Product Description
In his highly acclaimed 11th novel, Crews has written a wild, weird black comedy that takes place over one weekend during a women's bodybuilding competition. A secretary has found a new life as a champion bodybuilding contender, but her turns things upside down with their redneck antics. Serial rights to Playboy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

nice bod
This is a darn fine novel. The reader gets sucked into the twisted,unusual world of very very buff people. Crews gives birth to characters who you won't forget. read this. read this now.

Bizarre World of Body Building
This is an interesting novel about bizarre people who are into body building.Ultimately, it is a novel of hope not yet realized, goals not yet achieved, cruelty and despair.

Many of the characters are caricatures which seemed racist to me.I wasn't sure if this was intentional for shock value or if their was an underlying racism inherent in the writing.

Just OK
I'm divided as to whether the characters, who feel caricatured, are overdone and outsized, or whether I just haven't spent enough time in the South to see the truth behind the types, something to which Crews certainly has more claim.Even giving him the benefit of the doubt however, this novel-whether because of the aura of caricature in whole or in part-just doesn't have the same believability as The Knockout Artist.Things just as dangerous and outrageous happen in both books, but The Knockout Artist plays it cool, almost underhanded, without scene after scene of someone impotently fuming or otherwise blowing his top.The style is still knocked-off, rough-hewn; in Knockout Artist it approached the genuinely terse.Whereas that book generated genuine fear and creepiness, this one merely seems grotesque and hysterical.

That said, I really warmed to the characters halfway through the book.I'm a sucker for moments of genuine tenderness in unexpected places, be it teacher-student, parent-child, or between rivals.

The ending, played almost entirely for shock value, manages to be surprising but unsatisfying, insufficiently supported either by tone or character development.Perhaps more time might have been spent on Nail and Shereel, and less on the burlesque between Billy Bat and Earline.

All in all, a breeze of a book when you're tired, and not up to more complex syntax.Good for late night, or recovery from a cold, even very early morning commute.

Not his best, but his funniest
"Body" tells the story of the fiercely fought annual body building competition, that takes place at a Miami Hotel.The two main characters are Shereel Dupont (born as Dorothy Turnipseed), and her slave-driving, borderline sadistic manager/trainer Russell Morgan (a/k/a Russell Muscle).That Shereel will prevail in the middleweight division (114-124 lbs) is a foregone conclusion, but, to win the coveted title of "Ms. Cosmos," she must beat the 156 lbs. of pure muscle, steroid-enhanced, Marvella Washington, who she has faced a few times before.According to Russell, winning is everything, anything else -- whether it be second or last place -- is utter failure, and, unfortunately, Shereel buys into this.

What makes "Body" unique and hilarious, is the introduction of Shereel's eccentric southern family (parents, two brothers, and one sister) and psychopathic, Vietnam Vet, knife wielding boyfriend, known as "Nail Head."Their love and affection for Shereel is unwavering, even if they're uncertain as to exactly what she's doing.In a bizarre sub-plot, Shereel's portly sister Earline, and a male bodybuilder nicknamed "Billy Bat" (he has the best back in the world) fall in love, and have a sexual encounter that only Harry Crews can dream up.Russell is going out of his mind trying to prepare Shereel for the contest, while simultaneously containing the Turnipseeds and Nail.

In the meantime, Marvella's trainer, Wallace "The Wall" Wilson, has his own hands full with Marvella's four shucking and jiving sisters, all with names that rhyme, and all potential champions in their own right.Until the shocking ending, there are a number of passages involving the families of Shereel and Marvella which will have the reader laughing out loud.

What I especially like about "Body" is how Crews describes the best and worst sides of athletic competition.At best, this body-building competition bridges the gap between people of all different races, religions and cultures.The differences between the bodybuilders are irrelevant in the face of the universal desire to compete and win.The racist attitudes of some of the characters are shown to be utterly absurd.On the other hand, Crews depicts the dangers of a win-at-all-costs attitude, whether through chemical enhancement, or the belief that even coming in second place means complete failure.

Although I thought that "The Knockout Artist" and "A Feast of Snakes" were better Crews' novels, "Body" is his funniest work, and thoroughly enjoyable.Harry Crews writes in a completely unique voice, and I regret that he seems to have retired.

(Note: The character Russell Muscle appears in several of the author's other novels, as well).

Absolute garbage!
This novel was full of nothing but the most off-the-wall ridiculous caricatures (not characters) and leads you thru a series of completely unbelievable and unentertaining situations to an utterly worthless ending that makes you realize that any time or money that you invested in acquiring and reading this story was an absolute waste of time.The rating of 1 star is because there is no options for a zero or negative star rating.STEER CLEAR OF THIS LOSER! ... Read more

Product Description
Includes two of Crews' full-length novels, The Gypsy's Curse and Car, his autobiography, and three of his essays. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

DELIRIOUSLY ABSURD AND DEPRAVED
In Harry Crews's disturbing and achingly funny novel "Car," Herman Mack sets out to eat a 1971 Ford Maverick from bumper to bumper (excluding the spare tire and jack). Herman soon becomes a small-town hero and everyone in his backwater Florida town wants a piece of the action. The ensuing racket reaches delirious heights of absurdity and depravity. When it was originally published in 1972, "Car" worked best as a biting commentary on our national obsession with the automobile. But today, Crews's novel can also be read as a prescient look at how anyone, anywhere can become an instant celebrity for doing something incredibly stupid. An otherwise undistinguished Herman sets out to eat that fine Ford because he "felt himself special, felt himself being saved by a force bigger than himself and outside himself, saved to do some fantastic and special thing." What modern-day millennial won't identify with that vague but compelling urge? If you aren't a movie star or a singer or a top model, at least you can star in your own reality TV show or sex tape. As you can probably imagine, Harry Crews is an acquired taste. And if you think "Car" is hard to stomach, try Crews's wacked-out memoir, "A Childhood: The Biography of a Place," also collected in the indispensable "Classic Crews."

A Reason to Read
Harry Crews:the name and reputation often precede the writing.Many know of his youthful and not-so-youthful exploits.Many have seen the "How do you like your blue-eyed boy, Mr. Death" tattoo.Some may remember the mohawk on the Dennis Miller show.

