Learning to Drive (Paperback)

Paperback. Learning to Drive Now a major motion picture starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben KingsleyCelebrated for her award-winning political columns, criticism, and poetry, Katha Pollitt now shows us another side of her talent. Learning to Drive is a surprising, revealing, and entertaining collection of essays drawn from the authors own life. With deep feeling and sharp insight, Pollitt writes about the death of her father; the sad but noble final days of a leftist study group of which she was a member; and the betrayal and heartbreak inflicted by a man who seriously deceived her. (Her infinitely patient, gentle driving instructor points out her weaknessObservation, Katha, observation!) She also offers a candid view of her preoccupation with her ex-lovers haunting presence on the Internet, and her search there for a secret link that might provide a revelation about him that will Explain Everything. Other topics include the differences between women and menMore than half the male members of the Donner party died of cold and starvation, but three quarters of the females survived, saved by that extra layer of fat we spend our lives trying to get rid ofand the practical implications of political theory: What if socialismall that warmhearted folderol about community and solidarity and sharing was just an elaborate con job, a way for men to avoid supporting their kids? Learning to Drive demonstrates that while Katha Pollitt is undeniably one of our eras most profound observers of culture, society, and politics, she is just as impressively a wise, graceful, and honest observer of her own and others human nature.Praise for Learning to Drive The kind of book you want to look up from at points so you can read aloud certain passages to a friend or lover.Chicago Tribune A powerful personal narrative . . . full of insight and charm . . . Pollitt is her own Jane Austen character . . . haughty and modest, moral and irresponsible, sensible and, happily for us, lost in sensibility.The New York Review of Books With . . . bracing self-honesty, Pollitt takes us through the maddening swirl of contradictions at the heart of being fifty-something: the sense of slowing down, of urgency, of wisdom, of ignorance, of strength, of helplessness, of breakdown, of renewal.The Seattle Times Essays of breathtaking candor and razor-sharp humor . . . [Pollitt] has outdone herself. . . . [Her] observations are acute and her confessions tonic. Forget face-lifts; Pollitts essays elevate the spirit.Booklist (starred review) Celebrated for her award-winning political columns, criticism, and poetry, Katha Pollitt now shows us another side of her talent. "Learning to Drive" is a surprising, revealing, and entertaining collection of stories drawn from the author's own life. With deep feeling and sharp insight, Pollitt writes about the death of her father; the sad but noble final days of a leftist study group of which she was a member; and the betrayal and heartbreak inflicted by a man who seriously deceived her. (Her infinitely patient, gentle driving instructor points out her weakness-"Observation, Katha, observation!") She also offers a candid view of her preoccupation with her ex-lover's haunting presence on the Internet, and her search there for a secret link that might provide a revelation about him that will Explain Everything. Other topics include the differences between women and men-"More than half the male members of the Donner party died of cold and starvation, but three quarters of the females survived, saved Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…