Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise [Hardcover]

James W. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2002

James W. Hall is the critically acclaimed author of eleven crime novels, including Body Language and Blackwater Sound. He's also published four books of poetry. And several of his short stories have appeared in magazines like the Georgia Review and Kenyon Review.

Now, writing in the spirit of Dave Barry and Garrison Keillor, Hall wins a new kind of reader with this collection of essays that run from insightful to opinionated, funny to wise.

Hall ponders subjects as diverse as his own love affair with Florida which began on a trip after college from which he never returned, to his equally passionate romance with books. He ponders the nature of summer heat, the writing of Hemingway and James Dickey, television, teaching, politics, fatherhood and much more. In the vibrant and elegant prose which characterize his fiction and poetry, Hall now proves himself a master of the essay as well.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

He's probably not the spokesperson the South Florida tourism council had in mind, but his new collection of 40 brisk, witty essays proves that poet and crime novelist James W. Hall (Blackwater Sound) is one of the region's biggest and most thoughtful boosters. Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise includes pieces on television, heat waves, hurricanes and, of course, the writing life, all set against the backdrop of his beloved adopted state. Hall confesses a deep-seated envy of Florida natives; traces the epidemiology of suburban sprawl in "Disney Virus"; and recounts his wife's violent carjacking.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his introduction, Hall mystery writer (e.g., Buzz Cut), poet, and college professor declares that "essays are about as sexy as donkeys." Blaming college composition courses for the form's status, Hall goes on to explain how he came to have a "three-year love affair" with the essay after a newspaper editor asked him to write a weekly column. The resulting collection is flawless. Hall writes about how he first came to Florida or as the locals call it, "Paradise," with a new Ph.D. and no job prospects. Rather than settle for a teaching job somewhere else, he worked as a landscaper until a suitable position came along. Hall wryly comments on the idea that although he's lived in Florida for over 30 years, he'll never be considered "native." The essays cover a wide range of topics, including Florida's culture and climate, what constitutes community, vacationing in your back yard, the writing life, marriage, and American culture. "Letter to My Father" beautifully blends Hall's poetic sensibilities with a discussion of what can remain unsaid between men. Highly recommended. Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (June 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031228859X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312288594
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,615,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a wonderful change of pace., June 22, 2002

By 

nobizinfla "nobizinfla" (Windermere, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise (Hardcover)

Mid-afternoon yesterday UPS brought me my latest Amazon order.
On top was Dr. Hall's "Hot Damn!"

I devoured it in two sessions.

These thirty-nine essays are insightful, poignant, thoughtful, humorous, heartfelt and a joy to read.

The compositions are such a delight that I will now go back and savor a couple of them daily. Each one is most relatable on a multitude of levels.

You do not have to be Floridian to enjoy these essays---but if you are, many strike a most responsive chord.

Seldom do I stray from the mystery/thriller genre, but like "Seabiscuit," "Hot Damn!" reads like a novel.

"The Hardy Boys" chapter alone is worth the price of admission.

This is exhilerating writing that makes you feel good. Do not miss it.

Hot Damn!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poet, Crime novelist and Essayest, July 18, 2003

By 

John Harrison (Potomac, Md. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise (Hardcover)

This man can write. He can write fiction and he can write about Florida. These 39 essays are the superb refections of an interesting mind at work, at play and once, afraid for someone he loves. If you remember and liked John Kennedy's statement about how close the chemistry of our blood is to sea water then you will love Hall's "We swim in the amniotic fluids of our earth, as we swam so long ago like blind fish in the womb." (From Touchy Feely)
I like his crime novels. But if you like Florida, particularly the Florida Keys, or evocative writing, or walking with an exceptionlly observant mind through interesting times, then you will appreciate this book of essays.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice leisurely pace, January 24, 2012

By 

Watson McFestus "Watson McFestus" (Irving Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise (Paperback)

As per the intro the author says these are a collection of several years worth of essays he wrote for the Miami Herald and Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. They are enjoyable and provoking -running the gamut from outrage to tender reflections. My favorites were the ones on addiction to TV news and the boat trip out to the strange redneck island past Sanibel-Captiva Islands. To paraphrase John D. MacDonald - some Good Old Stuff.