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Show BOOKS On the Cusp Tsushima's Japan is a place nuko T where women cannot find comfort. U Freed from the strictures of traditionstrucal mores and of the nuclear-famil- y ture, the women of her short stories scrabble together the bits of their lives relatives, lovers, children, jobs, the past as a desperate attempt at fulfillment. But in The Shooting Gallery (138 pages. Pantheon. $7.95) all of these efforts go for nothing. In "A Sensitive Season," a young woman, forced to take care of her father and abandoned nephew, gets only a brief respite through an affair with a construction worker before he leaves her. In "Missing," a mother who was abandoned by her husband long ago comes home to find that her teenage daughter has followed in his footsteps. On the cusp between old and new, these characters are caught in a sociocultural void. Old values are no longer respected, and new ones have failed to replace them, but these people seem to be sucked uncontrollably into the spiritual vacuum that exists. Tsushima underscores their lack of identity by often leaving them nameless. In "An Embrace," a man (first name unknown) asks the narrator (full name unknown) why she entered her short-live- d marriage. She replies, "I was determined to get away from home. As long as I stayed there I would always be treated like a child. It was to get away." He observes, "Ah. I suppose it's like that for a girl." These powerful stories, stark and unrelenting as they are, scrape away the veneer of Japanese politesse. Underneath lies a profound crisis which cannot be escaped and which seems impossible to solve. Ron Givens Actual u li rdlnL f MARCEL PR0O5TJ MO MUMeMTA- L- AST WA$ Folty TFtE lowed CoMPAfJ 10 yJ i HAN Believe It! lil S"15TR WAS , AEASE A (M OFF AN ADJUSTABLE F0RA1 IN HIJ ATTIC, n 10 vou think about it, Robert RipTn7 nentook out. When N DRE55 ft& VWJ - the wimp's way ley he gave you his curious nuggets of information, you could believe it or not. Well, Cully Abrell and John Thompson don't take the way out. They call their curious nuggets of information "actual facts." Sure, the term is redundant, but it underscores the boldness of these two researchers, who work out of Peck, Kans. uu lily-livere- d Moses May Have Been an Apache! and Other Actual Facts! (Main Street. $6.95) contains more FROM THE BOOK '. . ACTUAL FACTS' than 200 actual facts, including this one: "The world's least successful game show was called 'Bowling for Skunk Cabbage'," and this one: "A man can actually move 140 miles per hour, but only for about six inches!" and this one: "The worst ice cream flavor is probably 'squirrel'." No reference shelf is complete without this invaluable compendium. R. G. An education for those who can't look the other way. N. If you gain satisfaction from reaching out and helping others, Northeastern University has a special place for Colyou. At Boston-Bouv- e Human of Development lege Professions you can learn to assist others realize their full potential. Most of our programs are and offered on a part-tim- e e basis and combine classroom theory with practical, hands-o- n experience. 8 or write Call (617) to us at 106 Dockser Hall, full-tim- 437-270- Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115. Master of Education Programs Counseling Consulting Teacher of Reading Curriculum and Instruction Educational Research Human Development Rehabilitation Administration Special Education Master of Science Programs Counseling Psychology Exercise Sciences Athletic Training Biomechanics Clinical Exercise Physiology Physical Education Recreation, Sport & Fitness Management Rehabilitation Counseling Speech-Languag- Boston-Bouv- e Pathology & 1988 Audiology Nondegree Certification Programs Counseling Elementary & Secondary School Teacher Preparation Special Education e College RJ Northeastern University An equal opportunity affirmative action university. |
