Backward looks by Bay Area authors yield dramatic readings
Looking back is the seed of many a moving tale in these new and recent releases by Bay Area authors. Memoirs by Armistead Maupin, Lynn Freed and Edward Guthmann head the list, while an engaging essay collection finds writers reflecting on the creative process. New studies on the California coast and the lives of cephalopods and a debut novel set during World War II are also worth a look.
“LOGICAL FAMILY: A MEMOIR” »
by Armistead Maupin (Harper, $27.99, 304 pages) San Francisco author Armistead Maupin, who created indelible fictional characters in “Tales of the City,” turns to real-life ones in this honest, poignant and often very funny memoir. Born in right-wing North Carolina, young Armistead knew early on that he was gay, but hid his sexual orientation. He adopted his father’s racist, homophobic views and followed the older man’s path into law school and the military. Life changed when he moved to San Francisco in the 1970s: He came out as a gay man and established himself as a journalist for various publications. It was on commission from the San Francisco Chronicle that he began the serialized “Tales of the City,” which was an instant hit. Maupin survived the deaths of many acquaintances from AIDS, and his account reminds us that the City wasn’t all that tolerant back then. But “Logical Family” is a mostly fond look back at friends, lovers and fellow artists: Rock Hudson, Christopher Isherwood, Ian McKellen and many others.
“THE ROMANCE OF ELSEWHERE” »
by Lynn Freed (Counterpoint, $26, 224 pages) In her new book of essays, Sonoma’s Lynn Freed admits to a serious case of wanderlust; even as a young girl growing up in South Africa, she loved to imagine herself a stranger in a strange land. Her observations — on travel and writing, achievement and identity, Disneyland and aging — are revealing, and her drive to keep moving is unflagging. “Estrangement itself,” she writes, “has become a necessary ingredient of my life, and of my work.”
“WILD SEED: SEARCHING FOR MY BROTHER DAN” »
by Edward Guthmann (Shafter Avenue, $18, 97 pages) Edward Guthmann has spent the last 37 years wondering about his older brother Dan. A rowdy youth prone to accidents and injuries, Dan grew up to be a troubled teen and an erratic young man; he died in a helicopter accident in 1980. In this unvarnished memoir, Guthmann, a former San Francisco Chronicle film critic, reaches back to examine his memories of Dan in the context of family life and the social milieu of the turbulent ’60s and ’70s. Written with honesty and tenderness, “Wild Seed” is a moving exploration of loss and reconciliation.
“LIGHT THE DARK: WRITERS ON CREATIVITY, INSPIRATION, AND THE ARTISTIC PROCESS” »
edited by Joe Fassler (Penguin, $17, 334 pages) If you think writing is easy, think again. Every author struggles, whether it’s finding the perfect opening line or figuring out how to bring a story to its end. In this collection of essays by 46 writers — including Bay Area authors Amy Tan, Michael Chabon, Khaled Hosseini and Jane Smiley — each describes a moment, a process or an accident that made the light go on.
“THE EDGE: THE PRESSURED PAST AND PRECARIOUS FUTURE OF CALIFORNIA’S COAST” »
by Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs (Craven Street, $18.95, 300 pages) The fragile ecosystems of the California coast are both unique and imperiled, according to Santa Cruz authors Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs. In this fact-packed study, they examine the impacts of access, erosion, fishing, drilling and commercial growth. Beautifully illustrated and easy to read, “The Edge” offers a welldocumented study of the coast’s past and present and a thoughtful consideration of its future.
“SQUID EMPIRE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CEPHALOPODS” »
by Danna Staaf (ForeEdge, $27.95, 256 pages) Speaking of the sea, squid may be the creatures most likely to survive on our changing planet. According to San Jose-based biologist Danna Staaf, cephalopods were here 200 million years before dinosaurs appeared, and they remain the ocean’s smartest, most versatile invertebrates. Quick to adapt, they represent one of the world’s fastest growing populations. Think of that next time you order the calamari.
“WHEN IT’S OVER” »
by Barbara Ridley (She Writes Press, $16.95, 356 pages) It isn’t memoir, but Barbara Ridley’s debut novel draws heavily on the past — specifically, details from her mother’s life and information from her father’s letters. It’s the story of Lena, a Czech Jew who takes refuge in England at the height of World War II. Ridley delivers a haunting story of love and loss, politics and prejudice.