I recently finished two wonderful books: Don't Be Afraid by Rebecca Drake and Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. Two great reads, two totally different genres.
Don't Be Afraid is a fantastic serial killer thriller. A fast and gripping read with interesting, multi faceted characters. I won't go too much into detail as I'm reviewing it for Crimespree, but trust me, pick it up.
Please Kill Me is the uncensored oral history of punk. The entire novel is told through documentary-style interviews with the most notorious icons such as Iggy Pop, Danny Fields, and Dee Dee and Joey Ramone. I had never read a book told in this style before, and I was amazed at how effective it was. Many nonfiction books can be dense and hard to absorb, but the interview method really made the information stick. Plus, it was interesting to see the different points of view, reliving the same story but reading very different versions, leaving it up to readers to interpret what actually happened. Whether you're a die-hard punk fan or just interested in the era, Please Kill Me is a must-read.
If you've read these books, feel free to comment on what you thought. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
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3 comments:
I'm in the middle of Don't Be Afraid right now - Unfortunately had to stop to eat. Ugh.
Studs Terkel was one of the pioneers of this "interview" style book genre. His book,"Working," was a best seller in its day -circa 1974.
I should've added that Mr. Terkel's famous book "Division Street" was - I believe - the first of this type followed by the very well known "Hard Times." :-)
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