DANIEL MACIVOR 2 PLAYS: NEVER SWIM ALONE & THIS IS A PLAY -- Daniel MacIvor

Playwrights Canada Press -- tpb
Toronto -- ©1993 -- 101pp
ISBN: 0-88754-524-6

Two one act plays.

Never Swim Alone (2M, 1F)
This Is A Play (1M, 2F)

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These two plays were both of an "experimental" nature. Somewhat of a cross between Tom Stoppard and Jean-Claude van Itallie, perhaps. I enjoyed both of them, though Never Swim Alone was a little more confusing and with less clear purpose.




This Is A Play was actually quite funny and I would seriously consider doing it if I had the right performers. The main point of it is that three actors are performing a play and while we do hear some of their dialog, we mostly hear their thoughts. What makes it quite funny is that they don't think much of each other or the play itself.



Worth a read if you're interested in theatre.

THE BEST SHORT PLAYS 1982 -- Ramon Delgado, editor

Chilton Book Company -- hc
Radnor, PA -- ©1982 -- 257pp
ISBN: 0-8019-7144-6

Part of the best short plays series. Included in this volume:

Introduction

Thymus Vulgaris -- Lanford Wilson (2F, 1M)

Ball Boys -- David Edgar (3M)

Chocolate Cake -- Mary Gallagher (2F)

The Dance and the Railroad -- David Henry Hwang (2M)

Vivien -- Percy Granger (2M, 1F)

Napoleon's Dinner -- Samuel Shem (3M)

Reflections In A Window -- Beverly Byers Pevitts (9F, 1M)

Today A Little Extra -- Michael Kassin (2M, 1F)

Minnesota Moon -- John Olive (2M)

In Fireworks Lie Secret Codes -- John Guare (3M, 2F -- possibly adaptable)

Twirler -- Jane Martin (1F)

Cumulative Index 1968-82

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I will admit that I read these plays now, differently as to when I read them while in school. Now I look at them as possible plays for the local high school students to perform for competition. In that respect, most of these failed to pique my interest.

Minnesota Moon is still a pretty good play (I saw it while in college), but for me, a play with two men and no women won't go very far. I'm lucky to get one male of decent ability, but usually get five or six females who are worthy actors.

Of most interest to me was In Fireworks Lie Secret Codes, which seemed to be adaptable as to which characters were women and which men. However, the story was a bit bland. It might bear further reading.

Today A Little Extra was probably the most touching play, but it's Jewish characters and low-rent neighborhood-setting is all going to be lost on my midwestern, Scandanavian-descendant high school kids.

This series is always worth looking at for anyone interested in the theatre.

A DELICATE BALANCE -- Edward Albee

Atheneum -- hc
New York -- ©1966 -- 190pp
Library of Congress catalog card number: 66-28773
Three Act Play.
Pulitzer Prize Winner.

A study of suburban couples facing the crisis of their daily lives.

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This play seems rather typical of the period for which it was written. A bit boring by today's standards and I think that even a remounting would have to be seen as a period piece rather than a current look at human behavior.

I wouldn't mind seeing a brilliant, current production, by I can see where I might easily be bored by a less than stellar performance. A good director will keep the humor out front and the drama, biting at the edges.

PROOF - David Auburn

Faber and Faber -- tpb
New York -- ©2001 -- 83pp
ISBN: 0-571-19997-6
Two Act Play.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

After the death of her mathematical genius father, Catherine, who gave up her own study of mathematics to tend to him, claims that she is the author of a mathematical proof found in the attic among his unpublished, mostly incoherent notebooks by Hal, one of his former students. But what "proof" does Catherine have that she, and not her father, is the author? Her older sister, home to attend the funeral, doubts her claim and, in fact, doubts Catherine's own sanity. Hal, who has professional ambitions of his own, isn't exactly disinterested and may not be trustworthy; his sleeping with Catherine has also complicated the issue. The elusiveness of genius in general and the difficulty of a mathematical proof in particular here become metaphors for the uncertainties of love, trust, and personal integrity. [from Amazon.com]

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I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised, but I enjoyed this play more than I thought I would. I expected it to be a bit dry, but it was actually quite lively and the relationships were well-defined (though I did feel that there was a certain leap to affection that was a bit rushed).

