Read Online Holy Land A Suburban Memoir D J Waldie 9780393327281 Books

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Product details Paperback 208 pages Publisher W. W. Norton & Company (April 17, 2005) Language English ISBN-10 0393327280

Holy Land A Suburban Memoir D J Waldie 9780393327281 Books Reviews

• This gem exceeded my expectations. Much wit and insight of one who seems to have accepted the hand dealt him. One who seems at peace in his world.
• I shared a similar southeast LA county suburban childhood as the author. It was almost as boring as Waldie's experiences. His knowledge of Lakewood"s development was obviously informed by his work for the city. These outlying tracts as they progressed were and are a unique experiment in post WWII lifestyle. As flat and wide as Waldie describes, and mostly at right angles.Made you want to run away to a horse ranch, a farm or NYC just so there would be something interesting or new going on. I am amazed that Waldie still lives in his parents' Lakewood D-5 and hasn't upgraded to Cerritos or the beach, or Downey, at least. Apparently, his monkish lifestyle suits him, and he really believes he lives on holy ground.
• I too, grew up in Lakewood California. Waldie makes it all come alive again, sans emotion or perspective. The good, the bad and the quiet insanity of 1950's suburban life in a planned community. Like a heartbeat, his words are a silent rhythm of hope, not of despair. He tells it like it was. No more, no less. A very interesting read.
• I loved this book! It's written about my hometown of Lakewood CA where I was born and raised and still live some 62 years later! Mr. Waldie wrote about many things I remember well but also taught me many things I didn't know. Thanks!!
• I am surprised how much I have enjoyed reading this required book for a class in L.A. Literature. So much of what we have read has come from a "noir" perspective, painting all aspects of the "American Dream" as a corrupt lie. I was pleased to find a more wholistic perspective that includes the positive and the negative. I am drawn to the vignette form. There is power in the incisive brevity of each section.
• A beautifully layered love story to what most Americans would call a soulless suburb; Waldie sings its history, its community, its geography, and his family's roots in this LA housing tract. His prose is clearly chiselled, its refusal to indulge in soaring description and its embrace of sudden juxtapositions reminding me sometimes of Kurt Vonnegut, sometimes of John McPhee.
• Very interesting perspective on Lakewood California, one of the first communities of its kind. Rather a strange, episodic writing style but lots of good information and personal insight.
• This seems like an easy read on the beginnings of the City of Lakewood, but it turns into a work of written art. Short, enjoyable, moving.