` Budding
Writers’
Holy Grail
ION
© July 2020: J Jericho & The Free School www.thefreeschool.education Price: USD 0
Forthcoming commercial edition, November 2020. Budding Writers. Holy Grail Question.
A redacted open-access digital edition shall also be published.
You may write to the author to suggest content or publish collaborative material.
Table of Contents
I
Vignette
Venture
II
Goals
Grammar
Scripts
Sorts
Reviews p. 1
Recognitions p. 3
Etc.
Teams
Tones
Inspiration
Issuance
III
Glossary
Guide
Class Act
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (2005) is set in the late 1950s to the 1980s. It is reminiscent
of a torturous marriage of The Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird. Wall’s text is half
as heartening as these classics. Yup – it’s a good one.
This novel is a diplomatically adapted chronicle of the life of Jeanette Walls. It’s recounted
through her wise voice from age three, a child prodigy, to a twenty something twice married
self-made Manhattan-based elite journalist. This memoir’s magic may appeal to those who
romanticize nomadic clan lifestyles.
This gifted storyteller spins tales of the ten plus townships that eschew and spew the misfit
Walls wagon – mom, dad and their four siblings, as they drift semi-aimlessly around America’s
Western desert states. Unbeknown to Jeannette the minor, her eccentric mother was
secretly and knowingly a landowning millionaire for the bulk of her impoverished, dirt-faced,
famished childhood.
The lion’s share of this work centers around Wall’s life in Welch County. It is debatable
whether Jeanette replicates or renounces stereotypes about so-called Appalachian hillbilly
communities of West Virginia and Southern states. Most likely to latter. Compassion, logic,
and insight are staples throughout her rocky road adventure.
The bond between Jeannette, daddy’s favorite, and her father, is the dominant relationship
that Walls deploys to deconstruct a rich narrative of life’s lessons: fortitude, fortune, and
failure. Jeanette is most tolerant of the patriarch’s incessant drunkenness, walkout
walkabouts, violence, self-destructive, self-entitled ways. She forgives him almost
immediately for renting her 13-years old body to a mature-aged would-be rapist, who pins
her down while two pals cheerlead from the sidelines. Daddy Rex callously ignores her cries
of attempted rape as he lounges like a lizard in a dive bar downstairs (pp. 212-213).
This plot’s subtext covertly promotes unconditional understanding and forbearance that
glues many, maybe most dysfunctional families from cradle to grave. This mini masterpiece
may force readers to assess where they truly stand on one of the most complex
hypotheticals that torments those from broken families, long after their folks’ funerals.
If mom and dad were just our nasty neighbors, would we give them the time of day?
Jeanette Walls is a commanding protagonist in more ways than ten. According to her
scripture, divorce of family aren’t options.
You may feel profound loss when the last lines are speed read. Like mourning a mentor.
And a buck-toothed best buddy.
Recommended.
ISBN-10: 9780743247542
ISBN-13: 978-0743247542
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/glass-castle-jeannette-walls/1100321217
QoG
Nina Simone’s brazen biography begs a prickly question that muso critics galore ponder
decades after her death. How can music historians rate the standing of top selling ‘artists’
who forge their name belting out covers and first edition numbers composed by others? A
divisive debate indeed.
Artists who have shifted millions of units singing other’s tunes are a penny a pound. Britney,
Elton, and Celine are first name members of this long-listed lucrative clique.
Some of Simon’s trademark tunes are from bygone eras. I Put A Spell on You (Simone, 1965)
was composed by Jay Hawkins a decade prior. Nina’s immortal interpretation of Feeling Good
released in 1965 showcases her ability to own a tune that few realize was first sung by
another artist. Cy Grant’s debut version is excruciatingly cheesy. A subjective assessment, of
course.
Simone (1965) is credited as the original singer of the classic Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
penned by Benjamin, Cauldwell & Marcus. Covers by acts such as The Animals and Elvis
Costello are generally regarded as reinterpretations of Simone’s vocals.
Nina’s iconic fame may stem from her image, intellect, and intimacy. Few Motown mommas’
wardrobes are worthy of comparison to the trend-setting Jackson Five posse. Simone is a
lifelong member of this super-elite club. Her bouffant afros, chic head scarves, kitsch
accessories and low-cut crocheted frocks epitomize feminine images of Motown’s heyday.
Nina’s candid, camera loving interviews showcase a deep-thinking, smarty arty soul. She
openly criticizes social injustices such as racism, sexism and classism and fear-based self-
censorship. ‘Me’, ‘myself’ and ‘I’ feature prominently in these rants that may relegate her art
as secondary.
Nina’s ability to command the undivided attention of savvy close-up crowds in swanky piano
bars may crystallize her musical legacy. Her husky, somber baritone velvety vocals are
unmistakably signature-style. Simone’s analog originals are worthy of Smithsonian archival.
Nina’s tortured incarnation may ultimately define her narrative. Showbusiness in her prime
was a treacherous cesspit for self-made wannabes from the hood. Being a single, black female
was a handicap that she triumphed with legendary grace.
According to folklore, Simone confronted music executives at gunpoint and demanded
payment of a stack of swindled royalties. To be a fly on the wall. I wonder what the Queen of
Gorgeous lipped to these married white daddies?
Perhaps this sanguine songbird borrowed from Bessie’s depression days ditty.
“I need a little sugar in my bowl” © Williams et al. (1931)
https://www.ninasimone.com/studio-albums/
