“They are stories of the dead and the living, stories of survivors and believers, stories of hope and despair. And stories about refrigerators.” — Chris Rose
Chris Rose was a Pulitzer nominee this year for his post-Katrina writing. I was glad to see the Times-Picayune snag some well-deserved Pulitzers, but sad that Nicholas Kristof (however much I like his columns) edged out Rose.
In any event, this is a stand-out collection of columns–really, in most cases, “flash nonfiction,” very brief essays–that was unstoppable reading for me last week. Unstoppable, even though I had no time and should have been re-reading Richard Rodriguez, whose essays, however beautiful, suddenly seemed distant and logey after an evening spent with 1 Dead in Attic. No matter what else I was reading or doing, for days I saw the people Rose writes about, sitting on door stoops, calling him “baby” in grocery stores, struggling to rebuild after the unthinkable, taping up their stinking refrigerators. The photographs from British photojournalist Charlie Varley enhance the stories, but in the end, it is Roses’s direct prose and grim, funny, heart-ful imagery that makes this book essential reading for any caring person, and a must for library collections.
As far as I know, 1 Dead in Attic can only be purchased at the website for Chris Rose. Portions of the proceeds go to good causes–something to consider if you’re not going to New Orleans for ALA, or even if you are. Buy 1 Dead in Attic today, read it immediately, and book-talk it with your community–or at least share it with one good friend.
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The book is awesome…Having read most of the columns as they were written (and being a former 20 year resident of New Orleans) I find that his accounts are the most reflective of what’s really happening back home.
Your link to Chris’s web site isn’t working. The actual link is http://www.chrisrosebooks.com
Whoops! thanks, fixed.
I got the Chris Rose book on your recommendation, and I am enjoying it very much. I wish he had dated his essays, and given us a timeline in the beginning so we would have a better sense of the context of each of the essays.
I am looking forward to your report on New Orleans, and hope to see lots of pictures about how things are now.
BTW I also got the Brought to You By book, and it looks good. Thanks for the recs. ANOTHER thing librarians are good for!
People do seem to like the reviews! I have another forthcoming on what I’m listening to right now–a CD called Live from Iraq.