Synopsis
In an intricately linked series of poetic, short tales set in a 1983 suburb, Greg Bottoms portrays his life as one of two “at-risk” boys as they attempt to learn how to be—and what it means to be—men. By turns funny, disquieting, and moving, Fight Scenes takes an unsparing look at juvenile disaffection and the dark side of white, working-class masculinity. By narrating his experiences with childhood buddy Mark, Bottoms shows how many of America’s young men learn to think about work, sex, weakness, violence, and themselves.
In a pared-down, highly readable style that brings to mind the work of Raymond Carver, Sherman Alexie, and Denis Johnson, Bottoms has created a work of literature that shows how even the most accepted forms of “toughness” can have a damaging, disorienting, and finally dehumanizing effect on everyone, especially kids.
In a pared-down, highly readable style that brings to mind the work of Raymond Carver, Sherman Alexie, and Denis Johnson, Bottoms has created a work of literature that shows how even the most accepted forms of “toughness” can have a damaging, disorienting, and finally dehumanizing effect on everyone, especially kids.
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About the Author
An essayist, memoirist, critic, and story writer, Greg Bottoms is the author of The Colorful Apocalypse, Fight Scenes, and more. He teaches creative writing at the University of Vermont.
Reviews
This collection of autobiographical stories by Bottoms (Angelhead) is set in the world of suburban strip malls circa 1983. These coming-of-age vignettes (accompanied by Powell's gritty chapter illustrations) feature Bottoms as a 12-year-old from in southeastern Virginia who's become attached to his buddy Mark and to Mark's divorced father, Bill, a macho, profane, hard-living construction worker: He made me want to drink, to have command over women, to get good at all of it, to tell these kinds of stories, to be a man. Left to their own devices, Greg and Mark spend the summer getting high, drinking beer at abandoned construction sites, trying to avoid the town bully and navigating their first crushes (I imagined us from above—as if we were in a movie—a movie in which we were about to have hot, carefully lit, and musically accompanied sex—and I wasn't almost a foot shorter than she was and my muscles were bigger and I didn't have braces or a first peppering of zits). This collection is filled with short, humorous scenes and pitch-perfect, sex-obsessed adolescent dialogue that illuminate a boy's uneasy journey toward adulthood. (Oct.)
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Fight Scenes
Published by
Counterpoint (edition ), 2008
ISBN 10: 1593761295
ISBN 13: 9781593761295
Used
Hardcover
Seller: BooksRun, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Powell, David (illustrator). It's a preowned item in good condition and includes all the pages. It may have some general signs of wear and tear, such as markings, highlighting, slight damage to the cover, minimal wear to the binding, etc., but they will not affect the overall reading experience. Seller Inventory # 1593761295-11-1
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Fight Scenes
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Powell, David (illustrator). Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # Q08G-02749
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Fight Scenes
Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Powell, David (illustrator). Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_441669792
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FIGHT SCENES
Published by
Counterpoint, 2008
ISBN 10: 1593761295
ISBN 13: 9781593761295
New
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: marvin granlund, Emeryville, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: New. Powell, David (illustrator). First Edition; First Printing. New unread glossy pictorial hardback first edition (complete number line) . 136 pages, unmarked ; DD0821 B5B; 7.1 X 5.1 X 0.7 inches; 136 pages. Seller Inventory # 51225