Doubtless, Harry Crews the man is a force of nature.

In contrast, Harry Crews the writer is a man of unadorned style with a nearly minimalist approach to fiction.His tightly-constructed sentences move along with machine-like precision.His eye is attuned to the smallest of details.And in his hands, plot is an extension of character.

The *Harry Crews Reader* is a reason to read this masterful southern writer.With grit and wit, Crews unfolds story after story of loser and scoundrel, from the unlikely tale of man who eats a car to the heart-breaking tale of Crews' own childhood.Crews depicts images that will scar the sense, tearing into a reader's subconscious and nestling there.I can't get the image of young Harry losing the skin off of his entire body after being accidentally immersed in a tub of scalding water.

Harry Crews' stories are bizarre, true--but they often teach important lessons about consumerism and the dangers of being cut off from the land.Yes--I said "teaches lessons."Our culture has conditioned us to think that stories with a point are to be dismissed as "moralizing."Nothing could be further from the truth.Harry Crews shows us that fiction can matter, even fiction from a south Georgia hell raiser.

Southern Fun
As a Southerner- I felt I had to like this book until I read it and then really loved it!!! Crews' voice is so funny and sometimes,downright bizarre that you can't help but be taken in by it. You can read the stories in order or out of order- it doesn't matter. But I definitely recommend this book and if you are a true Southerner you have no excuse but to read this!

beautiful and sad.
beautiful and sad.Harry Crews tell stories that grip hold and touch.An immense weight still weighs on me after having read this book.
Honest and real.
Its a Fat 4 stars at that.

dude rocks!
This dude rocks! He is funny and tragic, beautiful prose but a gritty easy read. i can't believe i went 23 years without ever hearing of him. Plus, he lives in Gainseville. 'Nuff said. ... Read more

Product Description
From the acclaimed author of such novels as "Blood and Grits" and "Childhood" comes a wildly weird and breathtakingly original visit to the rural South that reveals the exotic subculture that erupts in all its glory at the Rattlesnake Roundup in Mystic, Georgia. "No number of adjectives in the thesaurus can do full justice to the dazzlingly bizarre nature of Crews' creations".--"Washington Post Book World".Amazon.com Review
Welcome to Mystic, Georgia. This going-nowhere town hosts theannual Rattlesnake Roundup, which attracts thousands of visitors for arough 'n' rowdy weekend of your basic primate behavior--hard drinking,ogling bikini-clad contestants in the Miss Mystic Rattle beauty contest, betting on dog fights, snake catching, and snake eating.Meet Joe Lon Mackey. He lives in a trailer in Mystic with his lumpy,devoted wife and two hollerin' young'uns. His days of glory as the BossSnake of the Mystic Rattlers football team are over, and he didn't have the grades to go to college. He's just now realizing that his dreary business selling beer, bonded whiskey, and moonshine is allhe's gonna get in the way of a destiny.

As the crowds for the Roundup start to overfill the camping area, Joe Lon feels on the inside like a barrel of snakes: "a writhing of the darkness,an incessant boiling of something thick and slow-moving." As he and hisgood ol' buddy get ready to wander around and check out the scene, Joe Lon says, "Just a bunch of crazy people cranking up to git crazier. But that's all right. Feel on the edge of doing something outstanding myself."

A Feast of Snakes is probably the most skillfully crafted andentertaining novel ever written in which a fed up person goesviolently berserk.But Harry Crews belongs to the tradition of greatSouthern weird writers such as FlanneryO'Connor, so A Feast of Snakes is richer than that: Crewsserves up the reality of people's savage and unrelenting crueltytoward animals and toward each other, stark truths about humandespair, male-female face-offs at their sexiest and most ruthless, and(here's his real genius) humor so powerful you can't help butlaugh--even though it hurts when you do.

A Feast of Snakes, first published in 1976, is a dazzling and flawless horrornovel. --Fiona Webster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

You ain't gonna find solace here.
I grew up drinking Busch ponies in trailer parks around Western KY. I know these people. Joe Lon is what happens when the American myth is exposed and the real world hits you in the face. Football hero today, loser tomorrow.

Harry Crews doesn't mess with redemption in this novel, the characters are lost with one exception. This is accurate at the bottom. Very few people "move up." Read this and learn what life is like at the bottom.

Profane junk for the fun of it
I realize that there are perverted and profane people out there but most authors don't glorify them. Some authors may allow profanity but they don't stuff the pages with it. There may be a vile, sickening villain or several in a novel, but the whole cast isn't made up of them. I read the first pages of this book, then had to toss it aside. Everything bad seemed gratuitous and there was precious little good. Some obviously like Crews stuff, but even some fans had a hard time with this book. Sorry, it ain't my thing.

freaky and nasty
Utterly foul book about redneck degenerates.The prose style is solid and keeps the rather thin plot going.The "climax" of the book is Joe Lon's tryst with his former girlfriend and his speech about "goddam true love", a repellent literary milestone that I'll leaveto you to read, since further detail would not be suitable for most readers.

Crews has done better
I checked this out after reading A Childhood: The Biography of a Place.I absolutely adored that book.So I was eager to read another of Crews' books.While not bad, this doesn't have the same richness that Childhood did.Its one of those times that the fiction pales next to the fact (or whatever passes for fact among storytellers).The concept is interesting and the characters are well developed but much of the time the plot seems to tread water.It's just a bit to desultory for my taste.Shrug.But the ending is spectacular, one of the best endings I have ever read.

I'm planning on checking out more of Crews books but I'm hoping I'll find some that capture more of the richness Crews has than this one does.

