Shapiro humanizes mental
illness in ‘Picnic’collection
Book review
It’s not a clinical condition, but I
have a bipolar relationship with
short stories. They’re inherently ag
gravating, it seems, because they
don’t offer complete satisfaction.
Some short stories tell half the tale,
leaving an involved reader filled with
angst when the characters’ lives
aren’t fully revealed.
On the other hand, short stories
are perhaps the most sublime liter
ary pleasure in existence. A perfectly
crafted piece gives just enough de
tails to make the characters’ motiva
tions and sympathies understand
able, and it withholds any
information that would disturb the
equilibrium between imagination
and story.
“Short of a Picnic,” a collection of
short stories about mental illness
and the very human, sometimes
wacky people who live with these
diseases, falls into the latter catego
ry. The 24-year-old author, Eric
Shapiro, has battled obsessive-com
pulsive disorder for more than a
decade, according to his press kit,
and the gentle, lighthearted touch he
brings to the characters shows that
he knows of what he speaks.
I’m not often given to effusiveness
about literature, but these stories are
fantastic. They have a quirky humani
ty that says it’s okay to talk about
mental illness. It’s okay to say “crazy”
and “wacko” and “madness” — as
long as you recognize that those af
flicted with faulty wiring are feeling,
thinking people worthy of respect.
Reading these stories easily con
veys that humanity. They’re twisted
and they don’t always progress with
a sense of linear time, and in that
way they remind me of “Dogwalker”
by Arthur Bradford, or perhaps the
work of Eric Bogosian (or at least
what I always hope Eric Bogosian
will be but isn’t).
In short, these characters are ec
centric. The scenarios are odd, fun
and ring terribly true. Shapiro’s writ
ing is crisp and simple, with punchy
sentences and a “hip” sensibility. This
collection should have been picked up
by the often-stellar MTV Books; it
would be right at home next to “Tun
nel Vision” or “Crooked.”
The opening story, “Carl,” relates a
familiar scene: Mother and children
eat at a fast food restaurant while the
crazy homeless man next to them
talks to himself. Except here, the read
Courtesy
er gets a taste of the man’s mind, and
the action builds a bit out of control.
It’s scary and realistic.
The third story, “undivided atten
tion,” gives a glimpse into the mind of
a kid who school officials have decid
ed “isn’t going to make it.” The kid dis
agrees, but that doesn’t change the
way the officials treat him.
In “dope and veins” we get the sto
ry of heroin addicts, and it becomes
easy to see how—if not why — they
are sucked into shooting another hit.
Turn to Picnic, page 8
Raw
continued from page 5
The character of enzymes, which
is foundational to its practitioners
but practically ignored by the scien
tific community, is at the core of raw
foodism. Raw foodists maintain that
raw foods contain enzymes that aid
in their own digestion. However, if
food is heated above 118 degrees
Fahrenheit, the enzymes are de
stroyed. Raw foodists claim that as a
result, digestion siphons from our fi
nite reserve of enzymes and dimin
ishes our immune system, which de
pends upon enzymes to battle
illness. These ideas can be traced
back to Dr. Edward Howell, who
wrote his theories of the role of en
zymes in digestion more than 70
years ago.
Scientists agree that enzymes are
destroyed at approximately 118 de
grees, but disagree over the exis
tence of a limited reserve of en
zymes. There are no documented
evaluations by the scientific estab
lishment on the advantages of a raw
food diet.
Regardless of the debate, practi
tioners say the proof is in the pudding.
“What convinced me was the dif
ference I felt in myself,” said raw
foodist April Curtis, a single mother
of four who has been trying to turn
her kids on to the diet.
“Two hours later, the energy you
feel is amazing,” she said.
Information on the subject was
scarce just a few years ago. Today, an
online search returns scores of Web
sites that praise the diet for not only
a boost in energy but increased men
tal clarity, decreased depression and
anxiety and a strengthened immune
system. Success stories abound of
people with debilitating illnesses,
weight problems or lethargy who
have felt the rewards and even out
right cures from a raw foods diet.
“I could dive into the science and
explain this and that,” Duran said.
“But really, all you have to do is
start to do it and that’s all the proof
you’ll need.”
Be it phad thai, spinach and
“cheese” ravioli or Mexican tostadas,
the ever-growing list of raw recipes
continue to surprise even the most
raw tongues as innovators have
turned the practice into a bona fide
cuisine. Raw food restaurants have
become hugely successful in San
Francisco and New York. Conquer
ing Lions Live Food, located at 1433
Willamette St. inside Cozmic Pizza,
is the only restaurant in Eugene sole
ly dedicated to raw foods. Mitrani
said she’s excited about the restau
rant and the diet’s future.
“It’s definitely a discipline,” Mi
trani said, echoing the thoughts of a
number of raw foodists. “The
restaurant helps, and that’s what I
hope to provide.”
The Eugene Raw Foods Commu
nity sponsors a variety of classes and
events. For more information, visit
the group’s Web site at www.home
stead.com/raweugene.
The Red Barn Natural Grocery, lo
cated at 357 Van Buren St., hosts
free introductory meetings at 6 p.m.
on the first and third Tuesday of
every month.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at markbaylis@dailyemerald.com.
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