Saturday, February 6, 2010

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien knows a thing or two about Minnesota where our book, In the Lake of the Woods, takes place (born there in 1946), Vietnam (served there in 1969), and writing (contributor to magazines , The Washington Post, and award-winning author of numerous books.) Among these awards is the James Fenimore Cooper Prize from the Society of American Historians for the 1994 book,  In the Lake of the Woods. O'Brien's 1990 book, The Things They Carried, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. To learn more about Tim O'Brien, read his 1999 President's Lecture at Brown University. In addition, you can refer to a critical analysis of our book selection in the context of the My Lai Massacre.

Friday, February 5, 2010

After Dark and Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

Well, here's a tidbit too fascinating to pass over!!  I saw this on the news today and found a video link for you.  I immediately thought of the character, Eri Asai, in Murakami's After Dark.  Kleine-Levin Syndrome proves that truth is stranger than ficion, but Murakami has managed to straddle that gap by sheer force of his imagination. I am impressed.