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steveatwaywords's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
A collection of essays we might more commonly describe as personal essays or narrative journalism, the editor of this now older text makes a large (and oft-repeated point) that "creative nonfiction" is not widely accepted and that therefore what is done here is vital to writing.
Okay. We can ignore that Montaigne (originator of the essay form) and hundreds after him wrote such essays, and we can ignore that so much journalism today (well, since the 1990s, I think) recognizes openly the role of the journalist's framing of a story and so actively incorporates themselves into the telling of the story. Be my guest. But did you have to demand that every one of your contributing writers parrot their concerns about "creative nonfiction," as well?
So, despite recognizing the important work Gutkind has done in his teaching and publishing, his heavy-handed work in editing here was off-putting.
Nevertheless, the book remains a potent collection of essays from some very fine writers (think Diane Ackerman and Ntozake Shange, Francine Prose and John McPhee, etc.), and no reader will leave this read unenlightened on any number of topics, from bigoted fathers and Emmet Till's legacy to brain-damaged narration and early navigation techniques, from the links between culture and food to metaphors and from Jewish divorce rituals to hunting wolves. I was not bored by a single essay, and each made for both a relaxing and compelling exploration.
Okay. We can ignore that Montaigne (originator of the essay form) and hundreds after him wrote such essays, and we can ignore that so much journalism today (well, since the 1990s, I think) recognizes openly the role of the journalist's framing of a story and so actively incorporates themselves into the telling of the story. Be my guest. But did you have to demand that every one of your contributing writers parrot their concerns about "creative nonfiction," as well?
So, despite recognizing the important work Gutkind has done in his teaching and publishing, his heavy-handed work in editing here was off-putting.
Nevertheless, the book remains a potent collection of essays from some very fine writers (think Diane Ackerman and Ntozake Shange, Francine Prose and John McPhee, etc.), and no reader will leave this read unenlightened on any number of topics, from bigoted fathers and Emmet Till's legacy to brain-damaged narration and early navigation techniques, from the links between culture and food to metaphors and from Jewish divorce rituals to hunting wolves. I was not bored by a single essay, and each made for both a relaxing and compelling exploration.
celiaedf12's review
A collection of non fiction essays, most of which I enjoyed - a stand out for me was one on wolf trapping in Alaska, a very insightful essay into a way of life that was totally alien to me.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
3.0
Not quite as good as last summer’s Norton Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction, but In Fact was nevertheless a good read. In fact, In Fact has proven to be one of my favorite reads of the summer. How can you not like well-written essays about the true world? Written creatively, of course.
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