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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 2011)
books OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER 11. 2011 21 J M Book ‘Em • Temps dip, leaves fall, pages turn. Just Out's columnists share their current favorites. Daniel Borgen, LAD Y A B O U T TO W N T he C hronology of W ater : A M emoir Lidia Yuknavitch, Hawthorne Books & Literary Arts, $15.95 There are books you read leisurely, consuming handfuls of pages over days and weeks. There are others you gobble up in one sitting, books that stir insatiable questioning and wondering about humanity, truth and, yes, love. Lidia Yuk- navitch’s The Chronology o f Water falls into the latter camp— and could, in fact, encompass one all its own. In this harrowing memoir, Yuk navitch, lifelong swimmer and one-time Olym pic hopeful, accepts a swimming scholarship to escape an alcoholic, suicidal mother and abusive father. Subsequendy, Yuknavitch’s own addic tions cause her to lose that beloved lifeline— and the self-destruction that ensues is captivat ing and haunting: sexual experimentation, S&M, drugs— and eventually, fulfillment in writing, marriage and motherhood. The principal metaphor here—that we all struggle to keep our heads above water, finding what joy we can in life despite endless reasons not to— is certainly universally applicable. That Yuknavitch made it through the fire and sur vived is reason enough to marvel; that, as a re sult, she crafted 300 pages of the most beauti ful, dazzling, challenging prose I’ve ever laid my eyes on is inspirational. The Chronology of Water is brave, difficult and evocative. This isn’t a book about finding happiness. Readers won’t always love this protagonist and narrator. But, as one absorbs every bit of wisdom, cultural and social insight, and satisfaction, he realizes this was the book Lidia Yuknavitch was meant to write. And our world is a better place because she did. The Chronology of Water \ iitriit/iur I.idin Yuknavitch h t t l i u l i x i ' I» l > <T. I < »0:*;.» . \ . ■ f j f t i t , » ! 4 , »n w*l. » la y u 1 » ;. • i m » i »A I » iv , I. • W . Nick Mattos, 'fc »#»• f ( » u q ’fM u - . l u l i i - . f v i $ I mita ***«« I n # • t • :» t \ i «l I -.tU. «> •»« I iciy. i p ' tutti R E M EM B E R TO BREATHE - »• • Ml i»*» I i » < .,«p • .s >» > Kristin Flickinger, A S K A GAY The Well o f Time is the first installment in an inspired seven-part series (We The Trees) by Julie Raymond. Book One takes us on a journey deep into the past, to a time when female warriors roamed the lands of the east, guarding the divine feminine and all o f the an cient wisdom surrounding it. We follow Alana Bell, an archae ologist, as she embarks on a trek from present day into Amazigh country, traveling inside the body o f Issaura, an Attorney at Law 2075 SW Is! Ave., Ste. 2J, Portland, OR 97201 (503)421-8169 • w w w .n o rth w e stla w o ffic e .co m T ransgender Law • C rim inal D efen se • LGBT C ivil R igh ts M em bers of the LGBT com m unity face unique challenges in both the civil and crim inal justice system s. Hire a committed and compassionate attorney who understands M eta M aus : A N ew L ook I nside a M odern C lassic , M aus A rt Spiegelman, Pantheon, $35 . T he W ell o f T ime Julie Raymond, Author- House, $15.99 K aren J . M o ck rin ancient female warrior. The journey, sparked by a lightning strike that brings the women to gether across time, takes us into warring lands, secret underground hiding places, and through sacred visions. It’s a time when queens com mune with lionesses and falcons, princesses are smuggled to safety through hostile territory, and priestess healers read the signs. For Issaura, these signs are clear. The visions seen through her eyes—which have turned from brown to green— are clear enough for all to read, and the strange language she sometimes speaks points to the presence o f another. Raymond’s book is “woo woo” out there, combining a classic fantasy feel with the spiritual rem inder that we all carry with us the memories o f those who came before. you , who cares about what you are going through. Call Karen at (503) 4 2 1 -8 1 6 9 or e-m ail her at karen@ northw estlaw office.com for a FREE co nsu ltatio n. m MetaMaus, A rt Spiegelman’s long-awaited companion to his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic memoir offers readers insight into the Holocaust and its lingering effects while illu minating the creative process o f a brilliant and challenging artist. The publisher aptly describes Meta Maus as a “vast Maus midrash”— a thick homily composed o f copious notes and backstories about the people and situations that Maus depicted in animal form. A lengthy Q& A with University of Chicago professor Hil lary Chute and interviews with Spiegelman’s family, alongside hun dreds of illustrations and photos and a supple RAINBOW mental DVD with enough special features to rival a Hollywood release, thoroughly answer many questions that readers have posed in the two decades since the publication o f Maus. However, MetaMaus transcends the basic queries— Why comics? Why mice? Why the Holocaust?—to present stunning revelations into the artistic and intellectual process o f a man who sought to ensure that his family’s ex periences were never forgotten, despite his own sense o f being haunted by the events that un folded in the concentration camps. “In a story that is trying to make chronological and coher ent the incomprehensible,” Spiegelman reflects upon his use o f the comic form, “the juxtapos ing o f past and present insists that the past and present are always present.” Unsettling and thought-provoking, MetaMaus deepens the impact o f a modern classic while standing on its own as a meditation on the creative process, illustrating the ways that we are tethered to our personal and collective history. Jackie Wheatley. C M 20* Yean Experience ACCOUNTING • Discounts to aH LG6TQ and Allies • Quality Bookkeeping & Accounting • Individuals. Small Businesses, Non-Profits (M ention this Ad - Receive a 10% Discount) 503.482.8298 ... www.RainbowPDX.com ... 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