Austin, Texas novelist Ruth Pennebaker, who's old enough to call herself "fabulous," writes about family, politics, marriage, friendship, feminism, aging and whatever else occurs to her. Her latest novel, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough, was published by Berkley in January 2011.
See my column in the Texas Observer about why they don’t write books about Texans the way they used to.
Previous post: Fresh New Ideas for Civilized Behavior!
Next post: Omelets and Broken Eggs
on Me and Susan G.Copyright © 2007-2011 GeezerSisters.com • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Web development by Pajamadeen.com
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good article, Ruth. Yeah, I think the disenchantment with Texans that started with LBJ was finished by George W. I just hate that people think we’re all illiterate tea party yellers with oil wells in our back yards.
Girl, Molly Ivins would kiss you on the mouth for this one. I hope those pointy headed intellectuals at The Observer are setting you a place at the grown ups table.
I only be as Texan as I need to be.
Yes, the Texas John Bainbridge wrote of is now diluted– bits and pieces absorbed into the whole of the American experience. It has become myth. And speaking of myth, what about the persistent rumor that Disney will build a theme park in Dallas, Texas? How better to make a myth official than to glorify it with a theme park. Well, Frontier Land would still be a given in this new “Super-American” park. And Adventure Land! Can you just imagine a thrilling rollercoaster ride around a faux Alamo through a rain of pellets and arrows shot by hundreds of animatronics? Fantasy Land would take on the mantle of Neiman-Marcus. Park visitors could ride whirling china teacups up and down fantastic aisles. And doesn’t Waxahachie have a Main Street that has become filmdom’s favorite Main Street for use in stories set all over America? How universal. It could be copied for the Main Street of the new Magic Kingdom. But no Cinderella’s castle at the head of it, please. No, let there rise a replica of the big, second-empire Reata Ranch house so beloved by the Benedicts. Dallas has enough congestion– doesn’t need a theme park anyway. Disney should build the park in Marfa, Texas.
Build it and they will come.
Funny and sad.