Today marks the kickoff of BookExpo America in New York, the annual event bringing together all facets of the American publishing industry into one place. In my day job, I work on projects that are tied to this major gathering, but I am content to mostly be a behind the scenes kind of guy with a few exceptions over the years. At any rate, it seems like a fitting time to talk about the printed page a bit.
I possess rather eclectic tastes as a reader: fiction, nonfiction, literary, popular, you name it. Yet, if I have to choose the genre that I keep coming back to, it’s memoir/autobiography. More specifically, I am drawn to colorful real-life characters and human drama. As summer gets underway, here are three picks that are not brand new but are relatively recent releases, not lightweight necessarily, but still the kinds of books that can lure you in on a leisurely day.
A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back by Kevin Hazzard
Hazzard was a recent college grad in his early twenties trying to find his way in the fields of journalism and business, but something was missing. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Hazzard was jarred into making the radical career transition to become a first responder. He undertook a training program to serve as a paramedic on the streets of Atlanta, a sprawling metropolitan area encompassing both the glitter of the New South and some rather rough edges. Hazzard’s new line of work would focus more on the latter, to say the least.
Over the next decade, Hazzard would become entrenched in a world where life and death played out daily, complete with indelicate details of the human body. His evocative prose isn’t about pure shock value but rather letting the sheer humanity shine through the darkest of places. I found myself mesmerized by the journey.
Beer Money: A Memoir of Privilege and Loss by Frances Stroh
If you were around in the 1980’s and were old enough–or at least almost old enough–to drink beer, you will recall that Detroit-based Stroh Brewery made a leap from regional to national prominence with some clever branding that matched the big-hair excesses of the era. Yet, the empire began to falter and then collapsed completely as the feud-prone Stroh family couldn’t compete in the marketplace increasingly dominated by global conglomerates.
Stroh–who reached her teen years during this fateful era–documents the riches to rags story from within, as she enters the world as a fairy tale princess and eventually finds herself as a young adult picking up the pieces from both colossal business failure and dark family dysfunction. She is still standing, and her resilience seems tied to the fact that she managed to cultivate passions and ambitions beyond life as an heiress in the making. Ultimately, she has found her bliss in the arts and creativity. Yes, there are soap opera elements to the saga that are hard to resist, but Stroh’s example also manages to inspire.
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
I am going to plagiarize from myself in summing up my reaction here, I think that’s allowed… I wrote this reaction on the Goodreads site, which I have come to adore as a resource for figuring out what to read next based on my own preferences and the reactions of other readers.
This little book really packs a powerful punch. It ventures into the realm of Glass Castle memoir writing, which is my gold standard. The topic is a young woman struggling to survive her upbringing in a polygamist cult. Yes, I know that sounds like one of those Oprah/Dateline episode staples, but the quality of the writing and the character and plot developments transcended my set expectations.
I know that I haven’t even scratched the surface of ideas out there. I just wanted to get the ball rolling. I encourage everyone to engage with their fellow readers–whether that be online or in person–to discover their next great read.
Coloring Outside the Lines 