By: Shepard, Sam
Last Fall, Sam Shepard made a visit to the Fine Arts Library. The evening before he arrived, I thought I should read his Pulitzer Prize winning play, Buried Child. In addition, Beth Kerr, Theatre/Dance Librarian told me if you can only read one thing before Shepard arrives, read Buried Child. This play is about a dysfunctional family, set on a farm in the Midwest. Shepard does an excellent job describing the strained relations amongst the three generations of family members. The family secret, the mystery of the “Buried Child” is revealed in the third act of the play. Now I recommend it to patrons who look at the Shepard materials on display and want to read something by him.
Reviewer:
Laura Schwartz
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By: McDonough, Jimmy
I’m a huge Neil Young fan. I grew up in the 1970s and remember listening to so many of his songs on the radio. A few years ago, my favorite cousin Joey was visiting for SXSW and brought Shakey with him. During the day, he sat on the porch and could not put it down (at night he was downtown rockin’ out). He said the book was really interesting, especially if you like Neil Young and music from the 60s and 70s. We had a copy at the Fine Arts Library and I checked it out. What an excellent biography. Young is very private and this is the first in depth account of his life. I highly recommend this account of Young’s life.
Reviewer:
Laura Schwartz
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By: McCarthy, Cormac
There is nothing funny about Cormac McCarthy’s latest novel. It is a compelling, provocative story about a man and his boy trying to survive in a post-apocalyptical environment. It is so real and so frightening, it seems that McCarthy displays prescient tendencies. Has he been there and back? Can he see the future? Is it this bleak? Reading this novel is a spiritual experience. I am deeply indebted to Reggie Akers, Fine Arts Library circulation supervisor, for recommending it to me. My vision of the future has been transformed.
Reviewer:
Laura Schwartz
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By: Wilson, Cintra
My friend Stephanie recommended this book to me. She picked it up in the Bay Area where the author is a local celebrity. Turns out Wilson is also a performing artist and arts critic, even more reason for me, as Fine Arts Librarian, to delve into this novel. It is another coming of age story, this one of Liza Normal (who is anything but normal). Her raison d’etre is to become a successful actress and/or singer. The book is the trials and tribulations of this quest. The characters that surround Liza include her loudmouth mother, reclusive brother, and a whole host of bizarre and endearing characters. Wilson’s book is hilarious. From the first few pages, until the very end, I was completely engaged and amused.
Reviewer:
Laura Schwartz
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By: Tanney, Katherine
I love fiction especially coming of age stories. I was having lunch with Nancy Schiesari, a Radio-Television-Film professor and lauded cinematographer earlier this Spring and she recommended Carousel of Progress to me. The story is about a teenage girl growing up in L.A. whose parents are getting divorced. There is so much truth and honesty in this tale, the characters are so real, and the dynamics of the relationships so complex. Tanney grew up in L.A. and now lives in Austin, just like me. Schiesari knows Tanney personally because
Tanney is also a cinematographer. The story was so familiar, it was hard to put down.
Reviewer:
Laura Schwartz
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