen.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Accounts vary but it is believed that Reilly became acquainted with Fanya Kaplan, a mentally unstable anarchist. No one contends that Reilly controlled or directed Kaplan to assassinate Lenin, (her obsession with the Soviet leader predates her acquaintance with Reilly). However, Reilly stoked her paranoia and mania. It is also believed that Reilly supplied the Browning pistol Kaplan used to shoot Lenin. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSsq3VmRmfs7y_JhLSZyU2_RHdnjXffmqt5p2DU6hwV8MgsEAkbz8vUBBHfWB30NHtg9oJq1Y2C4W9w63D5Y0DWE-CWXvyo8LASZAs2TJY1sfV-_4AWvOMJYWblfvjzuxfoVTshkq6Gzpft5N1pfv9E0N5-9o-HBDhJ5Z_Xc9xpzmQ-e7Q-zB2s90uSNS/s800/0bf96bc020fb8ad570b46bf39a0a9dad.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSsq3VmRmfs7y_JhLSZyU2_RHdnjXffmqt5p2DU6hwV8MgsEAkbz8vUBBHfWB30NHtg9oJq1Y2C4W9w63D5Y0DWE-CWXvyo8LASZAs2TJY1sfV-_4AWvOMJYWblfvjzuxfoVTshkq6Gzpft5N1pfv9E0N5-9o-HBDhJ5Z_Xc9xpzmQ-e7Q-zB2s90uSNS/s320/0bf96bc020fb8ad570b46bf39a0a9dad.jpeg" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lenin survived...but, damn...</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Bond’s psychopathy, Smiley’s organizational focus, all hail from Reilly. Ian Fleming’s spy career commenced less than 20 years after Reilly’s death (and public outing as a spy). LeCarré’s own career with MI5 would’ve been steeped in lessons from Reilly’s adventures. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mission Impossible: AARP</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twenty-five years ago, the first </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mission Impossible </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">film debuted. Betrayed, paranoid, and extremely violent, Ethan Hunt represented the American take on the spy tradition. More reactionary than Bond and WAY less pensive than Smiley, Ethan is the spy with the least of Reilly’s DNA. Sadly, that extends to the movie.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like the stunt-fest </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MI </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">movies, Ethan is bloodless and clear of conscience. Neither criminal nor spy, he’s a movie star in an action-thriller. The espionage is incidental, like Ethan’s shoes or socks. The good guy with a federal-benefits dental plan, he’s completely unencumbered by pathology or past, bright-eyed and feckless as the popcorn he sells. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEruVrR7prZtfGAXk2y0qK2UovZ4a6RBlWZsLSTIfsox0wsVsosT755dqnGxHBIx9mOUOpkia4WNj-M2sR6C2VawtfK_fP_koBEtq1mecTS5rpxBH9zQXu3OO0B3r0qQpCdmOzN3vBUPhwfWlqv6BpXf-mTYplnu7Myk9TKxe9IwkynnIqspw5J6QodFB/s540/Indira_varma_by_sachyn_mital_(cropped).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEruVrR7prZtfGAXk2y0qK2UovZ4a6RBlWZsLSTIfsox0wsVsosT755dqnGxHBIx9mOUOpkia4WNj-M2sR6C2VawtfK_fP_koBEtq1mecTS5rpxBH9zQXu3OO0B3r0qQpCdmOzN3vBUPhwfWlqv6BpXf-mTYplnu7Myk9TKxe9IwkynnIqspw5J6QodFB/s320/Indira_varma_by_sachyn_mital_(cropped).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bond that should've been.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Taking the movie for what it is, I’ll still see it, if for no other reasons than Ving Rhames and Indira Varma. But then I’d pay to see her read Joseph Conrad’s <span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Secret Agent.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> No. No, I don’t get out much.</span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I own none of the images above. All are used for educational/instructional purposes, as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p></div>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-40153189379322480212023-06-20T17:09:00.005-04:002023-07-13T12:13:04.365-04:00Over Done Tropes—Magic Gunshot Wounds<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuKdFnKS1bLX8yoM4vjpSQHiEQKuZAjgrc6xx7eTqjOytUmPnntJHNUEnDR-76Ip9JkYtyJgLxHruZgxandt9Uvv0AYVI0czB_F_tDJvIappPoekzp0wYT6hGZ2sQmD2J_Dt3T3-fJM7WslGmCPe8wmymMVdzQYf9Z6Efrh1E2mNf6SL9GPK3Xg39HKug/s369/Reservoir_Dogs.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuKdFnKS1bLX8yoM4vjpSQHiEQKuZAjgrc6xx7eTqjOytUmPnntJHNUEnDR-76Ip9JkYtyJgLxHruZgxandt9Uvv0AYVI0czB_F_tDJvIappPoekzp0wYT6hGZ2sQmD2J_Dt3T3-fJM7WslGmCPe8wmymMVdzQYf9Z6Efrh1E2mNf6SL9GPK3Xg39HKug/s320/Reservoir_Dogs.png" width="215" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A million years ago, I attempted a respiratory therapy vocational program. Obviously, I didn't make it. However, I did learn a lot, during my one clinical rotation. I treated (means wrote down specific information under the supervision of an actual clinician) a patient who was in a vegetative state after a botched dental procedure. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, no. There is no "routine" or "simple" surgical procedure.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There is also no “simple” gunshot wound. Yet movies, television shows, and books persist in using the “just a shoulder/arm/leg/flesh,” wound device. More than simply overused, the device is patently irresponsible and contributes to a fundamental misunderstanding of the life-long effect of gun violence on survivors.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, this is a pro-gun-control piece, read or click away accordingly—also, spoilers</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Texas’ best writer of historical fiction, Elmer Kelton understood the importance of facts. Educated as a journalist at the University of Texas, Kelton was a news reporter and editor for over a decade before his first book was published. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Elmer was also an actual cowboy and worked as such while writing his first novel. So—roping, ranching, and rodeoing—he wrote with boil-lancing honesty about the cowboy life. What Elmer had no experience with was gunshot wounds. In his rare poorly-thought-out line, Lafey Dodge (a hired gunman) is shot in the arm by Rascal McGinty. When escorted out of town by the hero, Lafey states that he’s had worse injuries from opening canned food with his knife.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For context, the Colt Single Action Army (dubbed the Peacemaker) Rascal used was most commonly chambered in .44 (that means the bullet is almost half-an-inch in diameter) which results in a 1-inch wound, (at least). </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">NOT just a flesh wound</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">From at least half-a-dozen movies, most Americans are aware of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Less commonly known is the aftermath where family and friends of the two brothers killed ambushed Marshal Virgil Earp. Virgil was shot twice, in the arm and back, with a 12 gauge. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, for context, (a 12-gauge shotgun shells ejects 12, .33 caliber balls with each shot). Eight balls went through Virgil’s back, settling against his hip. Four hit his arm. Easy-peasy, right?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The four balls shattered Virgil’s left arm, necessitating the removal of his elbow. The only doctor available gave Virgil one-chance-in-five of survival. Ultimately, Virgil would survive but would never use his left arm again.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYg9Op6ByawI-PTPBdzBBz_bA82rTwOq7mq5S_3lM8N8l4RiXREI9r8IXgdjs_igDx4_Y7rlgRWuw2268BBuzxUfm2r_l0BbzMT0_6mKSwsqWl9lAhJCwNG92EZM3AGnie_buzGgJa8QuCyzAP6IGNsKVPr7KGcX95UpI7-RpYeJNCaJ6lS4Uw5mKSjR1o/s814/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-20%20at%201.14.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="814" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYg9Op6ByawI-PTPBdzBBz_bA82rTwOq7mq5S_3lM8N8l4RiXREI9r8IXgdjs_igDx4_Y7rlgRWuw2268BBuzxUfm2r_l0BbzMT0_6mKSwsqWl9lAhJCwNG92EZM3AGnie_buzGgJa8QuCyzAP6IGNsKVPr7KGcX95UpI7-RpYeJNCaJ6lS4Uw5mKSjR1o/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-06-20%20at%201.14.22%20PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’ll note that big flat bone at the shoulder: the shoulder blade. Thing is, the shoulder blade is not flat. With multiple plans/angles if the bullet his the shoulder blade your best possible outcome is for the bullet to pancake and/or become embedded. Otherwise there’s a good chance that the bullet will pinball right into the chest cavity where there are vital organs and multiple avenues to Boot Hill. