Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation (Reflections of America) - Softcover

Stark, Christine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 161599050X ISBN 13: 9781615990504

Publisher: Modern History Press, 2011

Synopsis

"...a perfect genius that makes the impossible in expression, possible; the unknowable in experience, knowable"
--Anya Achtenberg, author of The Stories of Devil-Girl

Nickels follows a biracial girl named "Little Miss So and So", from age 4-1/2 into adulthood. Told in a series of prose poems, Nickels' lyrical and inventive language conveys the dissociative states born of a world formed by persistent and brutal incest and homophobia. The dissociative states enable the child's survival and, ultimately, the adult's healing. The story is both heartbreaking and triumphant. Nickels is the groundbreaking debut of Minneapolis-area author and artist Christine Stark.

"Christine Stark has crafted a language and a diction commensurate with the shredding of consciousness that is a consequence of childhood sexual abuse. She brings us a wholly original voice in a riveting novel of desperation and love. Every sentence vibrates with a terrible beauty. Every sentence brings the news."
--Patricia Weaver Francisco, author of Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery

"To be taken into the mind of a child can be an enchanting adventure, but to be taken into the mind of a child who is abused, confused, and taken for granted is a lingering, livid journey. I applaud her fortitude to bring an olden--too long ignored-- truth out of the darkness with blazing, innovative light."
--MariJo Moore, author of The Diamond Doorknob

"In Nickels, Christine Stark, powerfully portrays the story of abuse and its impact on our lives. When this beautifully written and compelling story leaves, you are left wanting more. It's riveting; a book that will capture you from the beginning and carry you through the end. Everyone should read this book."
--Olga Trujillo, author of The Sum of My Parts

From the Reflections of America Series at Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com

Learn more at www.ChristineStark.com

FIC044000 Fiction : Contemporary Women
FIC018000 Fiction : Lesbian
SOC010000 Social Science : Feminism & Feminist Theory

About this title

About the Author:

Christine Stark is an award-winning writer and visual artist whose work has been published in numerous periodicals and anthologies, including The Florida Review; Feminist Studies; Poetry Motel; Hawk and Handsaw: the Journal of Creative Sustainability; Birthed From Scorched Hearts; To Plead Our Own Cause: Narratives of Modern Slavery; and Primavera. She is a co-editor (with Rebecca Whisnant) of Not for Sale, an international anthology on sexual violence and her poem, "Momma's Song," has been released as part of the double CD/manga Deadly She-Wolf Assassin at Armageddon/ Momma's Song in collaboration with musician Fred Ho. She is a 2009 Pushcart Prize nominee in fiction and a 2010 Loft Mentorship winner in creative non-fiction. She regularly shows and publishes her visual art in galleries and periodicals. She also speaks nationally and internationally on a variety of social justice issues at universities, conferences, and rallies. Christine teaches writing at Metropolitan State University and Normandale Community College. She lives in Minneapolis with her partner, April.

Review:

“These brilliantly written pieces stimulated the board into a lively discussion of language, point of view, and politics, and resulted in a
resounding ‘yes’ from everyone on the importance of using these two pieces together, as point-counterpoint on the themes of violence against women and the nuanced and challenging process of surviving that violence.” 
—Minnie Bruce Pratt Creative Writing Editor for the Feminist Studies Editorial Board

 “Stark’s writing achieves something altogether new. It allows us a glimpse into the perceptive, multidimensional, and startlingly rich
dissociative mind, in which the past can suddenly seem more real than the present and even the smallest detail can trigger overpowering memories, so that the impossibly hopeful conclusion feels all the more earned and satisfying.”
—Katie Hae Leo, playwright of Four Destinies

“Christine Stark’s novel Nickels is, in a word, stunning. It’s a tough read on many levels, not for the squeamish or lazy reader. But for the reader who is willing to work a bit, reading the novel is an amazing experience. ...It is a singular book that merits every reader it can get, not only because of the subject of the book worthwhile in itself but because of Stark’s artistry in writing it. When readers put the finished book down, they’ll never look at nickels again in quite the same way.”
—Michael Northen, Editor-in-Chief, Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry

About this edition

• Publisher: Modern History Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 161599050X
• ISBN 13: 9781615990504
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248