A minimal cast and a well-crafted tale brought this story to life. I would like to have seen it done. I will admit to wondering, even upon finishing, whether or not the young woman actually wrote the proof or not. Why don't we trust that it was her? Is it because she's a woman? Young? Why?

I enjoyed reading this from the viewpoint of a script reader. Does it have all the ingredients for a play to move from the slush pile to being a contender for a prize? Definitely. I most certainly would have moved this on. (And no, I don't say that just because it did win the Pulitzer.)

A play worth reading/seeing.

THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND -- Rebecca Rupp

Candlewick Press -- tpb
Cambridge, MA -- ©1998 -- 160pp
ISBN: 0-7636-1661-3

Three children meet a three-headed dragon on their aunt's remote island, off the coast of Maine.

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I really wanted to like this book. It had the look and intrigue of a magical book of adventure. Instead, I found it to be sorely lacking.

One would expect that a children's book with a dragon would have a high level of adventure, but this is not the case. Instead, the three children discover the dragon in a cave, but each time the children visit, only one of the three heads is awake. That head tells a story of its past. Therefore, the only actual adventure is TOLD to the reader, through the dragon, rather than experienced by the children in the book.

The book is simple in scope and "quiet," but it lacks for story and adventure.

Sadly, a book to ignore.

THE LAND OF OZ -- L. Frank Baum

AERIE Books -- pb
? -- ? -- 178pp
ISBN: 1-55902-989-7

In which the young boy, Tip, runs away from the witch, Old Mombi, saves the Emerald City from an army of girls, restores the Emerald City with the rightful ruler, journeys the Land of Oz with the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman and his own creations, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw Horse, and the Wogglebug and the Gump.

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First, the edition of this book is somewhat odd. I purchased it on eBay, not knowing what edition I was getting. It turns out to be a books from Wal-Mart (printed right on the cover on what appears to be a large orange sticker, but is actually part of the printing. There is absolutely no publishing or copyright information inside the book. Doing an ISBN search on both Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com bring up Oz books, but different Oz books on each site, neither being the one I currently posess.

The book definitely suffers from the usual second book syndrome. Trying to recreate the magic of the first book, by altering just a few things. Keeping a few of the characters from the original book as a tie to the story's roots, Baum places a boy in the main role (Tip) instead of the girl, Dorothy. Jack Pumpkinhead replaces the Scarecrow as the "idiot" for whom everything needs explaining.

I've been reading this aloud to my boys at bed-time, and they've been enjoying it, remembering even minor details, even if we happen to have a week between nights that I read. From their point of view, it's a wonderful story and certainly had them engaged, even though some of the language was hard to follow.

I've enjoyed reading it because I've never read anything but the first in the series. We will read more of the Baum Oz books, but I will read something else in bewteen Oz stories.

While I didn't necessarily care for the story so much, I will say that the characters and interactions between characters was so incredibly different from anything else I've read. Perhaps that's why the boys have been enjoying it as much as they have. Even Harry Potter doesn't compare to absurdities and uniqueness in these Oz books.

Although I've had some fun reading this, I can't exactly give it a recommendation. It's just a bit too slow and with no real plot.

SPY HIGH: MISSION ONE -- A.J. Butcher

Little, Brown and Company -- tpb
New York -- ©2003 -- 214pp
ISBN: 0-316-15587-x

Six high-school-aged students are recruited by a top secret "spy school" to form "Bond Team." Their first "assignment" is learn to work as a team -- an assignment that proves harder to manage than it first appears.

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I bought this book a few years ago, wondering if it would be appropriate for my children who are going through a "spy" stage in their play and reading. Sadly, the answer is, "no."

The writing itself is very typical YA fare -- nothing outstanding, nothing too deep or difficult, but it doesn't talk "down" to an average reader either.

However, the book suffers from a lack of focus for its intended audience. The relationships, the blood and gore, death, age of the main characters, etc., speak to a high school readership. But the hackneyed plotting, use of stock "bad guy" characters speak to a younger audience that aren't as familiar with the over-use of these characters.

