Review: Dispatches from Pluto by Richard Grant

Published October 13, 2015
by Simon and Schuster

I get the title, Dispatches from Pluto. Pluto is the town in the Mississippi Delta area that Richard and Mariah move to. I don't quite get the subtitle though, Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta. Not sure what was supposed to have been lost, but it's easy to see that they found a whole new way of life in Pluto during this year in a life view.

Richard and Mariah move into Doc Foose's old house. There they make battle with the wildlife including alligators, cottonmouths, armadillos, rats and more. And they learn to live closer to the land, hunting and growing some of their own food. The homey parts of the book are many at first and then the direction changes and there is less about setting up house and more of a discussion of racism in the Delta area.

It's an intriguing book. The culture of the Delta is different from many other places including other places in the Southern United States. The culture itself is really split. There is black culture and white culture and even subdivisions within those categories.

It was nice to read about the generosity and hospitality that most of the people showed Mariah and Richard. Whether the people were white or black, for the most part, they had positive encounters with them. Headshaking encounters occasionally, but more often than not pleasant encounters.

I found the book to be interesting whether the author was writing about the struggles with setting up and maintaining a household in Pluto or having adventures of sorts meeting new and different people. He visits juke joints and a prison. He follows around a candidate for mayor. He visits blues legend, T-Model Ford. There are many more mini-adventures that make up the overall large adventure of moving from New York City to the Mississippi Delta area.

If you are curious about the region and racism issues there, then this would be a good book for you. If the topic of racism bothers you, then don't pick up the book. It just can't be avoided in this memoir. And remember this is just a slice of life in the area and it varies depending on where you go in Mississippi and the South.

I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. It's well written. It keeps moving and doesn't get bogged down in one place. And the people are interesting too.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Review: British Guinness by David Xavier

British Guinness is supposed to be a humorous travel memoir through England, France, and Italy. 

Simply put, this book is not funny. The author frequently comes across as an example of what not to be like as a tourist. The phrase "Ugly American" comes to mind. Even in the description for the book, the way he talks about the locals as "people that inhabit the land like wild animals" shows his negative attitude. He generally seems to find things dirty and smelly. Communication problems aren't always solved amicably either. Sometimes he becomes annoyed because the person doesn't speak any English even though he is the one visiting their country.

I had a lot of trouble finishing this book. Small Spoiler: In particular after he sees two young women walking small dogs and the dogs get into a fight. He decides he would rather "sit back and enjoy the show" than help.

After a while it becomes a series of cappuccinos for the men and shopping trips for the women punctuated by sight seeing. As far as humor in the book goes, I think it probably is humorous to the author and his family and the people that know them, but that the humor doesn't seem to translate to a broader experience.

On a more positive note, there are a few places where the descriptions shine through. In Paris: "Ascending the stairwell from the station was like being slowly dipped into a vat of creamy butter. Everything around us changed with each step. Everything became deliciously foreign." Now, if only he had been able to keep that sort of attitude and language.

I gave this book 2 stars out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for my unbiased opinion.