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The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects Of Discussion (2014)

by Meghan Daum(Favorite Author)

4.12 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0374280444 (ISBN13: 9780374280444)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

review 1: As much as I enjoyed this collection of personal essays, Unspeakable is a bit of an overstatement for the title; with the addition of good timing and comic delivery it contains the kind of material delivered by modern stand-ups since Lenny Bruce. In some ways not having the comic elements makes the material that much more entertaining. Whether Daum has really been able to get this far through life without more than once falling prey to the folly of pretension is doubtful, but who among memoirists really wants to include that unless the situation is truly comical. After reading this I feel as if I met a really interesting woman in an airport (LAX) bar while all flights were delayed, and she was either bored or drunk enough to entertain me with her perspective. I think one r... moreeason I could identify with her is she does not identify with any particular place of origin, and she sort of stumbled to her place of permanent residence in Los Angeles. At least it resonates with someone still trying to figure out how he ended up in New Jersey, but I understand the comfort of chosen home - even with all of the tiring stereotypes. Ms. Daum is an established columnist in LA and is now getting national recognition - hard currency in LA. Still, my favorite piece was the one where Joan Didion (apparently mentor to many) invited the author to a small dinner party at her home at which all of the other guests were very high-wattage public personas. She describes Nicole Kidman, who glows brightly enough to be able to refuse to participate in a game of charades, in a way that makes her seem like a stunningly beautiful alien presence. I cringed reading of her experience trying to make conversation with the likes of Steve Martin who didn't make the effort to even try to look interested. She is able to do this without sounding bullied or resentful. It's fun, if a little scary, to hear the voice of X-Generation as it moves into full middle age.
review 2: One of my absolute favorite books of the year, and one of my favorite essay collections of all time. Meghan Daum is brilliant and on point in every way and I can't stop talking about her. There is an actual waiting list at the Graywolf office to borrow my copy--perfect excuse for me to buy several more copies, I think! Do yourself a favor and pick up UNSPEAKABLE, and then start working your way through Daum's backlist, too. You'll be so, so glad you did. less

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