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Jerry Stahl's Reading List
From Flannery O’Connor to Shannon Burke, the author of Permanent Midnight and Bad Boys II picks his favorites from the dark side of literature. His latest novel, Pain Killers, was recently released by William Morrow.
Black Files. By Shannon Burke. 192 pages. Soft Skull Press. $14.95.
Black Flies
by Shannon Burke
“What I love about it is the spirit of camaraderie and the twisted survival-of-the-sickest humor that Burke captures so beautifully.”
Steve Gaghan, who wrote Traffic, turned me on to this book, which is about paramedics working New York City's darkest corners, and the strategies they employ to survive. This is a novel packed with descriptions of dark corners, both urban and psycho-emotional. What I love about it, among other things, is the spirit of camaraderie and the twisted survival-of-the-sickest humor that Burke captures so beautifully. Some books, you really get the sense the author has earned the right to write. And Black Flies is one of those books.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
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