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Is it possible to be a good writer without being a good reader? Sure. Reading is a bit like driving. The stuff directly in front of you (and in the rear view mirror) is fairly easy to interpret, but there are always blind spots. Areas just outside of the periphery that readers can’t or often refuse to see. Part of being a good reader is a willingness to at least look to the side, see what you don’t see, so to speak. I’ve met many writers with an inability to understand and appreciate writing that falls outside of their literary bailiwick, yet that doesn’t make them bad writers. According to a report of the Independent Book Publishing Association, over five million American adults belong to reading groups. What, do you believe, is the basis for this country’s love for literature and books? Good teachers. Libraries. The demise of HBO and the radio play. Have you ever belonged to a reading group? Yes, 10th grade English class. What advice do you have for reading group members when it comes to selecting books for discussion? Read at least one out-of-print book a year. What book(s) are you reading now or planning to read? Camera Obtrusa by Kazuo Hara, The Naked Eye by Yoko Tawada, Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama by Diane C. Fujino, and Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one book with you to read, what would it be and why? Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged because it would provide plenty of kindling. If you could have dinner with three writers (dead or alive), who would they be and why? Junot Diaz - Owes me money. Ben Marcus – Is a peculiar eater and owes me money. Deb Olin Unferth – Tells funny stories and owes me money. Have you ever read anything you’re too embarrassed to admit (except in this interview)? One book each by Maxine Hong Kingston, Terry McMillan, and Don Delillo. Favorite book when you were a child? The Talmud. If you have children, is this the same book you read to them? If not, what is your favorite book for your children? Tropic of Cancer. Favorite heroine in literature and why? Sula, because she could care less. Favorite hero in literature and why? Alyosha Karamazov, because he cared too much. Favorite first line from a book? “On one hand this messiah gig is a bitch.” Favorite last line from a book? “I think of Dean Moriarty.” Book that changed your life? Social Experiments: Methods for Design and Evaluation by Leonard Saxe and Michelle Fine. It's the textbook that made me quit grad school and move to New York.
Copyright © 2010 Reading Group Choices
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