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then there is a major artery, a nerve cluster, and multiple lymph nodes. In short, lots and lots can go wrong with a shoulder/arm wound. Also, clavicals hurt like a fothermucker and take forever to heal. Write accordingly.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">...it’s only a scratch…actually, five or six scratches…</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series was a groundbreaking work of detective fiction. Thoroughly modernizing the private investigator subgenre, Spenser is often far more human than predecessors, Mike Hammer, (Mickey Spillane) or Philip Marlowe, (Raymond Chandler). His world includes tender relationships with his companion Sarah Silverman and adopted son, Paul Giacomin. His world also prominently features characters of all ethnicities and genders, belief systems and sexual orientations, (with mixed results) it all contributes to Parker’s bedrock-solid foundation of street-smart practicality. Until it comes to gunshot wounds.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With gunshot wounds, Parker’s PI is super-human. Rough-and-tumble, Spenser is shot no less than four times over the course of 30 novels. In every single instance, Spencer is successfully treated, makes a self-effacing joke, and then sports the scars as badges of honor. No lasting complications, no trauma disorders, for that matter, no psychological impact at all. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of this is rooted, I’m sure, in Hemingway’s influence on Parker. But Hemingway, (an ambulance driver during the First World War) understood the trauma of injuries. Robert Jordan most definitely dies of his gunshot wounds in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Whom the Bell Tolls.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Likewise, Harry dies of sepsis from a minor cut, in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Snows of Kilimanjaro. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of sepsis</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the movie </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Resevoir Dogs</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, hold-up man, Larry tells his wounded companion, Freddie, that gut shots hurt the most but he’s not going to die. Yeah, maybe not immediately. But with that degree of bleeding, (Freddie paints the the car interior with his blood) and the high likelihood that a bowel was at least nicked if not punctured and now there is fecal matter mixing with the blood flooding his abdominal cavity means he will be in septic shock really soon and really dead soon after that.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Freddie most certainly wouldn’t be alive, (much less lucid) for the multiple hours depicted in the film. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDyiITB4LhIpj6ZBqLIbnxcRz1_DjEtVLw4oV2Yn4vHWcb2SjbtHVkEE-afqIdshwgCCacfwijGWwKPbVJ6f82_x3KF_Rya2te4T6nQwaRrQAAjbwDRrSexbKeYKAQHtamsHvju3WBXd5n5wR2OpGmotcIzD4tP6Keclp2ewy_DGdfdModOu3XWUvwEht/s840/Freddie.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDyiITB4LhIpj6ZBqLIbnxcRz1_DjEtVLw4oV2Yn4vHWcb2SjbtHVkEE-afqIdshwgCCacfwijGWwKPbVJ6f82_x3KF_Rya2te4T6nQwaRrQAAjbwDRrSexbKeYKAQHtamsHvju3WBXd5n5wR2OpGmotcIzD4tP6Keclp2ewy_DGdfdModOu3XWUvwEht/s320/Freddie.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good thing you don't need abdominal muscles to do...well, everything.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, who does it well?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Author Michael McGarity is a former cop. He’s seen gunshot wounds and the aftermath. Hence, his protag, Kevin Kerney reflects that reality. In </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tularosa</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, we meet Kerney, recently retired by a gunshot wound that has left him nearly crippled in one leg. In successive books, we see Kerney’s daily physical therapy regime necessary for him to simply walk. We also see his bad leg fails him more than once. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Science fiction stories based in war-correspondence fact</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before Karen Traviss hit the big time and substantially contributed to Mandalorian lore she was a BBC defense correspondent. She also served in the army as well as the navy reserves in the UK. That informs the tremendously rich language and command of character we see in her work. It also informs her understanding of wounds. Kal Skirata, a Mandalorian military trainer, (and Traviss’ greatest creation) becomes a drill-instructor on Camino after one of his ankles is shattered, leaving him unable to function in combat. Skirata walks with a pronounced limp and suffers near-constant pain.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The French call that one ‘courage’...I’d keep that if I were you.” Jack Crawford, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Silence of the Lambs</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like Elmer Kelton, Thomas Harris started as a journalist. He also researched deeply with the FBI. He understands wounds. As a result we know that Will Graham didn’t </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">just</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> survive Hannibal Lecter’s attack—mostly by the reference to the colostomy bag he had to wear while recovering from Lecter’s knife work. But he also understands the psychological toll surviving takes. Like Graham, shellshocked by his experience with Lecter and then ruined by his confrontation with Francis Dolarhyde, Clarice Starling does not emerge unscathed by her first firefight. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Jame Gumb set an ambush for Starling in a pitch-black room. Provisioned with night-vision goggles and etermined to have Starling's scalp (literally) for his collection, Jame lies in wait with the intention of shooting her in the face. Then he cocks the hammer on his revolver. Clarice zeros Gumb from the sound and shoots him dead. Still Gumb gets off a shot. While his bullet misses Clarice, grains of late-igniting gunpowder tattoos her cheekbone like a birthmark from hell.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the successive book, we see that Starling is haunted by the mark of her trial by fire, even as she takes pride in her mark of courage. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In writing wounds, make them as heavy (or not) as you chose. Just remember the dramatic potential in logical extrapolation of the severe and the "superficial" wounds our heroes and villains suffer. To do less is lazy, at best.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo at the top, Reservoir Dogs movie poster (Miramax Films) and the photo above, shoulder anatomy, (Gray’s Anatomy) do no belong to me. They are used here for educational/instructional purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ac9bbdaa-7fff-f73b-c8e4-ec806d781f49"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-49359317530665634152023-05-30T17:18:00.003-04:002023-09-07T17:31:03.649-04:00Over-Done Tropes: the Scary-Black-Man<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQ26-Tz3a4hLP47Y6pHd9d26vwN7a4GKbyqX39bY-1BpdeQfD8gVzXfbLuO6mFgvv8E_gYsBHaPA1xoEF6kTgLtCaOLOuO6nAXIINbCH6NqFjf1EP9QvnG75y_qp18lD_lv43pePUuP2dRFaco3atbIUfuzoefZPruuaEWxdIiKVvswG1hKBBHodo_Q/s385/Black_Panther_Wakanda_Forever_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQ26-Tz3a4hLP47Y6pHd9d26vwN7a4GKbyqX39bY-1BpdeQfD8gVzXfbLuO6mFgvv8E_gYsBHaPA1xoEF6kTgLtCaOLOuO6nAXIINbCH6NqFjf1EP9QvnG75y_qp18lD_lv43pePUuP2dRFaco3atbIUfuzoefZPruuaEWxdIiKVvswG1hKBBHodo_Q/s320/Black_Panther_Wakanda_Forever_poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does Daniel Boone and Animal House, Michael Crichton and Marjorie Taylor Green all have in common? The scary black man trope. As always, context is everything.