Southern Culture on the Skids
Think all Southerners are genteel, hospitable churchgoers? Think again.
Gone with the Wind this ain't. Crews exaggerates for effect, but speaking as a Southerner myself, I've met few people as vile as these characters. Animal cruelty, rape, suicide, murder, torture, insanity, battered women, drug abuse, kinky sex and illiteracy, not to mention a stream of body fluids...the filth never ends. The French have a phrase for such decadence: le goute de la boue, or "love of the dirt." It's apt here. Mystic, Georgia is a pigsty.
Crews makes Flannery O'Connor (whom he cites as an influence) look like Little Bo Peep.
Yet Crews does evoke sympathy for his protagonist, the cruel but hapless Joe Lon Mackey (no small feat). And he can be downright hilarious,e.g., when Joe Lon tells girlfriend Berenice: "Studying them goddamn foreign languages is done ruint you mind." Like a snake crushing its prey, Crews's muscular prose squeezes the reader tightly into a squalid world of pain, misery and depravity. Give Caesar his due: three stars.
A Feast of Snakes packs a wallop, and it's not for the faint of heart.
But one wallow in the mud is more than enough. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

It's like meeting the man himself
I got to work with Harry Crews at the UF MFA CW program before his retirement, and he is still a teacher whom I would gladly sit at the feet of and pay every respect to.

And this collection of interviews gives one not just a biographic and historic perspective on Harry Crews by giving interviews through Crews' career to offer tidbits of his ideas and progress as he worked through novel after novel, but also provides a good view of the spirit of this man who is currently the last surviving member of the Great Triumvirate of Writers Who Should Be Dead But Aren't Yet (the two drop-outs being William S. Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson).Harry Crews is a wily, intelligent, thoughtful, wild and generous man.In his heyday, he seemed to have more notoriety for his personal antics than his writing (in the day of the Novelist, the wild character who happens to find some time somewhere to write).While others like Normal Mailer let their public personas take over and let the writing become dimmer and dimmer, Crews took the other route and focused more and more as a writer, another progress denoted in this set of interviews.

But I am most impressed in this collection that Bledsoe edited and rummaged through most likely tons of interviews to find the ones that best presented the spirit of conversing with Harry Crews the man--sometimes rambling and repetitive, Crews is wonderful at talking himself towards great stories and nuggets of wisdom about the working of the world (including the realm of bloodsports) and, of course, invaluable advice about being a writer.Crews talks about writing as an effort of the soul, not just an act of making things up.The articles that are more summaries of interviews are not always as enlightening, but the classic Q & A structured interviews are wonderful here.Many kudos for Bledsoe for compiling some of the choicest bits of Crews that would be valuable for any budding writer.

Naked Means Honest
If you've only read books BY this author, I think you'll be surprised by "Getting naked . . . "In essence, this title means Crews is baring his soul, being more honest than most of us would have the courageto be.He admits to all his human frailties, continues to indulge them,but is not defeated by them.In this collection of interviews of Crews bymany different journalists, the "naked" Crews comes through as akind, caring, sensitive, warm human being, impeccably honest with and abouthimself and others. His obvious love of and knowledge of literature isalso impressive.I fell in love with the "naked" Harry Crews.

Watching Harry spin
I think that even someone who has not read any of Harry Crews could be fascinated by this collection of interviews. Crews, a self proclaimed redneck from rural Georgia, has over a thiry five year career publishedsome of the finest fiction to come of out the south. But unlike the moretypical genteel southern writers (Faulkner, Ransom, Tate, Lytle, Foote,Percy or Price for example)whose books, even when they deal with povertyand hard times, tend to a 'literary' language and an oblique view of thesubject matter, Crews, in contrast, is confrontational, colloquial,profane, angry, violent, shocking, grotesque and really, really funny. Hisis a unique voice and perhaps an acquired taste, but no question that it isthe real stuff.

This book of interviews captures the writer (typicallyhaving just finished a project) at various stages in his publishing careerfrom 1972 to 1997. To read all of these in one setting, as I did yesterday,is a bit much, because over the years some of the same questions (andanswers) recur reqularly, so that it begins to seem a lot like acandidate's standard stump speech. One does see Crews presenting the samestock answers to questions about his use of 'freaks' in his stories, hisfavorite authors, the impact of drinking (and drugs) on his writing, andhis specific writing habits. Still, each interview has at least one momentof unique insight and many are delightfully entertaining. Moments of pureHarry such as informing a female interviewer that despite being on thewagon his sexual powers have not deminished or, in another interview afterspeaking at length about being sober for a year, he downs several carafesof white wine because he doesn't really think it counts.

Those who haveread and enjoyed Crews should really get a lot of pleasure from theperspective that these interviews give us of his work. Those who haven'tread him can get a real flavor for his attitute and language. What youcan't get from this book is the flavor of that genius for character andstory that is uniquely his ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Oh, give me MORE!!!
A wonderful read....
I could see the charaters in this novel..and smell the sells, be they ever so foul..
A better southern writer..??..Not in my generation...
He is the master of southern dirt roots..
He has lived it, breathed it, and lived totell the tales..
That, in itself, is a miracle..
Loved it and all of the rest of his works..

A surrealistic pillow of hot, heavy air...
When it comes to sex-God-and-violence books, Harry Crews is one of the best contemporary southern gothic novelists that's still pumping out good books.

And after all, this is his first novel.No pretension, noinarticulate naivete, just a gradually and very-well developed plot thatreminded me at times of book four of Vergil's Aeneid.

Perhaps the mostintriguing element of the book was the complete lack of introduction; Crewsassumes from the origin that you'll have a good idea what he's talkingabout (and enjoy it more) if he simply begins not with alot ofcharacter-developing tedium but rather launches into a self-explanatorydialogue that makes everything all the more real, dialectical spellings andall.Although Crews seems to "carve 'suk for honesty' on [his]chest," the entire atmosphere of the seting, Enigma, Georgia, isexaggerated to a squalid surreality of a seemingly ordinary impoverisheddeep-South town.Crews' sparse yet vibrant depictions of southern lifeensure decades prior that, well, he's not gonna stop writing anytime soon. ... Read more

Product Description
This title sets out the essentials of aviation human factors in four wide-ranging parts: the general aviation context and airline safety requirements; the main features of human factors and their role; the component elements and infrastructure; and operations applications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Human Factors for Pilots

This is a unique book on human factors in multi-crew flight operations. I come from a region where a significant number of middle aged pilots leave airlines for greener pastures elsewhere leaving a lot of young first officers flying with relatively elderly captains. Also the culture in many countries tends to be hierarchical and worship seniority (the Captain is God syndrome). This book provides valuable lessons on how to enhance communication, deal with cultural issues, and highlight human limitations and errors, the operating environment, among several other critical subjects.