Not recommended for any aged reader.

GREAT RIVER REVIEW -- Fall/Winter 2003

Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies -- tpb
Red Wing, MN -- ©2003 -- 94pp
ISBN: 1-884102-14-x
Editors: Richard Broderick, Robert Hedin
#39
Cover Illustration: "St. Croix River Series: Upper Marsh, Looking West from William O'Brien State Park" by Perry Ingli

A magazine with essays, poetry, and fiction by: Lucian Vasiliu, Ephraim Glaser, John Minczeski, James Gurley, Katharine Jager, Julie Suk, Richard Robbins, Patricia Gordon Russell, Catullus, Jim Daniels, David Lloyd, Rene Char, Jim Barnes, Dixie Salazar, James P. Lenfestey, Wayne Johnson, Thomas R. Smith, Dave Johnson, Frank Eustis, Mark Neely, Michael Walsh, Terry Savoie, Joe Paddock, Carol Pearce Bjorlie, Tracy Sitterly, Claude Clayton Smith

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For the most part, I really enjoyed this issue (though there is still much more poetry than I care for). Of the longer works, "The Necessity of Returning" by Ephraim Glaser had me totally engaged in his life. "The Last Resort" by Patricia Gordon Russell was interesting and well-written (and thematically tied well with Glaser's memoir), but it didn't go anywhere and was left with the feeling of, "So?"

Wayne Johnson's, "Rhubarb" was just plain fun and a delight to read. The selection from "Lapping America: An Interstate Odyssey" by Claude Clayton Smith was very interesting, and an interesting premise, but I felt as though Clayton was the wrong person to take the odyssey. He came across as rather self-absorbed and not at all open to seeing and learning on his journey.

I never feel qualified to comment on the poetry. i don't care for poetry, 90% of the time. I find passages like "Poplar shed their ice in the windows/of the darkened homeless shelter" to be completely pointless. This passage doesn't even bring an image to mind. (I use this example because I actually liked another poem "Seven" by the same poet.)

It is because I don't care for reading poetry that I stopped subscribing to Great River Review many years ago. I am glad that a nearby library carries these back issues so that I can read the longer works. This issue made for interesting and engaging reading.

GREAT RIVER REVIEW -- Spring/Summer 2006

Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies -- tpb
Red Wing, MN -- ©2006 -- 119pp
ISBN: 1-884102-20-4

#44
Editorial Staff: Richard Broderick, Robert Hedin
Cover Illustration: Ann Jenkins - "Building in Fog"

Essays, poetry, and fiction by: Christopher Dickey, Leslie Adrienne Miller, Stanley Plumly, Jane Hirshfield, Anthony Bukoski, John Balaban, Naomi Shihab Nye, Georges Godeau, Dorianne Laux, Jean Nordhaus, Yehuda Amichal, Dalia Rabikovitz, Arych Sachs, Judith Kitchen, Marvin Bell, Roger Parish, Grete Tartier, Drake Hokanson, Max Garland, Gabriel Fried, Linda Pastan, Colette Inez, Barbara Paparazzo

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This mostly an uninteresting assortment. The first essay, "Firebombings: From My Father's Wars to Mine" by Christopher Dickey was interesting, though it isn't likely to stay with me too long.

And while I generally don't care at all for poetry, the best part of this issue was the found poetry by Roger Parish, "Three Greek Epitaphs."

I'm glad this was in the library. It wasn't worth buying, though I like to support the small press magazines.

THE GEESE FLY HIGH -- Florence Page Jaques

THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS -- hc
Minneapolis -- ©1939; second printing 1964 -- 102pp
illustrated by Francis Lee Jaques

An account of a winter vacation down the Mississippi River in the Arkansas and Louisiana backwaters.

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The only reason to own this book is for the splendid black and white drawings of Francis Lee Jaques. Certainly it is why I bought it. The Jaques' had quite a reputation for their outdoor/nature writings and drawings, but Florence's writing, memoirs, seems so simple and unexciting. Whereas Francis' drawings still shine magnificently. No one has been able to match his work even today.

