Forever Fat: Essays by the Godfather

by Lee Gutkind

Book Overview

Dubbed--some would say drubbed--the "godfather behind creative nonfiction" by Vanity Fair, Lee Gutkind takes the occasion of these essays, and the rich material of his own life, to define, defend, and further expand the genre he has done so much to shape. The result is an explosive and hilarious memoir of Gutkind's colorful life as a motorcyclist, a medical insider, a sailor, a college professor, an overaged insecure father, and a literary...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803233582
• ISBN13: 9780803233584
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A brief and memorable collection of personal stories

This is an impressive book everyone should read. Lee Gutkind starts off with a brief essay on being the "Godfather of creative nonfiction." When I read that, I thought "What IS creative nonficiton?"I got my answer by reading the rest of the book. Gutkind writes autobiographical stories. He is comfortable approaching autobiography as an artform, one where you keep the stories interesting using the tools any fiction writer would use: good dialogue, parallel anecdotes, and vivid descriptions followed by heartfelt reflection. He tells you what happened, then he tells you how he feels about it.It's a lot like Bukowski. Gutkind's life is completely different, but he writes for the same purpose, and with the same honesty, as Bukowski. By the end of the book, you feel you know the man. You feel like you read something REAL, not just another book of made-up, escapist fiction.I'd give it five stars if it was just a little less middle class. Let's say it's a four-and-a-half star book.