The subject is treated very well in a reader-friendly manner. The importance of CRM is highlighted and the need to work as a team. Since most airplane accidents worldwide are as a result of human factors, the importance of this subject to pilots cannot be underestimated. Hence this is a useful and handy book to read and refer to often and keep on your bookshelf as a ready reference manual.

A Book All Commercial Pilots Must Read & Own..
A father and daughter team! It is rare enough to have a flying father and a flying daughter in the real world, but sharing the same passion so intensely and to write a book together on an all-encompassing aviation Bible, (yes, this book is a Bible for aviators!) is truly unprecedented!

When I said this book covers virtually all topics concerning flight operations, I meant just that. The most important thing is; this book is highly readable, rich in reference materials and data and yet "gripping" to read! A rare gem in terms of human factor topics. I have read other CRM or human factors books by other more renowned and authoritative people but none as good as the Orladys, probably with the exception of Tony Kern, who is also just as good a writer on aviation safety.

Okay, the book covers the brief history of air transport, the industry and its safety record,, a brief history of human factor and its development in aviation,, the physical environment and the physiology of flight, as well as those magnificent flying machines and their internal environment - sort of like a trip down to aviation memory lane.

It also discussed the social environment, basic communication, documentation - including checklists and information management. It went on to discuss on the Man's limitations, human errors, and information processing. Nothing is left unturned, the Orladys went on to talk about workload, automation, situation awareness and operating in today's environment. Of course, they did not miss out on crew resource management and the team approach.

Fatigue and stress were covered in depth, plus fitness to fly, even selection and training of pilots! Most interestingly is the coverage on the challenging roles of the flight attendants, this shift in focus of our cabin colleagues was most insightful.

I loved the chapter on non-punitive incident reporting.. the CHIRP and ASRS were great success stories in UK and USA respectively, I fervently hope that SIA will follow suit in our pursuit of excellence in aviation flight safety.

Another eye-opener chapter is "some ramifications of accident analysis", this is the first time I heard of the "Stop Rule" phenomenon in flight safety investigation - find it out yourself what it means.

In the last few chapters, the Orladys talked about the worldwide safety challenge in the near future, the current safety problems and the future of air transport too.

This is not a book to be missed by any pilot who wish to enrich himself. In fact, I recommend that every single commercial pilot should own a copy for reference purposes as well.

Human Factors In Multi-Crew Operations
"HUMAN FACTORS IN MULTI-CREW FLIGHT OPERATIONS"co-written by Harry and Linda Orlady - Ashgate ISBN 0-291-39839-1 - Published in 1999

A father and daughter team! It is rare enough to have a flying father and a flying daughter in the real world, but sharing the same passion so intensely and to write a book together on an all-encompassing aviation Bible, (yes, this book is a Bible for aviators!) is truly unprecedented!

When I said this book covers virtually all topics concerning flight operations related topics, I meant just that. The most important thing is; this book is highly readable, rich in reference materials and data and yet "gripping" to read! A rare gem in terms of human factor topics. I have read other CRM or human factors books by other more renowned and authoritative people but none as good as the Orladys, probably with the exception of Tony Kern, who is also just as good a writer on aviation safety.

Okay, the book covers the brief history of air transport, the industry and its safety record,, a brief history of human factor and its development in aviation,, the physical environment and the physiology of flight, as well as those magnificent flying machines and their internalenvironment - sort of like a trip down to aviation memory lane.

It also discussed the social environment, basic communication, documentation - including checklists and information management. It went on to discuss on the Man's limitations, human errors, and information processing. Nothing is left unturned, the Orladys went on to talk about workload, automation, situation awareness and operating in today's environment. Of course, they did not miss out on crew resource management and the team approach.

Fatigue and stress were covered in depth, plus fitness to fly, even selection and training of pilots! Most interestingly is the coverage on the challenging roles of the flight attendants, this shift in focus of our cabin colleagues was most insightful.

I loved the chapter on non-punitive incident reporting.. the CHIRP and ASRS were great success stories in UK and USA respectively, I fervently hope that SIA will follow suit in our pursuit of excellence in aviation flight safety.

Another eye-opener chapter is "some ramifications of accident analysis", this is the first time I heard of the "Stop Rule" phenomenon in flight safety investigation - find it out yourself what it means.

In the last few chapters, the Orladys talked about the worldwide safety challenge in the near future, the current safety problems and the future of air transport too.

This is not a book to be missed by any pilot who wish to enrich himself, you may get this book from AMAZON dot com. Hardcover costs US$109.95! and papaerback costs US$44.95!

Credits:

Capt Harry W Orlady was a B747 captain for United Airlines, he has contributed a lot in the CRM research works with NASA's AMES Research Centre in California.

Linda M Orlady, a GA instructor pilot and an expert in organizational behaviour.

Eddie Foo ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (10)

wowza
After reading a few of Harry Crews' novels, you may be thinking wowza this is intense, what forces molded this great mind? After reading Childhood, it all adds up, and allows the reader to see deeper into Crews' work.Also a very entertaining read.

Classic Memoir
Gib: A Contemporary Western The Blind Corral (Contemporary American fiction)I bought this book at the recommendation of a writer friend of mine, Ralph Beer, who wrote the western classic The Blind Corral. Crewes' book, about growing up in the rural South, takes a stance astride provocativepride and self-consciousness about his poor childhood. A brilliant writer, the man's writing style is suffused with an irony based on redneck swagger and the memories of a sensitive child born into a very tough world.

Deep, Deep South and Deep, Deep Depression = Great Stories
As a rural Georgia native and someone who has traveled all around South Georgia, I was very excited when I came across this book;Crews exceeded my expectations. In the tradition of the Southern storyteller, Crews does an outstanding job of sharing the stories of his Depression era childhood in South Georgia.Many of his stories remind me of my own grandfather, who would have been a contemporary of Crews.For me, the familiarity of the types of characters, dialects, and places brought this work closer to home and endeared the author to me. At times hilarious, at times appalling, this wonderful collection of memories is honest yet has just the slightest hint of embellishment that is of course required in the telling of any good Southern story.

