Brooklyn Bound
Another satellite feed while the red planet orbits New England, or Tennessee, or wherever the hell he's going. We (Kate et al) are anxious to get our hands on the new Jonathan Lethem novel, The Fortress of Solitude, especially after hearing the author read excerpts at Ruminator in St. Paul on Friday evening. The 30-ish Lethem is a Brooklyn native, often using the city as a backdrop in his texts (Motherless Brooklyn, et al). Fortress is a coming-of-age tale set in the late 70's and early 80's in New York, hitting upon themes of classism and gentrification. Lethem's chat provided a dizzying pop-laden interlude covering: comics, soul & disco music, graffiti, and Farrah Fawcett. Buy the book here. Read further about it in Slate and City Pages. Culture-vultures rejoice!