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Powell's Q&A, Q&A | December 10, 2009

Powell's Q&A: Sam Stephenson

0 comments By Sam Stephenson

Describe your latest book/project/work. I've been studying the life and work of photographer W. Eugene Smith for 13 years. My first book (Dream... Continue »

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1. 
   $28.00 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

   The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957-1965

   Sam Stephenson and W. Eugene Smith

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Renee Anderson, July 16, 2008

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to believe that Dare Wright was a fascinating, dark, and creepy person, based on the reviews and on her weird children's books. However, having slogged through it, I feel cheated. The author, Jean Nathan, obviously struggled in telling this story, and granted, it is a difficult story to tell given the lack of data and living relatives and friends. But in lieu of having a real story, Jean just gives a bunch of filler, details that don't mean anything in the bigger picture of Dare's life, and that actually muddy and taint the story. Chop out about 50 pages of inconsequential facts and the book would read much better.

Example: Dare and her mother Edie rented a 4-door Renault on their trip to France in the 70's. Did they crash in it? No. Did they steal it and run off to Russia? No. It's a single sentence of nothingness that lends nothing to Dare's story. This type of filler just makes the book frustrating to read.

Overall, I came out of this feeling empty about Dare Wright. She had a strange relationship with her mother and some bad childhood trauma that affected her deeply, both of which manifested through her books. What percentage of people could say the same thing, sans being an author? It's nothing special, and the author did nothing in her writing to make me think otherwise.

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