Harry Crews is a must read for Southern memoirs
I was only recently introduced to Harry Crews, but this memoir should be required prior to reading any of his compelling fiction.One does not need to know about Mr. Crews to enjoy his fiction, but to read this book first is to build an affinity for the author.His memories of southern Georgia during the great depression and war years are the most accurate in tone of any non-fiction that has come out of the South.He has been linked to Flannery O'Connor, but to me he seems to be a more existential William Faulkner.

A Childhood: The Biography of a Place
I would suggest this book to anyone who has ever read anything published by Harry Crews; specifically to those who haven't read anything by him, but who are interested in this magnificent author.After reading it, I found myself wondering how Crews was able to escape childhood, much less become of the the greatest Southern authors since Faulkner.Truly a fantastic book that will stand the test of time and inevitably cast Crews as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

We need more of Hell.
Great book, I am using Amazon to track down more Crews for my reading pleasure. My library doesn't have a single book of his, and that is a travesty. My first experience with him was A Feast of Snakes, which I think is still my favorite, but All We Need of Hell is right up there.

I could stand more of hell
This was my first Harry Crews book and I absolutely loved it.Although this story is set in the 1970's South the characters and settings are timeless.Aside from all the maddness the story is more about mundane and unfilfilled life than handball and smoothies.Deeter, the main character, fights tooth and nail to hold on to his youth while at the same time feels saddness for not accomplishing enough.His struggle to find and maintain perfection hits close to home for men in particular.Do yourself a favor and check out this book, you'll be glad you did.

All about the odious Duffy Deeter
As a huge Harry Crews fan, I was somewhat disappointed with "All We Need of Hell," which can easily be read in under four hours.Here, we are introduced to the main character, Duffy Deeter, a forty year old husband and father, who can best be described as an incredibly repulsive and self-centered human being.Everything about Duffy is about "bettering" himself, whether it be lifting more weight, running a faster mile, thrashing his opponent in handball or karate, or lasting longer sexually (by thinking of Hitler and concentration camps!).

Duffy is a cheating husband and absent father who basically has no regard for his wife and son, and spends most of his free time with his lover Marvella, a self-destructive cocaine addict, whom he seems to despise.Duffy forms an intense friendship with Jerome "Tump" Walker, after he intentionally kicks Tump in the head while playing handball.Tump, a cocaine addict, is a star pro football player, but seems to have a way to bring disparate people together, and improbably bonds with Duffy's son (and later, Duffy's lover, wife and mother).Running throughout the story is Duffy's dealings with his two-faced law partner, Jert MacPherson, who matches Duffy in repulsiveness.

Usually Crews offers the reader at least one character who tries to stand on higher ground.Perhaps Tump Walker is that person in this book.However, every character is addicted to one thing or another.By the end of the book, Duffy apparently trades his addiction of self-centeredness for whisky and vodka.Is the reader supposed to believe that this is an improvement?I just never accepted that any of the characters actually bettered themselves or really learned anything.Of course, the best Crews novels (e.g. "The Knockout Artist," "A Feast of Snakes," "Body," "The Scar Lover"), have many of the same elements.I just think these books are more compelling and provide a stronger and clearer moral message.

Crews lite
The perfect book for beginners. If you've never read a Harry Crews novel before, read this first. At under 200 pgs. it is a quick read but no less taut, brutal, incisive and humorous as hisearlier works. At 1st morose and tragic then oddly funny until at the last almost spiritually uplifting. I love this book. If you do as well, take the plunge into hardcore Crews and try A Feast of Snakes. After that, you will be hooked.

good book
what can i say about it that isn't said below, i just wanted to add my four stars ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Start elsewhere
If you're new to Harry Crews, don't start here. This book is rather uninspired and nowhere close to the high quality of Crews' other, earlier works. If you're curious about this unique writer's work, start with A Feast of Snakes. It's unarguably his finest work of fiction. His memoir, A Childhood: A Biography of a Place, is among the best works of creative nonfiction written in and about the South. A must read.

a rushed work to say the least...
The Mulching of America is almost a lot of things- almost a great allegory for blind allegiance (religious, political or otherwise), almost a brilliant satire on corporate America and almost an engrossing page turner... but because it is only almost all of those things it falls far short of being anything great- especially for Harry Crews. Initially the strong premise and requisite eccentric characters draw you in but the plot of the novel never comes into complete fruition and the reader is left unfulfilled and sorely disappointed to the point of frustration.
Worth the read? Yes (I give it 2.5 stars actually), just prepare yourself for abject disappointment in the end.

(three and a half stars) Not exactly Swift, but entertaining nevertheless
Obviously, "The Mulching of America," doesn't quite measure up as one of Harry Crews' best works -- I would put "The Knockout Artist," "Feast of Snakes," "Body," and the two novellas "Car" and "Gypsy's Curse" well ahead of it.Warts and all though, and some very stilted dialogue (which would continue in Crews' subsequent and last novel, "Celebration"), "Mulching" is a hell of a ride, with twists and turns so unpredictable, it's almost dizzying.In his satire of corporate America, I wouldn't say that Crews is the next Jonathan Swift, but I truly doubt this was his intention.Instead, we are given the typical Crews mix of eccentric characters in hyper-realistic surroundings, with, of course, a shocking ending.

Here, Hickum Looney, a relatively successful door-to-door Miami salesman of soap products, who has no other life, learns the hard way that he should never outsell his demented, hare-lipped boss, known as "The Boss" a/k/a "The Lip," and later known as Elmo Jeroveh (which isn't his name either).The Boss, who gets a perverse pleasure of beating the crap out of his chauffeur, Pierre Lafarge, and masseur, Russell Muscle (a recurring Crews character), is perhaps the strangest, most grotesque Crews character in any of his novels, which, if you've read some of his books, you would understand is really saying something.

"The Mulching of America," doesn't quite work as satire, or even as a cohesive novel.However, it's well worth the wild ride, and lends additional proof to the fact that the unique Harry Crews is one the best post-Faulkner Southern writers.

