Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am a fan of human interest stories, especially those with wry humor and insight into the human spirit. If you are also a fan of that style, this is a must read. The subtitle, "Humorous and Poignant Stories from the Dakotas", says it all; I'm not sure if the emphasis should be on "poignant" or "humorous". "Wednes- day's Ashes" is about a prairie Lutheran church, built in 1886, which withstands a tornado, but burns down on Ash Wednesday as its congregation of 50 or less stands by helplessly. "It Was a Good Thing" is about a transplanted Russian, a North Dakota cowboy, who dies with his dignity intact, having dodged the nursing home experience. That story is followed by, "Chopper", which is about the crusty cowboy's equally crusty stallion who threw "Cowboy" the first ride of each spring, just to remind "Cowboy" who was boss. "Boys of Summer" is about the author's Little League Baseball team - the Bad News Bears before Walter
Matthau's great movie. "Letter to Mike" is a deeply moving tribute to the author's brother, who lives a dignified life in spite of his Williams Syndrome, and who has inspired all who know him with his purity and enthusiasm (you very well may cry as you read this one).These stories are relieved by tales of the writer's frustration with "tech support", and a letter exchange with Dave Barry as to whether or not North Dakota is still there, complete with details about a giant milk cow, liver sausage, Lawrence Welk and Bobby Vee. The Fix-It Man fixes, the mom steals clothes and then mails them to her neighbor, a pathetic dog finds a (pathetic?) friend - it's all here, and at the click of a mouse! It gets a 4 rather than 5 star because frankly, Tony has a sense of humor that evades me sometimes! Is this what they mean by "prairie humor"?
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After 11 years-arguably as North Dakota's most widely read columnist-Tony Bender has finally done it. The Ashley newspaperman compiled the ‘Best of Bender' into one book, Loons in the Kitchen. Subtitled Humorous and Poignant Short Stories from the Dakotas, Bender's work between 1990-2000 ranges widely in emotion from serious and thoughtful to buoyant and witty. From Lives Collide, the beautifully haunting story of a plane crash in Prairie City, SD, to the dignified anguish of Dreams For Sale, the tale of a North Dakota farm auction, Tony Bender rivets the reader to the page with masterful story-telling. His classic essays about family will tug heartstrings. And in raucous pieces like The Redhead's Tractor and Jukebox Blues, Bender proves he is a first-rate humorist. Loons in the Kitchen is great entertainment.
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