</span></span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a1e9d240-7fff-1858-c0c6-e06391873940"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In an episode of the silver-age television series, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daniel Boone,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Daniel’s friend Cincinnatus journeys to sell furs for a group of trappers. However, Cincinnatus becomes intimidated by a group of men intently watching him collect his money. In desperation, Cincinnatus buys a slave. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>"But see it's positive exploitation..." said no one ever</b></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Correction, he buys a human, who happens to be black and large/physically imposing. It’s 1960s’ TV so there is a “feel good” resolution that I don’t remember and really doesn’t matter because it was all horseshit. The point is, this was one of the earliest use of the “scary black man,” (SBM) trope in television.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like shrewish wives and incompetent husbands, the SBM trope spread like a gasoline fire—but across genre and medium. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1978, Robert B. Parker published his fifth Spenser novel, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Judas Goat</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When Spenser gets in over his head with terrorists, he calls his hood-friend, Hawk, for backup. All good, so far.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hawk is taller than 6’1” Spenser. He is extremely fit and extremely deadly. He is also a black man. Spenser punctuates that he is scary by describing Hawk, waiting for Spensere at Heathrow Airport. Spenser states that if anyone thought a man wearing a pink jumpsuit was a sissy, they didn’t say it. Because Hawk is big and scary and black. Just in case, you know, you missed the point. Parker would use the same trope for the rest of his writing career. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That same year, John Landis’ first big-budget film, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Animal House</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, debuted. Among drunk-rape jokes and statutory-rape jokes there is a tender moment when Tim Mathison’s “Otter” dupes several sorority girls into joining him and his friends for a date. Then, when they stop to see a favorite band, at a “black” nightclub, they abandon the girls. See, several black men ask to dance with the white girls. The race-rape “joke” is inferred. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>But, but, but we’ve grown so much since…</b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1992, Philip Kaufman’s </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rising Sun</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> adapted Michael Crichton’s novel to the big screen. Wesley Snipes plays Webster “Web” Smith, against type. Instead of the lone-wolf, meathead cop, Web is a thinking detective. John Connor, (Sean Connery) is, well, Sean Connery—different rant, different time. Mostly, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rising Sun</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a smart movie for its time and considering the race-baiting source material. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mostly.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the second act Web and John are fleeing (suggested) Yakuza gangsters. They roll through South Central Los Angeles, (where Web has kinship ties) and his kinship ties stop the Yakuza gangsters cold. Oh, did I mention that the “ties” were stereotypical SBMs? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>But, but, but black directors…</b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Ryan Coogler’s 2018 film, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Panther</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, we get a beautiful glimpse of what might’ve been if not for the horrors of colonialism in Africa. We see a prosperous, advanced civilization in the fictional Wakanda, led by a strong, principled T’challa. But even in this original, innovative take on societies of color, we see racist medling. In a council meeting, the main white character, Everette Ross, interrupts M’Baku, the leader of the Jabari Tribe. M’Baku threatens to feed Ross to his children. Quickly qualifying that he is joking—M’Baku et al are vegetarians.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is clearly Coogler’s subversion of white stereotypes of Africans as cannibals, (a trope that even Heinlein once used in one of his science-fiction stories). But the set up, (that smacks of “notes” from the film company) is still SBM trope. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the time of his follow up, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black Panther, Wakanda Forever</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Coogler had more control born of directing an Academy Award winning blockbuster. M’Baku is back. So is Ross. The racist subtext is gone. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Social-Justice Warrrior-ing aside, what’s the point?</b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sixteen-year-old Ralph Yarl is a prodigy. Academically accomplished with an acceptance letter to Texas A&M University’s chemical engineering program. He is also a responsible young man. So, on April 13th, when Ralph’s mom told him to pick up his younger brother from a birthday party, he went. Unfortunately, he went to the wrong address, half-a-block from the party. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wrong address, wrong house, no harm, no foul, no hurt feelings, right? Sadly, no. Andrew Daniel Lester, the homeowner, shot Ralph Yarl—through the door. And then shot him again for good measure. When arrested, Lester purportedly told officials he feared Ralph Yarl’s “size.” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ralph Yarl is 5’8” and 140 pounds. Andrew Daniel Lester is 5’11” and 175 pounds. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On May 17, 2023, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene alleged that fellow representative Jamaal Bowman threatened her. She claimed that Rep. Bowman has a history of aggression toward her and behaved in an aggressive manner toward her. This is the same Rep. Greene, who insisted she would carry her firearm in the Capitol Building. The same Greene who banged on Representatives Omar and Occasio-Cortez’ office doors in blatant efforts at confrontation. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is so intimidating, so threatening about Rep. Bowman? Is it that he is a former middle school principal? A former teacher? Is that so frightening to a woman who chased an 18-year-old student down the street to confront him over his views (silly ideas like NOT being shot in high school)? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What could possibly be so intimidating about Jamaal Bowman? Oh. That’s right. Jamaal Bowman is a black man. And, as Bowman said, Rep. Greene, by inferring that he is aggressive—means big, scary, and black—paints a target on Rep. Bowman’s back. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back in April, Ralph Yarl ran to three houses, crying and begging for help after suffering gunshot wounds to the head and arm. No one would open their door. When police finally arrived, they found Ralph laying in a pool of his own blood, in the street.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those two examples—I could fill pages with myriad other examples—represent what the “scary black man” trope does to all men of color. It's not entertainment. It is irresponsible and deadly. So, it’s time to end it.