Pretty good
"Mulching" is a fairy tale turned upside-down. Hickum Looney is a lonely salesman who seems to know of nothing but work. He sells soap and other soap-like products for a big company that is micromanaged (absolutely) by a completely deranged, cleft-lipped midget with a nasty violent streak. This is a hallucinogenic parody about corporate life and soaring corporate greed. The plot itself makes very little sense and the book suffers from a surplus of dialogue that is sometimes as painful as it is unnecessary.

A poor showing from Crews
I LOVE some of Harry Crews' work so this came as a real disappointment.It seems designed to work as a sort of anti-establishment fable, and some of the characters are typical of Crews' better work.But this book lacks the heart and the careful plotting of the better books.It's almost as if this is self-parody, a kind of Harry Crews-meets-Soylent Green.I don't suggest this unless you are a committed fan! ... Read more

Product Description
Scar Lover is a miraculous, true-to-the-bone story of love and redemption, at once a classic southern novel and purely, unmistakably, Harry Crews.

Running from a past that has scarred and blamed him, and a tragic accident that has destroyed his family, Pete Butcher avoids all personal contact. Then Sarah Leemer, the oddly beautiful girl next door, walks into his life. Slowly, sweetly, and with a determination almost Faulknerian in its ferocity, Sarah pulls Pete back into life and into the ever increasing complications of love, family, death, and deliverance. For Sarah has made Pete her own, and as she takes her claim, we see the miraculous power of love without boundaries or fear. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Deep Southern whackos
Twisted Southern gothic, this time with Rastas. Crews' usual gang of swampland nutjobs trying in whacked-out ways to make sense of things. The writing is slow-moving in parts, which only underscores the boggy, ganja-filled world of death and magic. Tries a little too hard to work the "scars" theme throughout. Not my favorite Crews book but better than meh. Try Feast of Snakes if you're looking for an intro to his writing.

Falling Short
I remember the tormented characters that are still with me from "The Hawk is Dying" and "A Feast of Snakes"...how I could recognize the hate in their hearts as something that was similar to something inside of myself.They were people that I could easily throw stones at but, instead, fell in love with after each turn of the page.Don't expect that from "Scar Lover".Sure it is jam-packed with colorful yet woeful characters but it lacks a key element that connects me, the reader, to them.

The story starts with Pete, a young man who is haunted, like many of Crew's characters, by his past.He meets a girl named Sarah who has a crazy mama, a daddy that has a huge life insurance policy, and a lump in her titty.A lump that frightens and yet intrigues Pete.Incidents that do not coincide with each other take place and eventually leave Pete in charge of the chaos that is Sarah's daddy's death.Not to mention having a Rastafarian man-woman to deal with who just happens to have a small cult.Enduring this, he confronts his past and his present.Unfortunately for the reader, the character's history is barely revealed, leaving us with nothing but southern crazies to relate to.The story only gets mildly intriguing in the last few chapters, which comes to a close with absolutely no conclusion."Scar Lover" doesn't end; it just stops.Harry Crew's "Scar Lover" falls short like so many of the characters he portrays in his work.But like those characters, it still has a place in my heart, no matter how much it lacks.

Vulgar and direct - and not in an artful way
You may like this if you are okay sitting around with foul mouthed, crude men showing their tatoos via their wife-beater shirts.That's what I felt like when I started to read this - that I was in the midst of a man such as the above.I admit, I didn't get past chapter one, so perhaps he has talent and perhpas it is a good read.I can't stomach vulgar and grubby as I could when I was a teen.If you can - you may get further and find more in this book.Not for me.

Not as good as his others
While I see that other reviewers consider "Scar Lover" to be one of Crews' best, I don't really feel the same way.Sure, all the Crews elements are in place: bizarre characters, redemptive powers (here fire, scars and love), and gritty southern hyper-realism, but I just don't find "Scar Lover" to be nearly as compelling as "The Knockout Artist" or "Feast of Snakes," as funny as "Body," or as entertaining and strange as "The Mulching of America."

My favorite scenes in the book are the interaction between main character Pete and either Max Winekoff -- an annoying old man who likes to bend and touch the floor, or George -- a ganga-smoking Rastaffarian married to basically a dominatrix with whom Pete works unloading cellophane from a box car.However, in my opinion, the love story between Pete and his next door neighbor Sarah, as well as his scenes with angry Gertrude (Sarah's mother, recovering from a double masectomy) and Linga (George's wife) tend to drag.Also, as the book got stranger, I found it harder to suspend disbelief, especially when we're introduced to a cult, headed by Linga, where the members work in a swamp.

I'm a huge Harry Crews fan, based on the novels mentioned above, as well as two novellas: "Car" and "Gypsy's Curse."No one writes quite like Crews, and at his best, his books can be totally engrossing.Unfortunately, though, not here.

Footnote: For fans of Harry Crews, I would also recommend the late Larry Brown (starting with "Joe" and "Fay"), who, by the way, was a big Crews fan.

Scar Lover began my adventure with Harry Crews
Scar Lover was the first book that I read by Harry Crews, followed by The Mulching of America..After Mulching, I almost gave up on Crews..but these were library books so I ordered my own copy of Scar Lover, along with several more of his works..A feast of Snakes took me back to being raised in wire-grass country (Echo, Al) and put me on to Celebration..He is a tremendous writer in all respects..I do admit the with Mulching he almost lost me as a reader, but I went back and have yet to find a poorly written book..he is remendous..it is no wonder that he was Larry Brown's mentor.. ... Read more

Product Description
The newest book out from the creator of SOUTHERN GOTHIC, HARRY CREWS!The first novel in over eight years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

I'm glad Harry's still writing.
I am a huge fan of Harry Crews.I think I own all is books. An American Family is certainly a Crews novel, but alas, not one of his best.A great start that just sort of peters out at the end.

At last--a new book by Harry Crews--you rock Harry!
Being a Harry Crews fan for over 30 years now I am very happy with An American Family--my only gripe is it's far, far too short. By contrast this is not by any means his greatest novel. But after waiting 8 years for Harry to release something, anything, I am more than happy. This has so many of Harry Crew's favorite things in it dogs, karate, scars...the Major reminds me of Duffy. Harry Crews is the finest living Southern Gothic writer--hell greatest writer--working today. If you're a Crews fan then this is a book for you--probably really for die hard fans though. This is not a good book to read as an introduction to his work--maybe try A Feast of Snakes or Body. I am happy to have this is my Harry Crews collection! Harry where is the follow up to A Childhood; the biography of a place? please let us read us!

