"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig."T-shirt slogan. Rita is a single mother with mice in her cupboard, fibroids in her gut, a demented mother, and a sister falling apart along with her marriage. But what Rita really wants is to save her six year old son from losing faith in the world. A powerful novel wherein pain, longing, and loneliness are met squarely with dark wit, deadpan irony and surprising glimmers of hope.
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Playwright and actor Cordelia Strube's third novel is an unsettling portrayal of life as a single mom in the city. Rita Johnson lives with her six-year-old son, Max, fibroids on her uterus, and battered self-esteem. "She has noticed that generally, if she says little, admirable qualities will be projected onto her. Her mistake has always been to open her mouth." Adding to Rita's tapestry of despair are her Archie Bunker-like father, an MS-stricken mother who also suffers from dementia, an unhappily married sister, and a mentally ill brother. And then there's Max's absentee father, a troubled surgeon damaged by his work in war-torn parts of the world. Rita spends her days writing scripts for industrial videos, battling the mice that have invaded her house, and trying to shield her son from a world she has lost faith in. From car vandals to gun-toting prowlers to juvenile bike thieves, there's a bogeyman behind every bush.
While recovering from an operation Rita meets Edith, a fellow patient who becomes her confidant and friend. Edith's unsophisticated wisdom gives Rita an anchor. But when life takes yet another horrible turn, it threatens to topple Rita from the tightrope she is walking. Rita's hope for salvation lies in finding her own humanity amid the chaos of the world around her. Without ever becoming overwhelmed by the darkness of its tale, Strube's novel documents the extraordinary pressures of modern urban life. --Moe Berg
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Format:Paperback
Teaching Pigs to Sing was an excellent book depicting urban life. I was quite partial to it because it was realistic and showed the hardships and pitfalls that people have in their lives. the book touches on many different social issues and is a great book for discussion. I definately recomend it. Cordelia Strube has written a 20th century masterpiece.
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Urban decay and cheese puffs
Mar 30 2000
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Teaching Pigs to Sing was an excellent book depicting urban life. I was quite partial to it because it was realistic and showed the hardships and pitfalls that people have in their lives. the book touches on many different social issues and is a great book for discussion. I definately recomend it. Cordelia Strube has written a 20th century masterpiece.
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