A world on display Book

"Those who lament the dissolution of the American family-kids with no way to get to Girl Scouts, aging parents put into nursing homes-should remember what it was that kept the American family together: women's blood."

Joan Acocella is a treasure. She's one of the best writers I've had the pleasure of reading, and she's one of those wonderful critics who can critique something instead of just criticizing it, who actually wants to like what she's writing about. Her pieces on dance made me want to run out and see more of that particular art form, and her essays made me want to read more of the authors she profiled (and I will--I picked up an MFK Fisher book today).

Apart from the two saint essays and an essay on writer's block, this book collects essays, mainly on writers, a few choreographers & dancers, and a smattering of other figures. Only half of the essays are about women, but the dangers love can pose to the development and continued force of female genius is touched on several times throughout the book. It's not a women's studies book, though; I'd recommend this to anyone with a certain degree of curiosity about the arts, or anyone who enjoys reading well-written prose. Acocella writes literary criticism about works of literary criticism here, and she manages to make it damn fun.