Saturday, March 2, 2013

Book Review: 10th of December


Book Review

10th of December




Written By: George Saunders


About the Author:


George Saunders was born December 2, 1958 and raised on the south side of Chicago. In 1981 he received a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He worked at Radian International, an environmental engineering firm in Rochester, NY as a technical writer and geophysical engineer from 1989 to 1996. He has also worked in Sumatra on an oil exploration geophysics crew, as a doorman in Beverly Hills, a roofer in Chicago, a convenience store clerk, a guitarist in a Texas country-and-western band, and a knuckle-puller in a West Texas slaughterhouse. 

After reading in People magazine about the Master's program at Syracuse University, he applied. Mr. Saunders received an MA with an emphasis in creative writing in 1988. His thesis advisor was Doug Unger.

He has been an Assistant Professor, Syracuse University Creative Writing Program since 1997. He has also been a Visiting Writer at Vermont Studio Center, University of Georgia MayMester Program, University of Denver, University of Texas at Austin, St. Petersburg Literary Seminar (St. Petersburg, Russia, Summer 2000), Brown University, Dickinson College, Hobart & William Smith Colleges.



Review

Do you ever find yourself looking for something quick to read? I know I do. Once I finish a long book, I usually like to follow it up with a short story. Something quick that can help my mind easily transition from one plot to another. I discovered The 10th of December on the Barnes & Nobel website, where I frequent to see what New Releases are available, or what other people are talking about.

This book is a collection of various short stories. Each one features a different character from various backgrounds. I found the collection interesting. Although the way the stories flip-flopped from the internal dialog of the characters, to the "reality" in which the characters actually lived was sometimes confusing.


I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars. I felt that the story lines, however brief, where too difficult to follow, and at times, ended before they should have. I felt that these stories were more an excerpt than an actual short story.


Overall this was a decent book. I would recommend it for someone looking for something quick to read without much expectation.

If anyone else has read this book, and has any additional comments good or bad, let me know. If you enjoyed the book, let me know. Perhaps your take on the book could change my opinion. 





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