15 Bytes Book Award 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards, Gold
Medal Winner In English disparate means "different" or
"miscellaneous"-apt descriptors of these essays by Patrick Madden.
In Spanish, however, disparate means "nonsense," "folly," or
"absurdity,"-words appropriate to Madden's goal of undercutting any
notion that essays must be serious business. Thus, in this
collection, the essays are frivolous and lively, aiming to make
readers laugh while they think about such abstract subjects as
happiness and memory and unpredictability. In this vein, Madden
takes sidelong swipes at weighty topics via form, with wildly
meandering essays, abandoned essays in honor of the long tradition
of essayists disparaging their own efforts, and guerrilla
essays-which slip in quietly under the guise of a borrowed form,
abruptly attack, and promptly escape, leaving laughter and
contemplation in their wake. Madden also incorporates cameos from
guest essayists, including Mary Cappello, Matthew Gavin Frank,
David Lazar, Michael Martone, Jericho Parms, and Wendy S. Walters,
much like a musician features other performers. Disparates reflects
the current zeitgeist by taking on important issues with a touch of
cleverness, a dash of humor, and a little help from one's friends.
Read Chapter 1.
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