FOCUS
page C4
in Il!' ^ o r t la n i» (© b serüer
A p ril 13,2005
‘Four Crows’ Examines Reality
Author delves into
stereotypes via thriller
by K atherine K ovacich
T he P ortland O bserver
Four Crows
\ndreaPeters
Advertise with diversity
in
Wlic
©hscrOcr
Call
503-288-0033
or email
ail s («' p< irt I andob sen er.eom
Anyone who owns a television can’t deny being
sucked into or even being addicted to a reality show.
From super nanny rescues to chewing cow hearts to
being trapped on a tropical island, the misfortunes
and real life adventures of other people are fodder for
anyone wishing to escape their own lives for an hour.
Author Andrea Peters got the idea for his latest
book “Four Crows” while sitting around one evening,
watching “The Amazing Race" and “Survivor."
The book is based on five strangers who become
contestants on a forthcoming reality show, being
promised to have all their wildest dreams fulfilled
upon completion. It’s only after their adventure be­
gins, where they wake up in a jungle hut surrounded
by snakes and tagged with monitoring devices on
their wrists, that they come to realize their reality is
more terrifying than they hoped.
Peters theorizes that the current appeal of reality
television is “people like the idea of seeing someone
be bom and die in 60 minutes. They don’t care if
people succeed or fail. They like to ask themselves if
they would stoop to those lows and ask if they would
win the money. They can get an entire life to happen
in a short period of time. It’s both exhibitionist and
voyeuristic.”
He noted that reality television shows claim to be
realistic, but truth be told, the characters are hand­
picked to shape an intriguing story. This can often
lead to stereotypical depictions of ethnicities that are.
New Orleans
Blues at Lefty \
Mem Shannon, a New Orleans
blues man who’s music ranges from
funk tojazz will perform at Lefty ’ s in
Salem on Thursday April 21.
Shannon was nominated for the
W.C Handy Award in 1995 for this
first CD. “A Cab Driver’s Blues”
was inspired by Shannon’s 15years
as a taxi driver in New Orleans
French Quarter.
His new CD, “Phunkville” is
Shannon’s fifth album and is being
released on April 19. The CD has
collaborations with other musicians
such as guitarist A.C. Gayden Jr.
and Billy Martin.
Shannon’s music is described
as a “virtual ride through the Cres­
cent City bringing together ele­
ments of blues, jazz, funk, rock and
soul into one musical metropolis.”
For jazz enthusiasts this event is
a “don’t miss.” Mem Shannon and
The Membership perform at Lefty ’ s
on 1230 State St. and for more infor­
mation call 503-371-2171. This event
is for 21 and older.
New Orleans blues man
Mem Shannon will perform
In Salem on April 21.
ironically, clearly
not based in real­
ity.
“The people in
‘Four Crow s’ end
up in another coun­
try, dealing with
what is acceptable.
Being aware of the
cultural differences
is a good thing,”
Peters said.
Settings of the
book involve Thai­
land, Rangoon and
Singapore, places
Peters has traveled
to with his Asian
ancestry.
Peters said that he’s seen an interesting change in
the way his ethnicity is viewed over the last 15 years.
W hile prejudice was once very pronounced in the
Midwest, he said that in the last five years he’s aoticed
that being Asian has become “the in thing.”
From his perspective, “the media is becoming aware
of different cultures.”
“I would like to say the book is not just an introspec­
tive on human character, that it’s a heart pounding
page turning thriller, but it also has the underlying
theme of what we place value in and how we are going
to keep that value,” Peters said.
Peters will be reading from and signing copies of
“Four Crows” on Thursday, April 14 at 7:30 p. m. at 23rd
Avenue Books at 1015 N.W. 23rd Ave. For more
information, call 503-224-5097.