</span></p></span></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo at the top, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" movie poster belongs to Walt Disney Studios. It is used here for educational/instructional purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine. </span></div>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-78185960586578705582023-05-16T21:24:00.003-04:002023-05-20T14:14:46.785-04:00Does Your Job Influence Your Writing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8aM2qDCnitGhytKAa798qVVDfgAR0zkbpICdHx3cQ5anaiPu7-Kixt8PPhm_-MAkMzgrjb9pOqvphc2zDtf04T29loO31_ho3zikNwTw6WppYTOX07-KaELgM87DP1q2gmfA6evKqaGiQhxTDcAAbRbBMGO4OTrUo3hfpppTmsmaRHyywbiqkfZPCg/s768/murdershebaked-hannahswensen.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="768" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8aM2qDCnitGhytKAa798qVVDfgAR0zkbpICdHx3cQ5anaiPu7-Kixt8PPhm_-MAkMzgrjb9pOqvphc2zDtf04T29loO31_ho3zikNwTw6WppYTOX07-KaELgM87DP1q2gmfA6evKqaGiQhxTDcAAbRbBMGO4OTrUo3hfpppTmsmaRHyywbiqkfZPCg/s320/murdershebaked-hannahswensen.webp" width="320" /></span></a></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-b128e56b-7fff-2c6b-90c6-8b0307584a75"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most of us have a job to pay the bills while we noodle-away on our vocation. Few of us consider the wealth of ideas and drama that is inherent to those day-gigs. Or even how the philosophy of our labors subconsciously influence our imaginative playground.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It will surprise no one who has read the Hannah Swensen/Murder She Baked mysteries that author Joanne Fluke comes from a long line of bakers. Nor would it be particularly shocking that she worked as a personal assistant for a private investigator. I was surprised to find that she also worked as a software consultant and a writer for a game show. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, you see the riches of those experiences in each Hanna Swensen adventure. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIQQbBnIjnuk1GpgTF1RpFRC5yfWg4AsmYchdCbnq9wm8A3Crh3RWxXLP_VGG9gSFNMuUFiYKr8VC2fzGrU90wL7J64Uhadyixq924I92wKl3C55UXSXao55qBlBzq3AxbtlsNDyhXs7yRgxLNLqjWmTyJzV3qFU09aJbYhJ9JBxjr5GhND5zL5BZkw/s500/crichton-2-500.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIQQbBnIjnuk1GpgTF1RpFRC5yfWg4AsmYchdCbnq9wm8A3Crh3RWxXLP_VGG9gSFNMuUFiYKr8VC2fzGrU90wL7J64Uhadyixq924I92wKl3C55UXSXao55qBlBzq3AxbtlsNDyhXs7yRgxLNLqjWmTyJzV3qFU09aJbYhJ9JBxjr5GhND5zL5BZkw/s320/crichton-2-500.webp" width="219" /></span></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michael Crichton wrote four books before he hit it big with </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Andromeda Strain.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The first three were standard pulp of the day, heists, assassins, and mistaken identities. Oh and lots of sex. The fourth book though, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Case of Need,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was something completely different. The story of a pathologist determined to help a friend accused of murdering a nurse, the book is timely (abortion is the subplot and it was illegal in many states then, too) fast, and best of all, it smacks of hard-earned experience. That is mostly because Doctor Michael Crichton was a Havard educated doctor and research biology fellow. He’s seen some things and I’m not just talking about science.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Science does pays more than bills</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As stated </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Andromeda Strain</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was his first big hit, allowing him to leave medicine (which he hated) and write full time. It is no coincidence that Crichton’s biggest successes were the science books—<i>Coma, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun </i>et al. His gift was conveying complex ideas in easy to understand terms. Story was the objective rather than show how smart he was.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sJkXUfgP-GYFnxkP18zaCUf36beqT4CPo1aZ2x2hSmApfjsn4wmjiA5oy_lZ6HDadMrOrRvj08PCnGBQR3CtlDPMh7q1dOqsdktDbkp-z6NpTPIotG6olte-Czp_xwmq4IAR0TS6iIz6JM_is1hgWORxKLq7gpBTVpjHy_Ax7RJYrGilhEIu9gnNvQ/s850/quote-he-had-never-seen-a-woman-doctor-before-and-his-whole-conservative-soul-rose-up-in-revolt-arthur-conan-doyle-54-61-40.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="850" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sJkXUfgP-GYFnxkP18zaCUf36beqT4CPo1aZ2x2hSmApfjsn4wmjiA5oy_lZ6HDadMrOrRvj08PCnGBQR3CtlDPMh7q1dOqsdktDbkp-z6NpTPIotG6olte-Czp_xwmq4IAR0TS6iIz6JM_is1hgWORxKLq7gpBTVpjHy_Ax7RJYrGilhEIu9gnNvQ/s320/quote-he-had-never-seen-a-woman-doctor-before-and-his-whole-conservative-soul-rose-up-in-revolt-arthur-conan-doyle-54-61-40.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Arthur Conan Doyle predates Crichton by almost 100 years. Also trained as a physician, Doyle actually practiced medicine first as a ship’s surgeon and then in private practice. Also like Crichton, Doyle's earliest publishing successes were based in science. Doyle, however, had a different drive than Crichton. Born into the closing days of the British Empire, Doyle in his work, is very much the bubbling Watson attempting to reconcile his scientific training with generational superstition and prejudice, all at the turn of the century. Holmes is his ultimate expression of reason and rational thought, standing against ignorance and brutality.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_w9NSd9f49NcBY8jsAwJfVfvVGFcEQBAdqUaOfRYGqurFeAcIHS5kYFFBweCw5IWWbowKJJ4O43rBAFjJ5n3HGhfTpXlN3pOQuFLcay67bVYPdI9t2DYyfFUyJzvN0ovBU94Hg48ejHsd-q2BoOvWoYURjdirF68nTQbHSJWd_Cx7xqLFny0ifp6SLQ/s811/hammettphoto.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="811" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_w9NSd9f49NcBY8jsAwJfVfvVGFcEQBAdqUaOfRYGqurFeAcIHS5kYFFBweCw5IWWbowKJJ4O43rBAFjJ5n3HGhfTpXlN3pOQuFLcay67bVYPdI9t2DYyfFUyJzvN0ovBU94Hg48ejHsd-q2BoOvWoYURjdirF68nTQbHSJWd_Cx7xqLFny0ifp6SLQ/s320/hammettphoto.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps the best known vocational writer is Dashiell Hammett (bottom row, center). A Pinkerton detective for nearly a decade, Dash knew the ins and outs of crime which can be boiled down mostly to greed and deceit. He brought that experience both to his writing—his detectives wear hard lives just as they wear threadbare clothes and comfortable shoes. They take those lives off with a drink a the end of the day and then put them back on, along with necessity and worry. Just as Dash had.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt1-ieASLWGAlkqGqAHzpBoZ539gmBC61xOjcWzndaRCXfpjV6F_IuzMxwmQrFwIyWOq8EIZxjJqA7yFj058pr7dUt2u6L-bIkl3yUoV8oZTeHvSnXLw-7meExf8sdOIymrr6jv9yxzozOpKEcDh1q6sKVbVdArwU6za1TWY4n4WVI9PTYDygMFLo5g/s517/WW8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="487" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt1-ieASLWGAlkqGqAHzpBoZ539gmBC61xOjcWzndaRCXfpjV6F_IuzMxwmQrFwIyWOq8EIZxjJqA7yFj058pr7dUt2u6L-bIkl3yUoV8oZTeHvSnXLw-7meExf8sdOIymrr6jv9yxzozOpKEcDh1q6sKVbVdArwU6za1TWY4n4WVI9PTYDygMFLo5g/s320/WW8.png" width="301" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">He also brought his experiences with people to his activism. Disillusioned with the Pinkertons’ union-busting activities, Dash left the agency the first year he was published. He would use experiences with surveillance and infiltration to advise the fledgling Screen Writers Guild and the Civil Rights Congress. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsuqb36MjACqY0aAugcrR4S5NuOc4WP3E3yxSs9vuR8TPy8p4JzaE_AHa8f1Bj0bzReqdipPM9KlhY2LjA4p9vXT26ho0aZ4hANNXqQT3iVEmumdLtLCzdoRdz-axdPJojicW1PCzdHTC4l-BxyoATSHVDIkuXHZgqqRl_VUqZQyinxw35RvxfIzy2g/s400/9780062899545.