February Reading: Everybody into the Pool

Everybody into the Pool: True Tales
by Beth Lisick
List Price: $13.95

Summary:

Berkeley author Beth Lisick was a high school cheerleader, a homecoming princess, and a star athlete...(Just like me! uh...kinda...) Somehow, Beth grew up to become one of San Francisco's foremost chroniclers of alternative culture, touring as the only straight woman with a band of punk rock lesbian poets and living in illegal warehouses. Among Lisick's true tales are "My Way or the Bi-Way," set at UC Santa Cruz where she confirm her suspicions that she's just a straight girl with a positive attitude; "The Lowly Hustle," in which she takes on a litany of odd jobs to make ends meet ("I was like a college student designing my own major, except I was thirty-five and designing my own minimum-wage job"); and "Brokeley," her tale of buying her first house on the Berkeley-Oakland border (and my favorite story.)

What the Reviewers are Saying:

Kirkus Reviews: "Lisick offers bright, funny takes on her square upbringing....Exaggeration in the interest of a good story is no sin, and Lisick is above all an accomplished storyteller. Light, flippant and savvy."

Library Journal Review:"Readers who like their memoirs with loose ends neatly tied will not necessarily appreciate Lisick's breezy style; a number of one-time references are left unexplained....Still, these stories most definitely entertain." "Fizzy and delightful... The tales veer from razor sharp to hilarious, and it's a voice — both offbeat and upbeat, wised-up yet curiously wholesome — that you're going to want to hear a lot more of."

Special Feature, because she is local...
About the Author: Beth Lisick
Beth Lisick is a writer, performer and native of the Bay Area. She has published poems, essays, a short fiction collection, and also wrote a weekly nightlife column for SF Gate for eight years. The comedic short film she made with Tara Jepsen, Diving for Pearls, has played at film festivals around the country this past year and makes its Brazilian premiere next month in Sao Paulo. She also co-organizes the Porchlight Storytelling Series, a monthly show for amateur storytellers in San Francisco.

My Review:

A quick weekend read! Listick approaches life in San Francisco, Berkeley, and greater Bay Area like a modern Margaret Mead, chronicling the quirks of the area without escaping into broad generalities and cliches. Instead, Lipstick gives us quick, fast-paced stories that are fun and original.