Nothing Happened and Then It Did

From Booklist > In his first book, Silverstein, editor > of Texas Monthly, offers eight wry > essays with one intriguing twist: half > of them are fact and half of them are > fiction. He has a great deal of fun > tweaking boundaries and bending > perceptions, for it is often the > factual accounts that strain > credulity. Silverstein took his first > journalism job in [Marfa], Texas, for > the Big Bend Sentinel when he was 24. > The barren land and wide-open skies of > far-western Texas fire his imagination > and his ambition, but finding the big > story that will make his name proves > arduous; in one hilarious running gag, > he is forever being outmaneuvered by > reporters from the New Yorker. Other > chapters cover the most dangerous road > race in the world, a search for pirate > Jean Lafitte’s treasure in the > Louisiana swamps, and a poetry contest > in Reno, Nevada, in which Silverstein > is forced to consider whether adding a > dance routine to his recital of his > poem would give him a competitive > edge. A terrific combination of droll > humor and fine writing makes this > title one to savor. --Joanne Wilkinson