Eclectic Bookshelf: Moonlit Metaphors - Page 3

As with the rest of the nation during much of the period covered by the book, Black Hollywood was a world set apart from what we typically think of the golden age of "Tinseltown." It possessed a distinct social structure all its own, as well as its own social scene and personalities. Bogle explores the lives of such people as Hattie McDaniel, Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Jr., and many more. As he documents, from even its earliest days there was an African American presence in Hollywood that defied easy categorization, such as in the context of the relationship between the woman who called herself Madame Sul-Te-Wan and D.W. Griffith, the director whose masterwork was arguably the racist Birth of a Nation (some might look to Griffith's Intolerance to see an impressive early silent film in many technical respects, but it is for Birth of a Nation that he will undoubtedly forever be remembered).

The book reflects a part of entertainment history that is often overlooked or lost to the mainstream. The narrative is masterful, both conversational and engaging while remaining always informative. Far from being a dry documentary on African American performances in front of the camera, the book documents the often-unseen world behind it: the nightclubs and social interaction, the gossip and the glamour. It is these human stories which give the book its heart, if not its soul as well.

The Nymphos of Rocky Flats

Vampires never seem to lose their cool. Whether it's Anne Rice, Joss Whedon, Wesley Snipes or Kate Beckinsale, there are constant efforts by the contemporary heirs of Bram Stoker to breathe new life into these ancient bloodsuckers. From Buffy to Blade, modern vampires and their hunters constantly escalate the blood and the violence, even as others play the genre for laughs (for example, George Harrison in Love at First Bite, or David Niven slumming in Vampira).

In literary circles, the heavyweight in recent years has been Rice, although she is hardly alone. Most recently, vampires have been the latest to walk the mean streets popularized by Raymond Chandler, as writers such as Charlie Huston graphically transform their fanged protagonists into private detectives, in the process somehow fulfilling Chandler's directive that such characters manage to be the best to walk the darkened streets and alleys of the underbelly of America. Huston's book Already Dead, released earlier this year (and reviewed here), is a dark urban fable replete with intense, bloody violence. In contrast, Mario Acevedo's new novel, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, is a literate, darkly humorous fusion of the vampire legend with Area 51, space aliens, and yes, nymphomania.

Article Author: W.E. Wallo

W.E. Wallo is a book and movie junkie whose writings have appeared in a variety of print and online publications.

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