Percival Everett's writing is brilliant, clever, well-thought out, and poignant. I was hooked from the first chapter and it's really all I can think about...a retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but with more intelligence, wonderings, and historicizing than the original. With every pages comes additional thinking, especially given the knee-jerk, anti-truth telling of the U.S. society today. I would hope this would become a paired text across American Studies classrooms where teachers offer the classic today. I thought about this a lot, too, while in New Orleans and traveling the jazz steam boat and all the history such boats have in the south along rivers. In some ways, it reminded me of Buffalo Dance: The Journey of Clark which offers a poetic narration of the Lewis and Clark exhibition. As a reader I want to be challenged and educated, which both texts accomplish.
Monday was a good day to deliver cooked food, attend an eye appointment (new glasses ordered), and to visit with the Aliceas and introduced to their history of photos. I'm also thankful for Pam's re-rendition of the pot roast, carrots, and potatoes for night two. I didn't save any food I cooked for me, so Pam saved the day.
I'm heading back to CNY today and with that comes tonights Louisville at Syracuse game Hmmmm. I wonder if I can get tickets. The trip also comes with returned temperatures below 30. Ugh. I'm an above-freezing kind-of guy.
Yet, off I go, looking forward to the completion of Everett's book, although I hoped to knock it off on the screw-ball road trip in Florida, which turned into a long weekend in New Orleans. Needless to say, the plane seat and knee-jab was too uncomfortable to appreciate a book (the guy ahead of me leaned back and, as a result, I had no lap either to New Orleans or upon the return).
Sun's supposed to be out today, so here we go....