Not up to Crews standards
I'm a huge Crews fan. (A Feast of Snakes and Celebration are my favorites.) An American Family is like a parody of his earlier works; feeling disjointed and aimless. It's all the surface elements without the whiff of deeper implication. (Celebration haunted me for years, seeming mythic somehow.) Color me sad about this short novel.

That's Harry Crews....
Although I didn't find this "longish short story (novella)" to be one of Harry Crews' better offerings, it was nice to read something new by this American legend. IF you are contemplating reading CREWS - don't start here. Read A Feast of Snakes or Body or his autobiography to get a feel for the writer. IF you can get a hold of The Gospel Singer or A Hawk is Dying - even better. HOWEVER - don't discount this work! It has its place in his body of works. Be prepared for the violence - not for the squeamish. Enough said. BUY this book! You won't regret it!

It really hurts to say this
This is not so much a novel as a long story: barely 100 small pages with big print.In my opinion Harry Crews is the greatest living English-language novelist; unfortunately, this is one of his lesser works, if not the least of his works.If you already have everything by Harry Crews, try the DVD Searching For the Wrong-Eyed Jesus.This is a pseudo-documentary about the South in which Harry Crews plays the cracker mystic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Crews
I studied with Harry early in his career at the University of Florida. For anyone interested in digging into the works of Harry, this is the book. How I wish there were more.

odd blend of academia and Crews-appreciation
For some reason, academia and Harry Crews do not quite mesh together. (I am being facetious.) Crews wore a mohawk to his instructor position at a college. He also got frustrated with his academic coworkers and slammed down an armful of his books onto the table when questioned on his merit. The best pieces in this collection are by non-academics (like Larry Brown). Maybe it's just me, but the academics contributing just over-analyze and use big words and really kill the spirit of Crews' writing. I'm sure they appreciate Crews, but Crews' work is understood on another level, a non-academic, human, primal, dark, honest level. Though sometimes and somewhat interesting, I can't see Crews himself going much for these academic dissections of his work. The best thing is probably to read Crews firsthand and avoid the endless, jargon-laden, subjective analyses by academics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Karate is a thing of the Spirit
Karate is a thing of the Spirit was a good read. The Author Harry Crews obviously had a limited understanding of Karate but still captured the essence and deadly effectiveness of the discipline that is practiced in the true way. Along with the internal view of Karate, Crews told a great story of coming of age in a realistic manner. Not every 19 year old stay with mom and pop and has a nice home life. Some decide to adventure out and find themselves and in this case someone else.
I read this book when I was 16 years old and I never forgot the title or the Author. I decided about a year ago to re-read it and see if it was really that good. It was and I am sure I understand the thrust of the message better now at 48 years of age than when I was 16.
I plan to read more of Crews work and I recommend this book to martial artist and non martial artist alike.

Yours in Tao,Lee Peacock

IF THISBOOKWEREAHORSE ... I'DSHOOTIT...
This book is so bad at so many levels that its a challenge to think of where to start. I know, I know, Crews fans are nashing their teeth and wringing their hands... Unless they happen to have a real martial arts background...And can read.
First,In order to classify the instructors "unique" persona,
Crews gives him the name,"Belt". If you're everin the market for a Karate school,and the Sensei introduces himself as "Belt"...leave immediately.The guys obviously a loon.
Second, Crews seems to suffer from rather intense homophobia. Shakespears quote from Hamlet comes to mind."Me thinks the lady protests too much".Just what is Crews trying to convince the reader of ?
Third,I've always thought that any author worth his salt should be able to develop characters and define them through their interplay with the story. That this gives the character depth, and the story a certain amount of life... You have to look pretty hard for any degree of character development here. These participants in Crew's delirium lack the depth of the average wading pool.The story seems to be a hotbed of stereotypical characters with indistinct or questionable motivations.This chemistry causes a fever dream like atmosphere.If this was the effect Crews was going for,well...he got it.
I could go on. But why bother? This is a VERY BAD BOOK. Its an insult to Karate practitioners everywhere.The martial arts in the truest sense, is about eradication of the impure ego.Thats why so much of the sport karate out there is so counter productive.But the "Dangerous loners learning to kill"is just as bad.It comes off sounding like a "True Detective" or "Argosy" magazine article from the 60's.
After reading this..."novel"... I came to the conclusion that the only spirit that had anything to do with this story probably
had the name "Dewers" or " Chavis", related with it somehow.
A real turkey,best avoided, and hopefully forgotten.
I felt taken by this book and wonder if I could ever be compensated for buying it and the time wasted reading it.
Some people,(like the guy who relisted the same comment to this review no less than three times), are an example of the problems and confusion that a book like this causes the neophyte.The response of this individual
proves my point.

Really good
The heroine of this novel is a beauty pageant regular who practices karate by smashing her knuckles against a wooden board in a dried-out Florida swimming pool.She is perhaps the least dysfunctional person in the book.Watching Crew's characters abuse themselves and their counterparts is a privilege. ... Read more

Product Description

Now from the author the Washington Post Book World calls "the dark chronicler of human vanity and folly" comes Celebration. The newest black comedy from Harry Crews is a biting, brilliant commentary set in a Florida rest-home gulag where the over-sixty-five set checks its dignity, self-esteem, and social security numbers at the door.

Forever and Forever is the aptly named retreat, populated by a motley crew of forgotten wives and ruined men who are waiting for death while working on their tans. The leader of this group is Stump, whose lost arm paid for Forever and Forever, and who believes the silent desperation that infuses the trailer park masks the fact that Forever and Forever is truly a small piece of hell on earth.

This ironic silence is shattered by the entrance of a beautiful young bombshell. Too Much is her name, and that is exactly what she is. This walking bonfire awakens long dead appetites in the inhabitants of Forever and Forever, reminding them of what they once were and can be again -- alive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Wacky Satire at its best!
As the author of an outrageously funny satire entitled "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude," I especially appreciated this zany satire. Harry Crews is a gifted author with a bent for dark as well as outrageous humor. His characters are outlandish as are mine. I loved every minute of this book.