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsuqb36MjACqY0aAugcrR4S5NuOc4WP3E3yxSs9vuR8TPy8p4JzaE_AHa8f1Bj0bzReqdipPM9KlhY2LjA4p9vXT26ho0aZ4hANNXqQT3iVEmumdLtLCzdoRdz-axdPJojicW1PCzdHTC4l-BxyoATSHVDIkuXHZgqqRl_VUqZQyinxw35RvxfIzy2g/s320/9780062899545.jpeg" width="214" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But maybe you’re not a former private detective like Dash, or a doctor like Doyle or Crichton, you may not be a baker, like Fluke, either. Aren’t you ashamed? Jokes aside, I just bet, you have some experiences that have shaped your views on life and will likewise shape your writing. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Because I don’t think anyone’s bingo card included a failed restaurateur and middling line cook become a world-wide phenomenon who would change the way a nation viewed food and travel.</span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Fraud Triangle is the barometer of credibility in my little diddies. </b></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6TjkiJ_JyqdWuacXn-Ot-mUuMAhAQ6xLjbP1cSixKF15gRwT38werpu6OwWDafT1nC8bnVMiyZx_QyJFsFy3FiK6vcyjlqpVH_IkzCNeoHU2LSfwjT571yAVrPJgRmzPtfrJzLgJ4M0BwP6SS4iIVHeGLgKWlohfOgDRWaDxcqrf_AaA3QkDzoUkOA/s337/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-13%20at%205.13.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="337" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6TjkiJ_JyqdWuacXn-Ot-mUuMAhAQ6xLjbP1cSixKF15gRwT38werpu6OwWDafT1nC8bnVMiyZx_QyJFsFy3FiK6vcyjlqpVH_IkzCNeoHU2LSfwjT571yAVrPJgRmzPtfrJzLgJ4M0BwP6SS4iIVHeGLgKWlohfOgDRWaDxcqrf_AaA3QkDzoUkOA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-13%20at%205.13.10%20PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In June of this year I will celebrate my seventh year as a Certified Fraud Examiner…by paying a stack of cash to renew my certification and attesting to my continuing professional education. Yet the CFE has provided me with a wealth of experience beyond the job qualification it imparts. Years of study and work in the field has informed my fiction writing. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Developed by criminologist, Dr. Donald Cressey, the Fraud Triangle neatly represents the key aspects of fraud: financial pressure, (may be professional or personal pressure) rationalization, and of course, opportunity. The triangle, employed like a compass, allows the examiner to track just about every case of fraud we are likely to encounter.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bernie Madoff toiled for 30 years to build an investment empire on word of mouth and computer innovaiton. He was also under intense pressure to conceal the fact that his investment empire was a sham. Further, he rationalized that his dupes “should’ve known better,” or “could afford it” or “they were greedy." Finally, he had unrestricted access to his client’s money—in direct contridiction to (most) state and SEC guidelines for investment services.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my writing the fraud triangle becomes the checklist for credulity. What is it my bad men/women want? What is the pressure? What is the opportunity? What do the worse-er men/women want, etc? Granted, I come from </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> side of the tracks so I’m not writing entirely in the abstract or necessarily about fraud. Still, the root formula still applies. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like Dash, none of us are writing anything that hasn’t been written before. But just as none of it had been written in the way that Dash wrote it, nothing that has been written before has been written in your voice, or lensed through your experiences. You have some gold in your past, don’t be afraid to let it shine. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I own none of the photos above. They are used here for educational/instruction purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-42899128121189552942023-05-02T11:27:00.004-04:002023-05-06T09:24:50.773-04:00How To—Writing the Baddies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_9wFVhpn7LDnY3MuN9GQCelC_9Chftn5NlFEDp4SkvlnG3L-IK-LhalMBsGbO7oH80O3khYGYddquMvbBPU7uA5pLJTrj6EKHlnzwDsVIaN9-Eb1udIgxZCS3O-asRKsafPyrRFPgkvwyh5Xu5_mp8UFg89-597CrLF8TTd1mPwHA5Iht9roxqaesQ/s300/Heat.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_9wFVhpn7LDnY3MuN9GQCelC_9Chftn5NlFEDp4SkvlnG3L-IK-LhalMBsGbO7oH80O3khYGYddquMvbBPU7uA5pLJTrj6EKHlnzwDsVIaN9-Eb1udIgxZCS3O-asRKsafPyrRFPgkvwyh5Xu5_mp8UFg89-597CrLF8TTd1mPwHA5Iht9roxqaesQ/s1600/Heat.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Do you ever consider what makes up your genre? The tropes, rules, regulations? The bylaws?</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-da116860-7fff-dde5-d3d1-70051c098bb6"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No. No, I don’t get out much. But more to the point I study genre to understand what makes the underpinnings of the story. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Romance novel heroines are a certain age, have a specific “history,” and are pretty—but doesn’t know they are pretty. The romantic interest is older, more “experienced,” with a mysterious—but not too mysterious—past. Obvs, Charlotte Bronté didn’t get that memo. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If I sound critical, it is analysis more than judgment. I’ve read books in just about every genre. So, as you would suspect, 99% of those books have a genre-specific blueprint. The blueprint serves both the author, (how-to guide) and the reader, (what to expect). </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Crime is my genre and it is a little more difficult to pin down. There are multiple subgenres, each with its own norms and rules. Private investigators are usually wisecracking tough guys with their own code of right/wrong. Police detectives are brilliant but could not get their personal lives together if they had Marie Kondo and three assistants. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The serial killer is ALWAYS a genius, one step ahead of the police. Or he is an inarticulate monster who gets by on a LOT of luck. They are always (in the dozen or so books I've read) men and the victims are women. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Don’t get me started on spies and assassins. And, yes, that is crime, too.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My neck of the swamp is the baddies, the heisters, the hustlers, the dirty cops, and the smugglers. The rules are really loose. No matter how well-intentioned, the baddies typically come to tragic ends. But really, you can get by with a lot as long as it makes sense and the tone is consistent.</span></span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3OsjpDAcHBmLq1vJxtlC4IhFgO4lcbsPRwvVIzRKKqAdDDQcQcgVYUCduJjXObWnIt3PisVmEzvCSIN32a9DLEdS9fgf0GqCtjPyS65ohSkrzreTGWBiRW_pt8EbpKQue9EeRq3gatRUigGMm5UojT4HlVkvSBFdhe2zJmxFdf4YT90mdFo7QIRG9g/s245/Barbossa.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="245" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3OsjpDAcHBmLq1vJxtlC4IhFgO4lcbsPRwvVIzRKKqAdDDQcQcgVYUCduJjXObWnIt3PisVmEzvCSIN32a9DLEdS9fgf0GqCtjPyS65ohSkrzreTGWBiRW_pt8EbpKQue9EeRq3gatRUigGMm5UojT4HlVkvSBFdhe2zJmxFdf4YT90mdFo7QIRG9g/s1600/Barbossa.jpeg" width="245" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That’s the problem, though. What makes sense? What is a consistent tone?</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You ask crime fans what their favorite crime story is and you’ll get a mixed bag. Some will reference Michael Mann’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Others will call out </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wire</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by David Simon, Ed Burns, et al. Some may even reference print-guys like Elmore Leonard (the Jack Foley books, especially), or Donald Westlake (Parker is the archetype heister for a lot of us). The cool kids love Patricia Highsmith’s highly-imperfect psychopath, Tom Ripley. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those characters thread the needle between reality and marketability. Iain Levison’s budding bad-guy, Doug, (bad-man name if I ever read one) laments that he would like to go in like De Niro and Kilmer in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but the guns used costs more than is netted in the typical bank robbery. Of course the flipside (true crime) can read dry as a mother’s kiss without the throughline of a plot. Levinson’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How to Rob an Armored Car</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> nails character development, terse plot execution, and a well-oiled tone in a TIGHT 300 pages all rooted in absurd plausibility. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So what does makes a criminal?</span></span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZlXEyE6jKjZoPwcM1H4RYjVzFKr8xZ4hAiSAB8k2WcpFTMTfNOaWA1DhZY_J8FZu8R9T_ywUvlO7l5FXx44s-0i9yxMd08HNv8bN6CrB__lBVv7RzMPKTIpfNZBxiY4gRShW_US4sx_smfF_JpA93Ttc5wUyQRDdv_mkXgxUPuMQNKRXQjvu9Oveng/s600/Marcus-Aurelius-600x440.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZlXEyE6jKjZoPwcM1H4RYjVzFKr8xZ4hAiSAB8k2WcpFTMTfNOaWA1DhZY_J8FZu8R9T_ywUvlO7l5FXx44s-0i9yxMd08HNv8bN6CrB__lBVv7RzMPKTIpfNZBxiY4gRShW_US4sx_smfF_JpA93Ttc5wUyQRDdv_mkXgxUPuMQNKRXQjvu9Oveng/s320/Marcus-Aurelius-600x440.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bernie Madoff, Griselda Blanco, Neil McCauley, (the real-deal who De Niro’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> character was based on) all have one thing in common: working poverty. Madoff’s father was a journeyman plumber from Queens. Blanco grew up in abject poverty picking pockets and participating in kidnappings by the age of 13. Little is known about McCauley but no one spends half their life in prison, (including a stint in Alcatraz) only to die on a score without some life-long hunger on them. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I volunteered for the army on my birthday, they draft the white trash first ‘round here anyway”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> -Steve Earle, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Copperhead Road</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like John Lee Pettimore, (the protagonist of Steve Earle’s <i>Copperhead Road</i>) many men from deep poverty went to war Vietnam because they had few or no other options. They were trained in advanced counterinsurgency and survived by adapting and taking the initiative. But when they returned home if they found work it was menial labor for menial wages. It’s no coincidence that bank robberies spiked in the 60s and 70s. Nor is it coincidence that a lot of early drug runners were veterans unwilling to play step-and-fetch games. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Evil is evil because you can’t understand it,” - Young-Ha Kim, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Diary of a Murderer</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However you must beware of trying too hard to paint a point-to-point map of your characters development. In E.L. James’ </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fifty Shades of Grey</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the author attempts to “explain” the protagonists kink by linking it to adolescent sexual abuse. It’s connect-the-dots trite and a little lazy. One-hundred years of clinical study has yielded one fact: we’ve only scratched the surface of human psychology and development. Oh, and correlation does NOT equal causation. </span></span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaD5_39sackuBWoSCNXT3EsztQh3hyhf4S1bfU21q2ODZ9gmNA2wU1yVoVGpc_20jPrYRsf2UiyHCWSUO-JXDHM4-5Op7BTJZh7AemNTTbEvxlXgFlC_Wg285GY4T-lSqxssTsb0dMkNOr6a60eFkuRtTKAnza68ZFzB-aFqtv-e-9Kyv1LbmyLzvAA/s275/Pinkman.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxaD5_39sackuBWoSCNXT3EsztQh3hyhf4S1bfU21q2ODZ9gmNA2wU1yVoVGpc_20jPrYRsf2UiyHCWSUO-JXDHM4-5Op7BTJZh7AemNTTbEvxlXgFlC_Wg285GY4T-lSqxssTsb0dMkNOr6a60eFkuRtTKAnza68ZFzB-aFqtv-e-9Kyv1LbmyLzvAA/s1600/Pinkman.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here’s what we do know: abuse is a near constant among violent offenders. Sexual abuse is a prevalent among sexual predators. However, sexual dysfunction manifests in a variety of crimes, from burglary, to arson, to bank robbery.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidswkBFuLBuGNtKNvbdPbdOANPIOkyzv7CVduQn3i1MqoPqu8r7BhpmHw0FlKBbjTjna9E5hViajcjOfdOOGFAzSP4mU0Jj4cwkA4LdWXbTJKaK1xNe5gLSSs2gXTh1WYacCRwP2S77p1H0mKThQNLQzOtYNhcN3VD-MdLH6lCl96vWDpjx6ViaAzxcg/s200/cartman1_200-140d767a27065ad3482ab64f1ddcf4a6c9ed32bd-s1100-c50.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidswkBFuLBuGNtKNvbdPbdOANPIOkyzv7CVduQn3i1MqoPqu8r7BhpmHw0FlKBbjTjna9E5hViajcjOfdOOGFAzSP4mU0Jj4cwkA4LdWXbTJKaK1xNe5gLSSs2gXTh1WYacCRwP2S77p1H0mKThQNLQzOtYNhcN3VD-MdLH6lCl96vWDpjx6ViaAzxcg/s1600/cartman1_200-140d767a27065ad3482ab64f1ddcf4a6c9ed32bd-s1100-c50.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, what does a bad man look like? Michael Mann’s first film was a television movie about a running prodigy who happens to be in prison for murder. While filming, Mann learned a lot from the men behind bars and his experiences informed his movies for the next 30 years. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neal McCauley (De Niro’s character in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) has nothing in his life but the next score. He lives Spartan, no personal possessions, no attachments, no passion. He doesn't even have a monologue explaining himself. Other people define what makes McCauley tick. When his associate, Michael Cheritto proclaims, “For me, the score is the juice,” we know that it’s the same for McCauley.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That’s the same “juice” that drives Donald Westlake’s Parker and Elmore Leonard’s Jack Foley. While Gerald Petievich’s master counterfeiter, Rick Masters only does his “paper tricks” to suppd</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All images are used for educational/instructional purposes as covered under the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p></span>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-62952182172809225252023-04-04T12:13:00.005-04:002023-04-07T18:05:17.911-04:00Writing Inclusion...or Exploitation?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4IJhZEqP7zu9LUMZzm0NC_j1VrtBP5Ek9kZ1d4pxVEJIHesnZ45Ozw0Vls3WXRDS5WYattxw1JcSgFga2l9HgEeofrmE9Dm2m5XkVIm-CG6M1ST7-w5B3Mtu38ZXi6eqGGJ6z8gQlr7fz1DMKF9aOZx1bANbvZ7gq0DlsbSQCMfrggHk410-GFJqkw/s327/You_People_Film_Poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4IJhZEqP7zu9LUMZzm0NC_j1VrtBP5Ek9kZ1d4pxVEJIHesnZ45Ozw0Vls3WXRDS5WYattxw1JcSgFga2l9HgEeofrmE9Dm2m5XkVIm-CG6M1ST7-w5B3Mtu38ZXi6eqGGJ6z8gQlr7fz1DMKF9aOZx1bANbvZ7gq0DlsbSQCMfrggHk410-GFJqkw/s320/You_People_Film_Poster.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Mexican-ish</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Janine Cummings’ 2020 book, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Dirt </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">debut</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ed to thunderous acclaim. The story of a bookseller who must flee her native Mexico with her child and then live in the United States as an undocumented immigrant, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Dirt</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> had been the subject of a bidding war among publishers. Early reviews sparkled with praise. Maureen Corrigan of NPR, Jacob Appel of the New York Journal of Books, and Oprah all lavished acclaim on “the book of 2020.”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lost in translation</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike Lydia, the protagonist of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Dirt</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Janine Cummings is not Mexican. She is purportedly of German in Puerto Rican heritage. The distinction is telling in her prose. After two-plus centuries of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Estados-Unidos-</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">infused corruption, Mexicans are seldom shocked as Lydia, (more flawed translator for non-Mexican readers than valid character). The details and Lydia’s reactions are written for effect rather than to advance the story. Indeed, as critic David Bowles called it, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Dirt </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">harmful, appropriating, inaccurate, trauma-porn.”