October Mourning: a song for Matthew Shepard

October Mourning: a song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman

Matthew Shepard was a gay college student who was lured out to the prairie by two young men who brutally beat him, tied him to a fence and left him to die. Using a variety of poetic forms and various perspectives including from the fence, the victim and the perpetrators, Newman has created a book of poetry that is powerful to read and works extremely well as a tool to discuss important issues surrounding Shepard's tragic death. Excellent forward, epilogue and explanation of the poetic forms used adds to the reader's understanding and makes this an especially valuable book to use with high school students.

Pootie Tang [DVD]

Pootie Tang a film by Louis C.K.

A case for Pootie Tang, a micro-essay.

Genius comic Louis C.K. had written a script based on a character from the Chris Rock Show and brought it to the big screen in 2001. It has been well documented that the author was extremely unhappy with the final product and the experience caused him a great deal of pain. You see, the film was snatched away in the editing stages and the cut we see now is not Louie's vision.

This much maligned film stars Lance Crouther, Chris Rock (in several roles), J.B. Smoove and Wanda Sykes and also features several cameos (I'm not going to spoil them here). We follow the life of Pootie Tang, a hero to the people with a magical belt and an unintelligible language. Things go awry when an evil corporate villain, through a series of underhanded schemes, attempts to attach Pootie's likeness to unhealthy fast food, malt liquor and cigarette smoking.

Despite the critical wrath and lampooning from late night talk shows, Pootie Tang still delivers plenty of laughs in its crazy, surreal music video-esque style. Though many cite the film as a "so bad it's good" romp, I enjoyed the picture in the most genuine way possible. I found myself laughing loudly throughout and having to catch my breath. 

I suppose this off the wall mockumentary was a little ahead of its time at the beginning of the 2000's. Needless to say, fans would love to one day see Louis C.K.'s director's cut to view the real Pootie Tang.

The Homemade Pantry

The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila 

The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making, written by Great Barrington’s Alana Chernila is a practical guide to becoming more self sufficient in the kitchen. The book is cleverly organized by aisle and features staples that many people buy at the grocery store including pasta sauce, jelly, granola bars, and even a homemade version of the beloved Pop-Tart. Every recipe is accompanied by a personal story so if you don’t have a lot of time for cooking you can still enjoy some light reading.

I recently tried the recipe for whole wheat sandwich bread. Bread is one of those things I always really want to make for myself but usually the product is blatantly inferior to the local bakery or even the grocery store version. The instructions had the bread slowly rise in the fridge for up to three days so after nervously waiting, I finally baked my bread yesterday and was delighted to find that it was a success! 

If you just can't get enough of Alana, she also has a blog, Eating From the Ground Up.

American Gods

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Okay, this book did come out in 2001 and it is a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards so you may have heard of it or even read it already. If you haven’t read American Gods yet, if it has been sitting on your “to read” list, or has slipped through the cracks in some other way, I would like to confirm that it is a great read.

Part modern day epic, part rambling road narrative, American Gods has something for a variety of audiences. Neil Gaiman, best known for the Sandman graphic novel series, has again proven his abilities in adult fiction writing with this masterfully crafted piece of storytelling. I found myself sucked into the intricately woven plot line and fascinated by the combination of modern and ancient mythological characters. While at times dark and a little graphic (the main character is an ex-con after all), the story has an element of gritty realness not often found in fantasy novels.

I honestly don’t want to give anything more away because I enjoyed learning every new piece of the plot as I read and I think you will too.Whenever anyone asks me for a book recommendation, this is almost always the first title that comes to mind.