FITNESS
REVIEWS
M a r i a
G
W hile the W orld S leeps : W riting
from the F irst T wenty Y ears of
the G lobal A I D S P lague
Edited by Chns Bull; Thunders Mouth Press,
2003; $16.95 softcover
R
eading While
the World
Sleeps made
me teel guilty
and not because
of the probably
insufficient
thought I’ve
given the disease
of AIDS through
the years. No, 1
felt bad because
the urgency of
the topic, com'
bined with the
quality and
diversity of writ­
ing compiled by editor Chris Bull, made it such
a page-turner 1 felt almost as if 1 were trivializ­
ing the seriousness of its subject by treating it
like some kind of beach read, devouring it one
impassioned, compulsively readable essay after
another.
From the foreword by the notorious no­
bullshit A ID S activist Larry Kramer (“1 dislike
most pieces in [this book), including mine” ) to
the last entry, a Wall Street Journal report on
the rampant spread of HIV in Russian prisons,
the book definitively organizes, in chronologi­
cal order, thought on the disease from intellec­
tuals (Leo Bersani, Susan Sontag), celebrities
(Greg Louganis) and those whose names were
made through their outspokenness (Randy
Shilts, Marlon Riggs).
That some pieces, like Louganis’, seem puffy
and sentimental, and others, like Mary Fisher’s
address to the 1992 Republican National C on­
vention, are overly disingenuous or insular,
hardly matters. Each entry provides context— a
building block in the reader’s understanding of
the tortuous path AIDS took through its many
physical, psychological, emotional and political
implications.
While the World Sleeps is emotionally blunt
and honest about the overwhelming numbers
(lives, infection rates, dollars) of AIDS; it’s an
easy, fascinating read, but it’s not light.
“Depressing” isn’t too strong a term for it.
Hope, however, can be found in the very exis­
tence of such a book. If knowledge ever
equaled power, the proof can be found here.
— Christopher M cQuain
WlGFIELD: THE C a N-D o TOWN THAT
J ust M ay N ot
by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello and Stephen
Colbert; Hyperion, 2003; $13.95 softcover
F
ans of Com e­
dy Central’s
offbeat series
Strangers with
Candy will be
pleased to see
that Second
City alums Amy
Sedaris (David’s
little sister),
a m IvVS
y V s e ED
o aris
Stephen Gilbert
P A U l X 01
DINELLO
(currently jibing s t e p m
M e E n N X \ < c o l b e r t
on The Daily
Show) and screenwriter Paul Dinello have
teamed up again, this time to pen a freaky
satire of small-town scams and saviors.
Wigfield is an acerbic slice of backward
Mam Street, an inbred off-ramp hole in the
ground where strip clubs and used auto parts
stores compete for exit-sign placement. But
Wigfield also happens to wallow in the shadow
of the Bulkwaller Dam, a massive pork-barrel
idiocy that the government is bent on tearing
down, washing away the makeshift settlement.
In stumbles journalist wannabe Russell
Hokes in search of a 50,000-word testament to
his hefty, well-spent advance. Realizing the ele­
ment of human interest in a small town edging
toward extinction, Hokes begins to interview
the locals. And thereby hangs the thread on
which Sedaris, Dinello and Gilbert hang their
hat— a delightfully disturbing mix of peculiar
characters that rely on small-town wits to save
their own lives (or at least make their mis­
fortune less unfortunate).
For your consideration: Wigfield’s three self-
declared mayors; High Priestess Thea and her
earthy-crunchy life partner, Amythys; Lenare,
the local taxidermist/mortician; Julian Childs,
a thespian staging plays with rabbits. They’re
all lurid, off-center and altogether compelling.
Peppered with crazy portraits by popular
designer and photographer Todd Oldham,
Wigfield, just released in paperback, makes for a
sardonic sendup. And don’t forget to stop over
at Wigfield.com, if only to find out if the stage
tour version will be coming to a town near you.
— Timothy Krause
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E HELP YOU REVISE YOUR WORKOUT — SPRING TUNE UP $ 1 0 0
D ifferent D ress
by Lon L. Lake; Regal Crest, 2003; $19.95
softcover
S
ometimes
you’re not
looking for
good literature or
the next Great
American
Novel. Some­
times you just
want a little
escapism. Enter
the lesbian
romance novel.
With a back­
ground in music
production,
I was looking for­
ward to reading Lori L. Lake’s Different Dress —
a romance that takes place on a country music
tour. Some girl-on-girl action, a little lesbian
drama and happily ever after.
What I got instead was way too much infor­
mation. Lake likes to describe little details. The
problem is these details add no real value:
After breakfast, she paid, left a good tip, and
headed out of the restaurant.... She made her way
across the parking lot to the semi, unlocked the
back, and threw open the double doors. It took a
little work, but she got the ramps pulled out, then
scooted up into the cavernous opening. They kept
the things they needed least often toward the back,
with the PA system, gear, and equipment toward
the front.
And that’s only a fraction of the paragraph.
In all, Lake spends 350 words getting Jamie’s
motorcycle out so she can go for a ride! Life is
too short for this.
Lake is a decent writer and has a great abili­
ty to create compelling characters— I found
myself really liking Kip, the up-and-coming
singer, and Jamie, her love-interest stagehand.
What Lake needs is to remember what les­
bian romance is really for and to get a good
editor who can cut the story in half. Then
Different Dress will be worth reading.
— Kathy Beige J H
5ujjjwrt Cfroujrt A\Suitable.
The
Tor W iT fn e ft wkv partner With I V p f n e H
Hambleton Project and the Susan G. Komen Foundation have collaborated
to provide these free resources to our community:
[jsi Bi-weekly support group fo r lesbians/bisexual women with cancer and
their partners/caregivers
|
8-week bereavement group fo r lesbians/bisexual women who have
lost a loved one
These groups are currently held in both Portland and Salem.
For specific meeting times, locations
and more information call the Hambleton Project:
503.335.6591 (PDX) or 503.581.8356 (Salem)
The Susan G. Konicn
Breast Cancer Foundation
Oregon & S W Washington Affiliate
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