This is a story of a group of human souls who are trapped in a trailer park. They are basically waiting to die. Then along comes a beautiful and delightfully vibrant spirit named Too Much who wakes them up to the fact that they can indeed enjoy life.

If you want to take a walk on the wild side of life and get a healthy dose of laughs along the way, this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You will too.

Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"

Too Gritty For Me!
I deeply appreciated one of Crews' other books, The Knockout Artist.I have continued reading Crews' books, hoping that he's written other masterpieces.So far, I haven't found one.I wouldn't recommendA Feast of Snakes: A Novel, and, while "Celebration" was a bit better, it still let me down.

In general, I have a problem with what one reviewer calls Crews' "gritty realism."Even in Crews' book "A Knockout Artist," I often found the storyline too crass, rude, barbaric, and gritty for my taste.Still, so much of that book was great, and it wouldn't have been as good if the world it described hadn't been as twisted and intense.In "Celebration," there aren't nearly as many great moments, and I was left feeling put off by its grittiness.In particular, the way Crews deals with sex in "Celebration" is disturbing, twisted, and sometimes disgusting.Again, this wouldn't bother me so much if the rest of the book were better.

Now, that said, there are some great moments and themes in this book.I love the interplay between feeling old and feeling young, and the plotline - a young woman introducing celebration to the elderly at a trailer park - is ripe for some powerful stuff.And, in contrast to some other reviews I've read, I loved how ridiculous/surreal the story and characters sometimes were.The world described by the book needs to be larger than life for the book to work as well as it does.

I also love that this book could give me nightmares!I had a rather vicious dream about the Old Ones with their chomping mouths!(You'll see what I mean if you read this book).

So I'll keep reading Crews, and I'll probably continue to gripe about the grit, until I find another of his books as good as "The Knockout Artist."

Failed at the book club
We chose this for our book club. It was universally disliked, which was a record for us. Really poor work from this normally good author.

one of Crews' best
Along with Feast of Snakes, Celebration is why I love Harry Crews. It's powerful, mythic and rings true to modern Southern characters from bad backgrounds. Celebrations turns a trailerpark into the mostfascinating novel setting I've encountered in years.

Masterpiece
Don't pay any attention to the other reviewers, this is a Gawd-Almighty masterpiece, the book Crews was born to write. Besides that, Too Much is real, I know a woman just like her, and I do live in Florida.
If you like your Florida literature serious and literary, yet hilarious, or if you'd ever wondered what would happen if Flannery O'Connor dropped acid, read Celebration! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

i cant believe someone else read this
i didnt know what to expect from this book.at first i thought it would be a thriller/horror novel.i was half right/wrong.it was very thrilling.i felt bad laughing at some(MOST)of it.Mr Crews has an excellent flair with the trappings of southern culture,a very unique way of creating charactors.if the right director ever got his hands on this it would be the forrest gump on acid.maybe david lynch should read this.since i read this ive read all his other books and although they dont compare,they are still great reads.ok,''what the heck is this book about?'' you ask?im glad you did.its about.......hhhmmmmm,you can say its a love story of sorts.a group of people with 1 or more handicaps try and find a way to cope.the lead charactor has the gift of doing amazing stunts on his hands.he had to learn this because he has no use of his legs.he was born with non functioning legs and is a deaf mute.his parents leave him infront of a gym when he was 5 with a note attatched saying ''we caint take it''.and so if goes.i must reiterate that the other charactors in this novel are as involving as the main and that is where alot of the charm comes from.while the subject matter may not be humerous,Mr Crews leaves no choice but to laff dispite ourselves.

Bitter and Despairing-A sad laugh riot
Obsession. I did not put it down, and still have not let it go. If you look you might catch an open space. Within is a chance meeting of masked insanity. Inside every person there is an edge where they tell no tales toanyone. There can be possible acceptance. This book holds a chamber intoyour own edge. Our prided, freakshow main character, who is the narrator,tells his accounts of the ignorances, hopes, and down fallings in a brightwasted world. Love historically continues to be the end of man. What canyou do with a confession like this book? Find what you've been hidingbehind stability. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

I Miss Larry Brown
I need to vent!After reading the posted reviews of this book I took a chance on it thinking it might be just a tad bit similar to Larry Brown's writings - NOT!.First, this book is very, very thin.Not worth it's price.Secondly, whomever edited this book did a "not so good job" of including works that may have showcased Crews' writings.Lastly, I'm disappointed that Larry Brown is dead and that Harry Crews just doesn't fit the bill for me as a southern writer.

Crews is unique in the proper use of the word
I discovered Harry Crews a few years ago and I have read everything I could find on him or by him. He captures the Red Neck culture and the body builder culture and the no holds barred hedonism of the trailer park culture. If you think stereotyping is wrong then he is guilty of this poetic license too. But it makes for an unusual read. Maybe there is something wrong with me for liking this but I don't care.

Well-Named
This a collection of mostly older essays (from the 70's) that nevertheless deliver the same punch that readers have come to expect from this South Georgia native and resident wild man novelist.If you want the insider'sperspective on subjects such as cockfighting, dogfighting, raptor training,insanely heavy drinking and occasional womanizing, this is the place to go. A warning: Crews is not for the weak hearted.His ability to relaterealistic violence has influenced the likes of Robert Morgan (of recentOprah fame) and Larry Brown.

Great.
Any other Crews-admirers on-line?peter@cybersight.co ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

What a shame to be OOP
I'll be brief.This amazing gem of a novel has gone relatively undiscovered for far too long.As is typical with much of Crews' writing, the characters are harsh but endearing, the landscapes bleak but strangely familiar, and the wordplay grim but hopeful.It's tragic that the only place one might find this is tucked away in an old library (or here for a ridiculous price).Check out a copy, or borrow one, but read this book!And, for the love of all that is good and sacred, skip the awful film version that slaughtered everything amazing about the novel.

Hawk
Anyone who'slived in, or lived near Gainesville FL, knows of Paines Prairie.It's a spot on the earth that tells you what it's about.Mr. Crews wisely uses the prairie as a backdrop/character and goes from there.Read it! ... Read more