cover image A Book Lover in Texas

A Book Lover in Texas

Evelyn Oppenheimer. University of North Texas Press, $18.95 (169pp) ISBN 978-0-929398-89-1

Oppenheimer describes, in this salty memoir, her long career as a radio book reviewer, literary agent, lecturer and author (The Articulate Woman). Growing up in Dallas's small Jewish community in the early part of the century, Oppenheimer began her love affair with literature in childhood, and it was strengthened during the time she spent as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago during the 1930s, when she reviewed books for local newspapers. Opinionated and irreverent, she expresses her disgust at the current trend toward sex and horror of books published today. She also feels that the East Coast literary establishment is unappreciative of Western authors, and she attacks the concept of ``regional writing'' as snobbish. She dislikes the work of many renowned novelists, such as John Updike, Philip Roth, William Faulkner and James Joyce, but she has high praise for Louis L'Amour, Wallace Stegner and Toni Morrison. Included is some poetry and a short story written by Oppenheimer. For devotees of her radio shows, this memoir is literate, occasionally gossipy fun. (July)