Review by Booklist Review
Mark Bowden, of Black Hawk Down (1999) fame, writes, I think creative nonfiction is the major literary innovation of the last half century, a claim with which Gutkind, a tireless advocate for the form, wholeheartedly agrees. So committed to the genre is writer, teacher, and editor Gutkind, he founded the literary journal Creative Nonfiction and now celebrates its phenomenal first decade by collecting 25 of its best essays. The result is an electrifying anthology that covers the creative nonfiction universe from the personal essay to nature writing, literary journalism, and science writing. Each superb piece is followed by a writer's statement, and the book itself is introduced by a master of the form, Annie Dillard, whose Notes for Young Writers will galvanize all readers no matter their age or writing experience. Graced with memorable essays by such diverse writers as Diane Ackerman, Phillip Lopate, John McPhee, Richard Rodriguez, Floyd Skloot, John Edgar Wideman, and Terry Tempest Williams--writers who contemplate everything from creativity to race, the birth of a child, childhood memories, brain damage, and prairie dogs--this stellar volume will stand as an exciting and defining creative nonfiction primer. --Donna Seaman Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
To mark the tenth anniversary of the founding of Creative Nonfiction, editor Gutkind has collected 25 essays from this literary journal, which celebrates a genre that embraces such fiction techniques as dialog and plot to tell a true story. Included in this stellar collection are essays by Philip Lopate (The Art of the Personal Essay) on his daughter's birth, Terry Tempest Williams (Refuge) on her fight to protect white-tailed prairie dogs, John Edgar Wideman (Brothers and Keepers) on the death of Emmett Till, and Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down) on an addict who finds $1.2 million. Brief author's biographies and notes accompany each essay. All of the authors, including Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek), who introduces the collection, offer advice to writers, including one particularly recurring theme: Don't quit your day job! This anthology provides a great introduction to the genre, offering fans a superb exploration of what good writing can offer. Recommended for writing and literature collections in all libraries.--Joyce Sparrow, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas Cty., Pinellas Park, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