From the writing, I mostly got that Florence felt she was in over her head, and didn't like being left alone on backwater islands while Francis and a guide would take off in the canoe to search for ducks.

If you happen to see this book, it is well worth your time to thumb through it and admire the great pen and ink drawing work.

POPULATION: 485 -- Michael Perry

Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren At A Time
HarperCollins -- hc
New York -- ©2002 -- 234pp
ISBN: 0-06-019852

After twelve years away, a man returns to his home town (a small, rural town) and joins the fire department, and writes about his experiences.

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A memoir, with distracted focus between life in rural America, working on a small town's volunteer fire department, bachelorhood, and death.

The book lacks a focus. Even a memoir has some kind of focus but this tried to do too much. The humor was strained. Things that I thought ought to be laugh-out-loud funny were only slightly amusing. He didn't seem to know how to set up his jokes efficiently and humorously.

Mostly I found this a bit depressing. So many of the experiences that he writes about seemed to end in death. It sure makes me want to steer clear of New Avalon, Wisconsin.

There are some nice reflections on small town life and death and volunteer work, but it was work. It was not an effortless read. I am not impressed with Michael Perry's writing and won't seek out his other work based on this.

THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2005 -- Susan Orlean, editor

Houghton Mifflin Company -- tpb
Boston -- ©2005 -- 278pp
ISBN-10:0-618-35713-0
series editor: Robert Atwan

A collection of essays gathered from the previous year's magazines.

Forward -- Robert Atwan
Introduction -- Susan Orlean
"La Vie en Rose" -- Roger Angell
"The Sea of Information" -- Andrea Barrett
"Storm Country" -- Paul Crenshaw
"Joyas Voladoras" -- Brian Doyle
"Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog" -- Kitty Burns Florey
"The Comfort Zone" -- Jonathan Franzen
"If Memory Doesn't Serve" -- Ian Frazier
"Against Exercise" -- Mark Greif
"Small Silences" -- Edward Hoagland
"Small Rooms in Time" -- Ted Kooser
"Speak, Hoyt-Schermerhorn" -- Jonathan Lethem
"Mastering the Art of French Cooking" -- E.J. Levy
"Contributor's Note" -- Michael Martone
"My Friend Lodovico" -- David Masello
"Living Will" -- Danielle Ofri
"Dog Days" -- Sam Pickering
"Speed" -- Oliver Sacks
"Dog Trouble" -- Cathleen Schine
"Old Faithful" -- David Sedaris
"Six Seconds" -- Paula Speck
"Skill Display in Birding Groups" -- Bert O. States
"The Prince of Possibility" -- Robert Stone
"Dining With Robots" -- Ellen Ullman
"Consider the Lobster" -- David Foster Wallace
"Satin Worship" -- Holly Welker
Biographical Notes
Notable Essays of 2004

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Once again I find that I enjoy these collections of essays much more than I have the collections of short fiction.

Of the collection, only a couple essays were skim-worthy. Most were quite enjoyable, and a few stood out as quite captivating. Notable were: "If Memory Doesn't Serve" (which had me grinning from ear to ear in familiarity); "Contributor's Note" (which I greatly enjoyed as being particularly clever); "My Friend Lodovico" (for it's passion for an inanimate object); "Speed" (which rang so true to me, having had my own forrays into this phenomenon); and "Satin Worship" (this didn't strike me, based on its subject, but it spoke well to a person's passion for something, and it was that passion to which I identified).

This series is, so far, highly recommended.

RED THUNDER -- John Varley

Ace Books -- pb
New York -- ©2003 -- 411pp
ISBN: 0-441-01162-4

An alcoholic ex-astronaut and four kids put together a rocket and using new technology discovered by the astronauts "idiot" nephew, they attempt to become the first humans to walk on Mars, beating the Chinese (who've been in space for weeks and are already in a Mars braking-orbiting pattern) by a matter or days.

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Shortly before starting this book, I had looked through my Book Journal Blog here and wondered when, exactly was the last time i read a really good book that was really engaging and fun to read. The answer is that it has been much, much too long. I have read many good books, but nothing that has drawn me back so strongly that we consider it a book that you "can't put down."

