It’s tempting to join the grumbling about the staggering genius that is Dave Eggers. But we welcome one of the latest products from his literary empire, out August 10, in part because it contains a piece by Twin Citizen and sometime Rake contributor Keith Pille. Pille’s work, along with many other pieces in this compendiumÑparodies, riddles, fake talk-show transcripts, previews, reviews (of daydreams, of the writer’s beard), and many lists (“Good Westerns,” “Not Porn,” “Words That Would Make Nice Names for Babies,” “If It Weren’t for Their Unsuitable Meanings”) – originally appeared on mcsweeneys.net (which we would like to point out is currently publishing a “Daily Reason to Dispatch Bush”). Also nicely timed to the release of Darkness is How We Are Hungry (out August 9), a new collection of short stories from Eggers himself, the critically acclaimed writer-cum-graphic designer-publisher-editor-teacher-biographer-activist-founder-of-a-nonprofit-writing-center-for-young-folks. (Have we left anything out?) Honestly, it’s too taxing to mount an anti-Eggers argument. We’ll just stand back, with one foot in the awe camp.
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