Purchase
And Other Life Stories
Random House
September 2007
On Sale: September 4, 2007
224 pages
ISBN: 1400063329
EAN: 9781400063321
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
Celebrated for her award-winning political columns, criticism, and poetry, Katha Pollitt now shows us another side of her talent. Learning to Drive is a surprising, revealing, and entertaining collection of stories drawn from the authorβs own life. With deep feeling and sharp insight, Pollitt writes about the death of her father; the sad but noble final days of a leftist study group of which she was a member; and the betrayal and heartbreak inflicted by a man who seriously deceived her. (Her infinitely patient, gentle driving instructor points out her weaknessββObservation, Katha, observation!β) She also offers a candid view of her preoccupation with her ex-loverβs haunting presence on the Internet, and her search there for a secret link that might provide a revelation about him that will Explain Everything. Other topics include the differences between women and menββMore than half the male members of the Donner party died of cold and starvation, but three quarters of the females survived, saved by that extra layer of fat we spend our lives trying to get rid ofββand the practical implications of political theory: βWhat if socialismβall that warmhearted folderol about community and solidarity and sharing was just an elaborate con job, a way for men to avoid supporting their kids?β Learning to Drive demonstrates that while Katha Pollitt is undeniably one of our eraβs most profound observers of culture, society, and politics, she is just as impressively a wise, graceful, and honest observer of her own and othersβ human nature.
 Media BuzzFresh Air - NPR - November 8, 2007
| 
© 2003-2026