</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nothing under the sun, especially cultural mal-appropriation, is new</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1976, Forrest Carter released </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Education of Little Tree</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a novel written in memoir form. The story of the eponymous Little Tree who is raised by his Cherokee grandparents in the Appalachian mountains, steeped in the Cherokee language and ways. The book sold like crazy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Homespun racism</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, Emory University Professor Dan T. Carter (no relation) revealed the book to be fraudulent. In fact almost every word of the 216 pages—depictions of Cherokee language, customs, “The Way”—are lies pitched in blatant exploitation. Forrest Carter denied it all. He also attempted to deny proof that he was actually Asa Earl Carter, white-supremacist Klan member and one-time speech writer for George Wallace, (bigoted Alabama Governor, not the brilliant comedian). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But why, though?</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are more mysteries here than Easy Rollins could address. However, the big question—why?—is as blatant as the lie on Asa Carter’s face. Carter would have seen the runaway hit television series </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Waltons</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. He would no-doubt have noted the success of Ernest Gaines’ groundbreaking novel, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, followed closely by the critically acclaimed television movie of the same name. Just as likely, he would’ve experienced the cultural phenomenon of Alex Haley’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Roots</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carter, who had found modest success with his revisionist (wish fulfillment) novel </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Outlaw Josey Wales</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, wanted mainstream, national success. He wanted cultural money. He seized upon Native Americans, misappropriating and misrepresenting all the way to the bank. Fame and money remain a potent draw for writers of all ilks.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Representation isn’t easy</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 2000 sitcom,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Girlfriends </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">broke ground in the depiction of African American women. Centered on four friends—three professionals, one professional student—Mari Brock Akil’s show (about women of color) focused on challenges not previously seen on TV. With no housing projects or poverty porn, the situations <i>Girlfriends</i> addressed, that four women of color addressed, are universal: career, relationships, and defining friendships that grow and change.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Who has a pass? No one.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Hollywood took note: and then played the dynamic for laughs in movies like <i>Friday, Norbert, </i>and <i>Big Momma's House. </i>When Dog the Bounty Hunter stated that he only used the N-word because he thought he had "a pass" from his "black friends" many white movie and television producers nodded in solidarity. Most of us rolled our eyes in embarrasment.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Get out of black women’s hair</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the 20 years that followed, there have been books, podcasts, and documentary films all plumbing the secrets of black women’s hair. Much of it has been exploitative, *cough*Chris Rock*cough*. But ~sigh~ rather than glean insight or develop respect, too many writers have instead derived cheap descriptive device.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yeah, but I’m not writing women of color, so…</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The noble savage in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last of the Mohicans</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, (the book is 200-years old and probably coined the trope) the manipulative Jew in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Homicide</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, (David Mamet should’ve known better) the shrill black woman v. big momma, endemic to every story Tyler Perry does, the all-wise asian, in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iron and Silk</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Karate Kid</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are all deeply hurtful stereotypes. Worse, all are also lazy writing. We can do better and tell better stories.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Inclusion, representation, and difficult questions—who does it right</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Caveat: I have a love/eyeroll relationship with </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grey’s Anatomy</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but one of the things the show has consistently done well is address race without preaching, (was that my self-awareness tingling?). When Amelia Shepherd, (Caterina Scorsone) a white woman asks Maggie Pierce, (Kelly McCreary) a black woman if her statements to another person were racist, Maggie retorts, “Are you asking me as a sister or as a sistah?”</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s a powerful scene and illustrates one of the most important distinctions between representation and exploitation: agency. Too many writers still see the “other” as either a trope of nobility or evil—or a proxy for their views/validation for the protag. And, no, no person of color voluntarily “shucks and jives” with characters of color, no matter how James Patterson or Robert B. Parker writes them. Again, this is lazy and wastes an opportunity for a richer story. Next, lets look at who does it well.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, an old white dude…</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In his Border Trilogy, Cormac McCarthy embraces Mexico and Mexicans at multiple perspectives, from the rich/powerful latifundistas and poor dirt farmers, to revolutionaries and street denizens hustling to stay alive. McCarthy writes with the respect of a guest. As such he never forgets his manners.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Laugh to keep from cussing</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In her delightful </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Beauty</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Zadie Smith skewers race, politics, and culture with her family feud. The Belseys and the Kipps both aspiring and insecure, dance and scuffle through religion, social mores, and class. Unable to best or even stay away from the other, both familes grasp at questions of identity and fidelity, access and exploitation. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“If you are going to tell people the truth, make them laugh or they will kill you.” Oscar Wilde</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenya Burris’ 2023 film, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You People</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> did a standup job at a thankless task. Chronicling the relationship of a white, jewish man with an African American woman raised in the Nation of Islam, Burris and cowriter Jonah Hill take the Wilde approach to attacking the fundamental American problem: race in relations. The results are hit/miss and there is a lot of recycling from Stanley Kramer's <i>Guess Who's Coming to Dinner</i>. But what </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You People</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> does well is explore entitlement-based racism, through debate on microaggressions and privilege. Additionally, Burris never stoops to objectification or fetish in his depiction of the growing attraction. Most importantly, the central premise holds true: people of different cultures can never fully understand one another without standing in respect and common cause.