Stumbling And Raging: More Politically Inspired Fiction [Paperback]

Stephen Elliott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 2006

We live in political times where it is impossible not to be involved, inspired, appalled, or motivated by the current administration. It seems like everyone has something to say about politics these days – and fiction writers are no exception. This came to the forefront of Stephen Elliott’s mind following the 2001 elections and the attacks of September 11th, when he and his fellow novelists began to question their focus and the relevance of their work in such times. Unconsciously, current events had seeped into their writing…and thus Politically Inspired was born.
So why fiction, especially when it’s so important for us to read the truth? Fiction can help us see the things that non-fiction can’t, and the stories featured in this anthology truly represent the diverse voices of our times.

Stephen Elliott is the author of four novels, including Happy Baby, and the political memoir Looking Forward to It: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The American Political Process. He recently journeyed to the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina and contributed several articles to Salon.com.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elliott returns (after 2003's Politically Inspired) with another anthology of mostly unpublished fiction from both famed and unknown authors, notably Dave Eggers, Sandra Cisneros, Neal Pollack and Audrey Niffenegger. Ranging in tone from incredulous to furious, from hopeful to stricken, these short fictions and illustrated stories explore the political and social culture of America and Middle Eastern societies in a post-9/11, post-004 election world, with varying degrees of success. Standouts include the graphic shorts—Lauren McCubbin and Stephen Elliott's "Survey of Impact," documenting one shared night between American "human shields" camping out in an Iraqi power plant, and Eric Orner's "Morning Martyrs," in which a 2015 government, run by evangelicals, hires bureaucratic social workers to kill women who can be proven to have had an abortion. Jim Shepard's sly, almost tender "John Ashcroft: More Important Things Than Me" speculates about Ashcroft's early life, to surprising effect; Amanda Eyre Ward's "Motherhood and Terrorism" follows the complicated lives of American wives of diplomats living in Saudi Arabia. The anger and hope are leavened by a healthy and much-needed dose of sarcasm. Royalties will support progressive candidates in 2006. (Jan.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 331 pages
• Publisher: Macadam Cage Pub (January 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596921587
• ISBN-13: 978-1596921580
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,304,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars no stumbling in this collection, February 15, 2006

By 

Klepto - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stumbling And Raging: More Politically Inspired Fiction (Paperback)

This is a very tight, nicely arranged collection of short stories that range from the heartfelt to the absurd. It's nice to observe that these writers do take a stance, artfully and with a keen eye. I liked the emotional richness of stories by Parker, Karan Mahajan, Yu, Keisbye, Boudinot, and Cisneros. And I like the comic a lot, the pictures are fabulous and the writing sharp. Other pieces are laugh-out loud funny (Carman for example). It's a pleasure you can feel good about.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sly Young Fox, February 14, 2006

By 

Ms. Dorthea Nivens (Cambridge, Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stumbling And Raging: More Politically Inspired Fiction (Paperback)

Well, that sly young fox is most assuredly STEPHEN ELLIOTT, the author of last year's exquisitely original "Happy Baby" and the hip mildly clever "Looking Forward to It". In case you can't tell, I've become something of an admirer.

Here, he's editing a collection short stories, all with a decidely political frame of reference, and whether it was by mistake or not, I decided to read this book along with the first collection of stories Elliott edited back in 2003, "Politically Inspired", which is something of a classic I think, because I found myself reading several of those stories twice and thinking about them after the book was set down.

Suffice to say, "Stumbling and Raging" just doesn't have the cutting edge thrill that "Politically Inspired" has, it is not a classic or as nearly exciting, but it is charming and makes several wicked little points in copycat fashion of the first book.

More interesting, to me, are the stories written by Stephen Elliott himself. I would really like to read a collection of stories by just the sly young fox on his lonesome. He's economical but very no-nonsense and has not only heart, but a pointed point of view. We shall see.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet Jeff Parker; Meet Stefan Kiesbye, April 3, 2006

By 

Kyle Minor "reader" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stumbling And Raging: More Politically Inspired Fiction (Paperback)

I bought this book for the Stephen Elliott-penned comic and the Michelle Herman and Dave Eggers stories (and these did not disappoint). What I didn't know was that two of the best writers you've never heard of (but you will!) offered up work good enough to stand alongside (hell, tower over!) the work represented by famous writers like Sandra Cisneros, etc., in the same volume.

This is a fantastic anthology, and it's no small thing that Elliott has chosen to cast his net so wide. I'm grateful, and, oh yeah, I hopefully helped to defeat one of our more hateful Congressman by forking over my cash. Everyone wins! (Except the hateful Congressmen.)