Thursday, July 26, 2012

Scott Lasser

Scott Lasser is the author of four novels: Battle Creek, All I Could Get, The Year That Follows, and Say Nice Things About Detroit. He recently completed a screenplay adaptation of Say Nice Things About Detroit for Steve Carell’s Carousel Productions. His non-fiction has appeared in magazines ranging from Dealmaker (for which he wrote a regular book column) to The New Yorker. Lasser has worked for a variety of now-bankrupt companies, including the National Steel Corporation, General Motors, and Lehman Brothers.

A few weeks ago I asked the author what he was reading.  His reply:
I find that an unexpected benefit of attending a summer writers’ conference is that I explore certain books because I might actually meet the author. It was through this process that I came to Benjamin Percy’s first novel, The Wilding. At its heart it’s the story of a grandfather, father, and son who go on a camping trip in eastern Oregon. But it’s much more than that: the pristine land through which they’re traveling is about to be developed and irrevocably changed, just as are the relationships between the three generations of men. While Percy expertly explores the dynamics of blood, this is (thankfully) no quiet domestic drama. The story plays out against a vanishing landscape that is both beautiful and likely to induce violence. The Wilding deftly explores the meaning of manhood in the twenty-first century, but mostly it is a riveting tale of family, loss, and risk, vividly told. A stunning debut.
Visit Scott Lasser's website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Say Nice Things About Detroit.

--Marshal Zeringue