Oh my goodness - what a beautiful, sad story! I'd love to know how a book on Charles Schultz inspired this. It reminded me of "How the Hula Girl Sings" by Joe Meno.
One passage in Schulz and Peanuts talks about how rough a year 1929 was for his mother Dena’s family:
First, Dena’s older sister Ida Halverson Roberts died of tuberculosis at forty-one. Then Ida’s husband, Charles, a St. Paul police officer, was shot dead in a gun battle. Meanwhile, Howard, their son, was diagnosed with tuberculosis...
For some reason, it caught me off guard. Did police officers die in gun battles in 1929 St. Paul?? Well, they must have - it’s Minnesota, not Eden. It just seemed more incongruous than it maybe should have.
I could see where that would catch one off guard. Minnesota does seem like that sort of idllyic place, like they wouldn't have the kind of criminals there that would kill a police officer - it's that kind of perception that makes "Fargo" so wonderful, that something so terrible could happen in a place like that.
And as for the time, well, I suppose there's violence at any point in time. Of course violent crime, by its very nature, seems so current and immediate. It's hard to think of it as something that might have happened in the past, unless it's some big event like a war or it's perpertrated by a some colorful outlaw with a nickname.
What I find most jarring from that piece is the mention of t.b. twice in two sentences! How often do you hear that in modern, western society - two people in the same family being diagnosed with a life threatening illness!
This was awesome. Remind me sometimes to loan you the Davy Rothbart short story book. He writes something similar, based upon guys he knew in prison. (To my knowledge, Davy wasn't in prison, but knew people there or worked with them.)
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Wanna write me a play?
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I found this picture of him, and he sure looks the character.
Heck yeah, I’ll write you a play. Name the topic.
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One passage in Schulz and Peanuts talks about how rough a year 1929 was for his mother Dena’s family:
First, Dena’s older sister Ida Halverson Roberts died of tuberculosis at forty-one. Then Ida’s husband, Charles, a St. Paul police officer, was shot dead in a gun battle. Meanwhile, Howard, their son, was diagnosed with tuberculosis...
For some reason, it caught me off guard. Did police officers die in gun battles in 1929 St. Paul?? Well, they must have - it’s Minnesota, not Eden. It just seemed more incongruous than it maybe should have.
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And as for the time, well, I suppose there's violence at any point in time. Of course violent crime, by its very nature, seems so current and immediate. It's hard to think of it as something that might have happened in the past, unless it's some big event like a war or it's perpertrated by a some colorful outlaw with a nickname.
What I find most jarring from that piece is the mention of t.b. twice in two sentences! How often do you hear that in modern, western society - two people in the same family being diagnosed with a life threatening illness!
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Fuck me this was worth the wait.
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Mary
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This was awesome. Remind me sometimes to loan you the Davy Rothbart short story book. He writes something similar, based upon guys he knew in prison. (To my knowledge, Davy wasn't in prison, but knew people there or worked with them.)
I want a play too. Thank you.
Mer
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