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That is the challenge to writers, as well. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The photo at the top, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You People </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">promotional piece, is the property of Netflix, et al. It is used here for instructional/education purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5014794345851547607.post-56604722010773909232023-03-08T11:31:00.002-05:002023-03-15T20:56:22.272-04:00Crime Writing—Why?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUYhJScPEh5vT2SULxVCBxQcDErkCcRCiyfqpw0PGtzPU8sVzaRra-HRInmku7WJIQXqnbgFR201j07XEN419CB4Hf0OMkIpFRD-mSKC9DfVIvJiYsR56-25x4ymKbuGD8Sotmr3avKur_BwaI3JIJ3Ma5lgUhU2wGiueFBKRg3o2x1zdRSk2rzpgyw/s320/JustifiedSsn1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="234" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUYhJScPEh5vT2SULxVCBxQcDErkCcRCiyfqpw0PGtzPU8sVzaRra-HRInmku7WJIQXqnbgFR201j07XEN419CB4Hf0OMkIpFRD-mSKC9DfVIvJiYsR56-25x4ymKbuGD8Sotmr3avKur_BwaI3JIJ3Ma5lgUhU2wGiueFBKRg3o2x1zdRSk2rzpgyw/s1600/JustifiedSsn1.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why crime? Of all the fiction genres, (most are WAY more popular and lucrative) why do so many writers choose crime fiction?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Definition of terms</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crime is a catch-all expression. Hardboiled PIs, police procedurals, serial-killer thrillers, juvenile-delinquent sleuths, are all grouped under the heading of crime. So, as the reader might suspect, the answers will vary as wildly as the subject matter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Most newspaper reporting is some kind of crime story,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Carl Hiassen</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carl Hiassen was a newspaper man at the dawn of the cocaine-80s in Florida. To say he saw some things would be an understatement. His first crime novels, (written with William Montelbano) were high-stakes thrillers playing out against the rising drug culture in 1970s Florida.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Hiassen wanted to write a different kind of story with honesty only possible through humor. He saw the inanity in cocaine cowboys and the ridiculous propaganda from the politicians as well as the shrug-and-wink response from the cops.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">The absurdity in Hiassen’s crime is the same absurdity at the root of the country.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Jamestown settlers, the New Netherland Dutch traders, and William Penn’s Religious Society of Friends all snatched land and brutalized the indigenous people. In his excellent history, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meeting House and Counting House,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Frederick B. Tolles cites a 17th century diary entry recounting the hanging of a Scots immigrant by those peaceful and pacifist descendants of the Mayflower Quakers. The Scot's crime? Drunkened-disorderly conduct.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Necessity is just a mother</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” -conversation overheard on a bus.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When flight-attendant Jackie Burke was busted smuggling drugs for her airline-pilot husband, he dumped her. Unable to get a job with the big airlines and unable to live on the wages from the discount carrier that does employ her, Jackie begins smuggling cash for gun runner, Ordell Robbie. But when the police sweep her up, Jackie knows she is truly screwed, especially after she learns that the same police allowed another one of Ordell’s flunkies to get “got.” With the only options being prison or death and no one to trust, Jackie decides to rely on herself and comes up with her own plan. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What interested me was the border states. I wanted to write about Apaches and Mexicans.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Elmore Leonard</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An ad-man by training, Leonard had a strong command of telling a story in condensed circumstances. But he yearned to explore injustice and culture clashes. His early efforts were in fact westerns. But his horse-operas were different. He did write about Apaches and Mexicans as well as Civil War veterans and European immigrants who could not/would not conform to social norms all thrown together in border towns awash in culture clashes and injustice. His </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hombre</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is as much an indictment of McCarthy’s HUAC as </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">High Noon.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> But Leonard gets to the bigotry at the heart of McCarthy and Cohn’s tactics.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, again, why crime?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the 1960s westerns had become passé for a lot of reasons. Mostly, readers were looking for different stories. Western book sales cratered. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meanwhile, authors broke new ground in science fiction and fantasy, horror and literature. But while those are all rich genres, that's not where Leonard found the drama. It was the stories of (sketchy) cops and (charming ) robbers that Leonard found the magic and music of humanity in a churn of unjust situations with cultural complexity. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The deadbeat who Chili Palmer is chasing doesn’t owe money to Chili. Still, Chili has to collect the cash or face the consequences. In light of those very real, very likely circumstances, Hollywood looks like an elementary-school drama: silly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens’s intelligence and drive springboarded him out of backwater Kentucky poverty. Then a comedy of errors result in his reassignment to the same backwater. After years of complex assignments and honing his skills as a lawman, Harlan County looks like a middle-school musical, just with guns and meth instead of bubblegum and songs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some stories simply can’t be told in the Young Adult section</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In light of our reality: the absurdity of our divisions, the deadly hilarity of our political system, atrocity spun as international conflict, and corporate theft that we all pay for is the exasperation that the crime writer feels in our bones. Yet in writing our stories, our thieves and killers, our hustlers and misanthropes we process the injustice in the world. We process the cruelty and explore the roots and failed attempts to address injustice. But best of all, we have a sense of control over our mayhem and our madness. Mostly, we get to write some justice into what is, and thereby create some of what should be.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">The photo at the top, "Justified" promotional poster, is the property of FX Network, et al. It is used here for instructional/educational purposes as covered by the Fair Use Doctrine.</span></p>EliasMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15001582934570664540noreply@blogger.com0