The Family Fang

Have you ever bought a book based solely on the cover, or the title? Well, that's exactly what I did with this book...both the title and cover called, and won! Come on, just look at those proper, but oddly anachronistic parents. And what's up with the masked kids?

The Fangs are performance artists, and their guerrilla stunts get more and more involved as the book progresses. Chapters alternate between descriptions of the flash events which happened in the past, and current events in the now adult children's lives. The parents, Camille and Caleb, spend their free time developing scenarios that utilize the innocence, and show stopping talents of their kids. At one point, they print hundreds of fake "Free Chicken Sandwich" coupons, embedding the logo of a fast food outlet in a mall food court. Buster and Annie pass out hundreds, while mom and dad linger near the the restaurant, video camera loaded and ready to film the chaos when the food stand is rushed by hungry shoppers.

At another point, they dress Buster up as a kiddie pageant contestant. He is resistant to the gown and make-up, but after a heavy duty guilt trip, he agrees. Buster perfects the wave, the walk, and the smile. In the event that he wins, Buster has a prepared speech about the stupidity and sexism of child beauty contests. He will toss his crown into the audience, resume his boyish swagger and exit. But, much to his parents' surprise, the plan backfires; I won't spoil that for you.

Both kids have adult troubles, possibly connected to their theatrical childhoods, but that isn't clear to me yet. Because I'm only at the halfway point, I haven't decided if I like Camille and Caleb or not. That will probably be based on how everything turns out for the kids. Buster has lost a tooth, and part of his face from a potato gun stunt gone bad, and Annie has posted revealing photos on the internet in an attempt to advance her B movie career. For a while, they have been living independent, adult lives away from home, but, I just reached the part where both "kids" have moved back home. I'm guessing the performance hi-jinks will resume shortly, and I can't wait.

This books if fun, quirky, fast paced, and Ann Patchett called it "genius." You can't find a better endorsement than that, can you?

***Well, I head to Minneapolis on Thursday for my big trade show. I been hoarding a Steve blog for next Monday. You will appreciate that far more than any attempt I would make at being coherent after a long weekend away from home.

Thanks for stopping by.

9/11

Our principal came on the P.A., interrupting classes. His voice was shaky, hesitant. Then we heard what sounded like crying. For what seemed the longest time, we didn't know if he was even going to speak. Finally, he chocked out these words, "America is under attack."

The words didn't register. Under attack? Why? Where? Do we need to do something? I turned on my classroom TV just as the second plane hit. For most of the morning, classes came and went...all silently engaged, and trying to process the movie-like images.

While we watched from the safety of our classroom, the students and staff at Stuyvesant High School, four block from Ground Zero watched too. But their watch was different. Everything about their lives changed that day...the certainty of a future erased.

In 2002, the group that witnessed first hand, minute by minute, the evil that unfolded, stood on a stage and recounted history. They saw what we did not see. They felt what we all felt, but to a magnified degree.

with their eyes is the collection of monologues shared by students, teachers, officer workers, janitors...united forever by the events of September 11. These are voices of fear, shock,pain, confusion, and eventually - hope, belief, faith and patriotism. Every one is moving and memorable. One of the opening memories is shared by a student standing at a window with a friend. She is acutely aware that her friend's mother works in the World Trade Center and that, together, they are most likely witnessing her death. It doesn't get much more powerful that than, does it?

For weeks following 9/11, we were all a bit more careful with one another, more aware, more gentle. But, as normalcy slowly returned, many of us picked up the pace of our lives again, filling our calendars with obligations and events, falling away from those short lived patterns of greeting strangers, connecting and re-connecting with who and what is truly meaningful. I did not watch much of the coverage this past weekend. Too sad for me. The reminder of a day and lives not to be forgotten were enough to send me back in time 10 years, when I finally understood what is really important in my life.

*****On a lighter note...how about that Garth Neustadter! An Emmy! Much deserved!