Customer Reviews

The Outlaw Bible of American Literature

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This book was published in 2004 and contained 143 works by 134 authors. There were 53 excerpts from memoirs, 49 excerpts from novels, 11 short stories or excerpts from them, 8 excerpts from autobiographical or nonfiction short stories, 8 essays or excerpts, and 2 excerpts from nonfiction novels (Tom Wolfe on Ken Kesey, Ed Sanders on Charles Manson). There were also a few selections from letters, interviews, screenplays, a comic monologue, a poem, a journal, a play and a graphic novel.

The works ranged from 1914 (the activist Margaret Sanger) to the 2000s, with something for each decade during the period. One-quarter of the selections came from the 1990s, and four-fifths from the 1960s to the present.

What does it mean to be an "outlaw"? Here the term seemed to cover anyone who rebelled against conformity, in their lives or in their art, or whose actions -- robbery, murder -- put them beyond the pale. Also included were those who wrote about such things or other aspects of humanity's dark side. A few political rebels were included, but were far from being the main focus and -- this being a literary anthology -- their life experiences were excerpted rather than their social/political/economic analysis and criticism.

The works were grouped in sections for the Beats, rockers, feminists, motorcycle gangs, African-Americans, the down and out, dysfunctional families, crime novels, other fiction, prison writing, writing on sex, and a few, more vague categories like "voices from outlaw heaven," "renegades," "white line fever" and "playing in the apocalypse." The collection naturally was uneven and partly a function of clever marketing but still enjoyable. It introduced me to a number of writers I'd never heard of and many others heard of but never read, which was what I liked most about it.

In terms of life examples, among the most interesting were Emma Goldman for her activism, James Brown for combining patriotism in the 1960s with black pride, Ken Kesey -- as depicted by Tom Wolfe -- for his apparent authenticity, and Harvey Pekar for his to trueness to self during a televised confrontation he described. Annie Sprinkle described her crusade for sexual openness.

In terms of writing, among the best for me were the excerpts by Hubert Selby, Jr. showing lonely and avaricious souls in Brooklyn, and those by John Rechy for sensitive depictions of the loneliness and sexual charge of a hustler's world. The section on the Beats contained a highlight from On the Road as well as sensitive descriptions by Joyce Johnson and Carolyn Cassady of their time among those people. In an excerpt from Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a fireman began to doubt the certainties of the totalitarian society in which he lived.

Crime novels by W. R. Burnett, A. I. Bezzerides, Jim Thompson and others were excerpted. Kesey's R. P. McMurphy and Chief Broom were introduced, and Malcolm Braly followed the interaction among prison inmates. Wanda Coleman described sensitively a woman's feelings after her lover's betrayal, Harry Crew discussed his obsession with cars, and a story from the 1970s by Breece Pancake showed the violence underlying a fraught relationship. F. X. Toole described a cut-man's revenge on a boxer who tried to double-cross him.

From the 1920s, there was an excerpt from a memoir by Jack Black on thieving. A piece from the 1930s by Meridel Le Sueur described a middle class woman's initiation into a labor strike and a feeling of solidarity. Over-the-top writing was represented by Lester Bangs' description of an intimate encounter and Hunter Thompson's trip to a Las Vegas casino. Life on the edge was represented by Lydia Lunch's description of her sexual adventures and an excerpt from Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

The least interesting pieces for this reader were those where the creative writing or memoirs seemed mostly self-indulgent with little to say, went out of their way to shock, or were incredibly violent (Jack Ketchum). Many of these types were from the most recent decades. A few others from the 1960s were particularly dated and apocalyptic (Cleaver) or showed mental illness (Solanas). Others were much too short.

The editors acknowledged that only a sampling of "outlaw" literature was possible and that for every author included 10 were left out. Among the relevant writers omitted from their bible: in politics, Eugene Debs and Alexander Berkman; in other varieties of socially critical writing, Scott and Helen Nearing, Robert Anton Wilson, Gary Snyder and Abbie Hoffman.

In prison writing, Jack London, Kate Richards O'Hare, Edward Bunker and Sanyika Shakur; in writing on the underworld, Herbert Asbury (The Gangs of New York and others) and David Maurer (The Big Con and others); in other nonfiction writing, John Howard Griffin (Black Like Me); in writing on sex, Xaviera Hollander; and in music, something about Jim Morrison or by Richard Hell and Henry Rollins.

In literature, Charles Bukowski, Patricia Highsmith (Ripley), William Gaddis, Kurt Vonnegut (Harrison Bergeron), Joseph Heller, James Baldwin, Luke Reinhart, Robert Coover, Harlan Ellison, Michael Herr, James Ellroy, S. E. Hinton, Mary Gaitskill, Nicholson Baker and Bret Easton Ellis, among others. A critic of the anthology writing in the NY Times argued that outlaws from elsewhere than the left were under-represented in the book; among these on the extreme right might be Ezra Pound and William Luther Pearce III. Another omitted outlier might be the criminal Ted Kaczynski.

Excerpts:

"To us, Outlaw meant standing up for your rights, your own way of doing things."

"Because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the one who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Aww!'"

"I'd never trust anyone who hadn't spent at least one night of his youth in the local jail. The more h-ll you raise as a teen-ager, the sweeter your memories will be."

"What I am holding in my arms right now and am about to carry into the bedroom and to which I will deliver up my body and soul . . . I'm serving notice right now is the final and absolute inarguable rebuttal that shoots death down forever!"

"Always remember, man. Wherever you go and whatever you do. Always play a real cool hand."

"I scanned the LA skyline, a neon blur of late night commerce. Scattered numbers in my head trying to size up the population, wondering how many dollars were spent every minute in vulgar pursuit of the next big thing, big start, major motion picture, scam, scheme, rip-off, rape."

"In the morning, if you stay, you walk out into the harsh daylight. The sun bursts cruelly in your eyes. For one blinding instant you see yourself clearly."

"I was flat broke, my welfare general assistance due to expire, and all that I had been, a father, a soldier, a lover, a boss, a highly touted this, and a well-regarded that, all lay behind me now."

"It's always by helping another that we are healed ourselves."

"I feel most alive and yet for the first time in my life I do not feel myself as separate."

"What will you say with your last breath?"

I have a love hate relationship involving this book. I LOVE this book it is one of the only places you can find D.A. Levy's poems. I HATE myself because I have lost it 3 times and I am now on my fourth copy. But this book is great enough where I will buy 4 copies ($65.88) just so i can not be long with out it. It is in my backpack it is on my nightstand. This has given me great perspective within my own writing. Though it could use some more super recent poets (Def jam and some more recent slammers) but over all it is one of the most influential books in my life

I have to say, the actual copy of the book is pretty good and the price i paid was even better.

The only issue i have was the time frame it took to actually receive the item. Despite happening within the projected time frame, I still feel it could have been better. Other than that small issue I would happily purchase from these guys again.

my enligh teacher at a certain portland, or community college used this as his textbook, and it was the best class i have ever spent money on, fun, interesting, and exposed us to lots of alternative writers

This is a great book of coupons. It's not a great book of products though. I was looking for a book I could use for a class, though, and this isn't it. I'm glad I bought it, though. I just can't use it for what I bought it for.