Customer Reviews

Fourth Genre, The: Contemporary Writers of/on Creative Nonfiction

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Finally the genre of Creative Non-Fiction is gaining recognition as a valid art form. Critics are finally starting to realize what the puplic has always known; real people have valid and intruiging stories to tell. The Fourth Genre collects an overview of the best non-fiction writers writing in and about their genre. I had the privilege to study under a contibutor from this book and discovered the joys of writing about my life and reading about the lives of others. This book is a necessity to those interested in Creative Non-Fictions. I would also recommend Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach, and Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell.

I've been using this book in a career writing class where we have been focusing on learning how to write creative non-fiction. It is a great book full of incredible selections and is a great introduction to the field of Creative Nonfiction. Let me tell you, after years of writing academic essays, this has been a blast. The book, and my instructor, has helped me understand the difference between an autobiography and a memoir or a personal familiar essay and a personal critical essay.

All of that being said, I found this book to be more of an introduction into the world of Creative Nonfiction than an instructional 'how to' book. I have enjoyed being introduced to such a large host of, for me, new writers and will definitely keep this text book for reference, enjoyment, and inspiration.

The Fourth Genre graces most creative-writing course lists, and for good reason: In addition to outstanding essays written in every style and on every topic imaginable, it offers essays and commentary about the writing process, style, and form.

But don't be put off if you're just looking for excellent reading. This isn't dense, heavy, or academic. The essays are brilliant precisely because you are hooked from the first sentence of each one. These are fine storytellers, and their stories resonate. This is a book for any lover of true stories, nonfiction, essays, or great writing. It's also a compilation of essays, so you can pick it up and read a complete essay (story), then set it aside until you have time to read again, which was perfect for my too-busy-to-read life these days. If you like short stories, nonfiction stories, or great first-person journalism (like "Into Thin Air"), you'll like this.

The material is pretty relevant for the nonfiction writing course at Kapiolani C.C.. A session of course work is best supported by the oft disdained "outside" reading offered here.
The reason for reading the work of others is to offer the student learning by modelling.

I think this volume provides a good overview of what is called the personal essay. The only thing I have a problem with is that the margins are huge, which mean this large book could have been a lot smaller (and therefore more portable).

this book is good i like the stories it has it talks about personal essays and other tipe as well and you can relate to the stories to.