This is one of those books.

John Varley has long been a favorite of mine, ever since I read his Ophiuchi Hotline when I was in high school. I often rate my favorite writers as those whose books I will buy in hardcover as soon as they are available. Varley narrowly missed the cut. I think that this was a result, not so much of his writing, but his lack of production for a time. Especially after having such a rollicking good time with this novel, I will eagerly look forward to any new Varley book.

Part of what makes a Varley book so good is that the science is believeable, and accessible to a non-science-type such as myself. (Perhaps, as a non-science-type, I'm wrong about the "believable" part to those who know more sceince.)

He also manages to create characters who are very believable -- humans full of flaws who overcome obstacles to be heroic in spite of their circumstances.

This novel engaged me from beginning to end. A weak moment here and there only had me reading faster to get to "the good stuff."

Highly recommended.

THIS IMMORTAL -- Roger Zelazny

The Easton Press -- leather bound
Norwalk, CT -- ©1966,2000 -- 220pp
illustrations by Vincent DiFate
introduction by Robert Silverberg

"Conrad," who has a history that goes back further than anyone can trace, is currently the Commissioner of Arts, Monuments, and Archives for a planet Earth that isn't quite what it used to be. He plays bodyguard, as well as host, to a Vegan who has plans for the planet.

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This book seemed new to me again, it had been so long since I last read it.

Zelazny most definitely has a distinctive "style," though I'm hard-pressed to define just what that is. In part, his descriptions are short, and concise. He uses dry wit to get some points across. his characters are always fallible -- even the infallible ones.

Here, "Conrad" has a history that goes back further than anyone can really trace. He has the strength that others can only imagine, and he is very subtle about all of this. He is assigned to guide and protect a Vegan who wants to visit the historical sites of Earth. A friend/acquaintance of Conrad's, Hasan, is assigned to assasinate the Vegan to protect Earth's interests. Conrad also wants to protect Eearth's interests, and believes that the Vegan must be protected to do so.

This sounds rather simplistic, and the truth is, Zelazny weaves a tale full of sub-plots better than most. He also isn't afraid to dump you into a story without giving you and history, letting the reader discover the history by reading what's current. It's masterful!

I highly recommend this book, and nearly all books by Roger Zelazny.

GENERATION KILL -- Evan Wright

GENERATION KILL: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the new face of American war
G.P. Putnam's Sons -- hc
New York -- ©2004 -- 354pp
ISBN: 0-399-15193-1

A reporter imbedded with the Marine First Recon team, is among the first American's into Iraq at the outset of the Iraq war.

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I'm not quite sure why I picked this book up in the first place, and am not sure what to make of it.

it is well written, making it a quick read. i did lose track of who some of the people were. So many names of soldiers and officers, I had trouble keeping them straight, and a reference list of who's who and their rank, and their charge 9which division, which command, etc) would have been incredibly useful.

The book is billed as a look at the new generation of soldiers and their attitude toward killing. I was expecting more of an association with the violent video games and movies and so forth, but I didn't get any of that. There was a brief mention in the beginning about how many of the soldiers who died during the Invasion of Normandy hadn't even fired their guns, but that in the battles in Iraq, that was not a question or concern. But there the association seemed to end.

What I got from the book was that the ranking officers in charge of the invasion of Iraq were mostly incompetent. Poor decisions were constantly being made (when made at all) -- starting with the fact that the first team into Iraq was the Marine First Recon team. First Recon is a highly trained marine group, akin to the Navy Seals. They are trained for MANY kinds of battle situations. What they are NOT trained for is riding in humvees in open territory. What they were asked to do was ride in humvees in open areas. Oddly enough, there IS a group of military personnel trained for riding in humvees inopen territory -- a division of the Rangers. They did NOT do this in Iraq. And of course it goes downhill from there.

Humorously (sadly) the driver of the lead humvee doesn't even have a license for driving a humvee, and during a battle jokes about whether or not he's got enough driving hours now to get his license.

This book simply pointed out to me, in a finer detail, how ill-prepared we were to start this ill-advised war.