Gleason Public Library (Carlisle)

The Baltimore book of the dead, Marion Winik

eng

Includes bibliographical references

collective biography

no index present

non fiction

The Baltimore book of the dead

bibliography

1022990309

Marion Winik

"When Cheryl Strayed was asked by the Boston Globe to name a book she finds herself recommending time and again, she chose The Glen Rock Book of the Dead. Now that beloved book has a sequel: The Baltimore Book of the Dead, another collection of portraits of the dead, their compressed narratives weaving a unusual, richly populated memoir. Approaching mourning and memory with great care and an eye for the idiosyncratic, the story begins in the 1960s in the author's native New Jersey, moves through Austin, Texas and rural Pennsylvania, and settles in her current home of Baltimore. Winik begins with a portrait of her mother, The Alpha. In this first vignette, Winik introduces locales and language around which other stories will orbit: the power of family, home, and love, the pain of loss and the tenderness of nostalgia, the backdrop of nature and public events. From there, she goes on to create a highly personal panorama of the last half-century of American life. Joining The Alpha are The Man Who Could Take off His Thumb, The Babydaddy, The Warrior Poetess, and The Thin White Duke, not to mention a miniature poodle and a goldfish. Intimacy and humor are manifest in the economy of each piece, none of which exceeds 400 words, each of which conjures and celebrates a life"--, Provided by publisher

The alpha -- The perfect couple -- The fourth -- The cat with nine lives -- The man who could take off his thumb -- The classmate -- Two first cousins -- Their mother -- The social worker -- The mensch -- The thin white duke -- The camp director -- The history professor -- The golden boy -- The warrior poetess -- The Jewish Floridian -- The brother-in-law -- Who dat -- The artist -- The young Hercules -- The Velveteen Rabbit -- The werewolf -- The queen of the scene -- The volunteer -- The all-American -- The paid professional codependent -- The southern writer -- The belle of the ball -- The rancher -- The father of the bride -- Portrait of a lady -- The statistic -- Two slips of the knife -- The old rake -- The mother of four -- The man of honor -- The angel -- The Montessori teacher -- The ambassador's wife -- The playwright -- The belligerent stream -- The southern gentleman -- The squash player -- Her son -- His brother -- The grandmother-general -- The role model -- The talent -- The French horn player -- The big man -- The assistant superintendent -- The very tiny baby -- His dog -- The pirate -- The happy man -- The babydaddy -- The innocents -- The leader of the pack -- El Suegro -- The living