Impulse buying happens in stores. Impulse book choices happen when I’m in a library minding my own business and a book catches my eye. That’s what happened when I saw Dinty Moore’s slim little volume, Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy. Moore invited his essay writing friends to send him questions which he uses as a launching pad for a mostly comic essay. If you check out the Table of Contents you’ll see how wacky things get. I read the book in about an hour. It was fun while it lasted. If you’re looking for something different and quirky, this is it. GRADE: B+
Table Of Contents
introduction 1
A Question from Phillip Lopate & “Of Old Girlfriends” 4
A Question from Cheryl Strayed & “Dash It All” 14
A Question from Julianna Baggott & “The Napkin Is the Message” 22
A Question from Judith Kitchen & “A Striped Essay” 44
A Question from Barrie Jean Borich & “Mr. Plimpton’s Revenge” 56
A Question from Lia Purpura & “Understanding Your Cauliflower” 70
A Question from Sue William Silverman & “How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman” 78
A Question from B.J. Hollars & “Have You Learned Your Lesson, Amigo?” 86
A Question from Diane Ackerman & “Of Bums” 100
A Question from Dinah Lenney & “Pulling Teeth, or Twenty Reasons Why My Daughter’s Turning Twenty Can’t Come Soon Enough” 106
A Question from Philip Graham & “How to Choose an Appropriate Essay Topic” 116
A Question from Michael Martone & “Four Essential Tips for Telling the Truth in Memoir and Securing That Blockbuster Book Deal” 120
A Question from Patrick Madden & “The Actual Message Mike the Tree Guy Left on My Answering Machine the Evening I Arrived Home to Find that the Tree He Was Cutting Down When I Left
for Work That Morning Still Stood Tall in My Side Yard” 136
A Question from Steve Almond & “An Essay on the Inherent Dangers of Memoir Writing” 140
A Question from Ander Monson & “Nelson Algren’s Shorts” 144
A Question from Brenda Miller & “Why I Trained My Dog to Post” 154
A Question from David Shields & “Beep! Beep!” 168
A Question from Roxane Gay & “Don’t Read This Essay” 174
A Question from Brian Doyle & “Clogged and Stupid and Weary” 182
A Question from Lee Gutkind 186
acknowledgments 191
about the author 193
index 195
I don’t know about his writing, but Dinty Moore makes a good canned stew.
Dan, I figured you might say that! I had the same thought before I read his book.
That’s quite a group of “friends” this guy has!
Deb, you’re right! And where the author takes their questions is amusing.
Isn’t he also a sandwich?
Patti, you might be right.
Love the title. I checked and my library has several copies, but they also had one ebook, so I was able to download it to my Kindle and don’t have to even get dressed and drive to the library!
Jeff, you’ll get a kick out of DEAR MISTER ESSAY GUY. It’s a quick read especially as an ebook!
I did pick up the Mary Karr book at the library yesterday, and will start it as soon as I finish BUFFALO NOIR.
Jeff, you are really using my blog as your Reading Guide! Thank you!
This one looks good, George.
We used to refer to this kinda stuff as bathroom books. You understand why.
Beth, DEAR MISTER ESSAY WRITER GUY may be a bathroom book, but be careful when you start laughing!
My beef stew line has already been used! That’s what happens when I go to bed early!
Bob, ha, ha!
I’ll have to check my library this would be good to have in the car Since I just started liking cauliflower a couple of years ago. that essay appealed to me
Maggie, you’ll enjoy these short, funny essays!
sadly, our library has no copies. I’ll check back in a couple of weeks
Maggie, my Public Library can get me anything I want through Inter-loan. Just ask and the librarians will get you anything you want.