Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise

From the Publisher

"His new collection of 40 brisk, witty essays proves that poet and crime novelist James W. Hall (Blackwater Sound) is one of the region's biggest and most thoughtful boosters."—Publishers Weekly "Laid-back and quite competent ... to be enjoyed in the shade with the sound of the surf not far away."—Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended."—Library Journal

Publishers Weekly

He's probably not the spokesperson the South Florida tourism council had in mind, but his new collection of 40 brisk, witty essays proves that poet and crime novelist James W. Hall (Blackwater Sound) is one of the region's biggest and most thoughtful boosters. Hot Damn!: Alligators in the Casino, Nude Women in the Grass, How Seashells Changed the Course of History, and Other Dispatches from Paradise includes pieces on television, heat waves, hurricanes and, of course, the writing life, all set against the backdrop of his beloved adopted state. Hall confesses a deep-seated envy of Florida natives; traces the epidemiology of suburban sprawl in "Disney Virus"; and recounts his wife's violent carjacking. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In his introduction, Hall mystery writer (e.g., Buzz Cut), poet, and college professor declares that "essays are about as sexy as donkeys." Blaming college composition courses for the form's status, Hall goes on to explain how he came to have a "three-year love affair" with the essay after a newspaper editor asked him to write a weekly column. The resulting collection is flawless. Hall writes about how he first came to Florida or as the locals call it, "Paradise," with a new Ph.D. and no job prospects. Rather than settle for a teaching job somewhere else, he worked as a landscaper until a suitable position came along. Hall wryly comments on the idea that although he's lived in Florida for over 30 years, he'll never be considered "native." The essays cover a wide range of topics, including Florida's culture and climate, what constitutes community, vacationing in your back yard, the writing life, marriage, and American culture. "Letter to My Father" beautifully blends Hall's poetic sensibilities with a discussion of what can remain unsaid between men. Highly recommended. Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

From the South Florida School of American Literature, home to both Ernest Hemingway and Dave Barry, comes hard-working Hall: erstwhile poet, current thriller-writer, and sometime English teacher here undertaking a new form. For three years, while he kept the action going in his spirited adventures (Blackwater Sound, 2002, etc.), the author also found a friendly format in the short essays he contributed monthly to a Florida newspaper. The collected pieces deal with a variety of subjects, but most are related to the splendor of the Peninsula State, from the myriad shells of Sanibel to the wonderful feeling of sunburn-grade warmth on the epidermis. "We have only two seasons in south Florida, summer and not-quite-summer," he declares. But the sunshine is not unabated. There are the casinos in the Everglades, the feral Florida drivers, the young muggers, and don't forget the Disneyfication. "Before we know it," Hall warns, "we'll be living in a place concocted by cartoonists." But despite his holidays in the hills of North Carolina (that's where native Floridians can be found in summer), the author's devotion to the birthplace of the early-bird special is unfailing. Along with the fright engendered by hurricanes, his musings venture beyond the shuffleboard courts to describe unpleasant dealings with hustling TV producers and humiliating book tours. As seems de rigueur in an essay collection, Hall pays homage to the pleasures of books and reading, as well as offering appreciations of the Hardy Boys and Papa Hemingway. He provides a choice glimpse of James Dickey in action, and a heartfelt eulogy for his late father signals the author's fundamental decency. But does he really go fishing fordolphin? Laid-back and quite competent, if not consistently soul-stirring, certainly well-enough executed to be enjoyed in the shade with the sound of the surf not far away.