Blue Moon over Thurman Street

Author: Le Guin, Ursula K.
Genre: Poetry
Written in the year 1993 and set in the time period: 1960s-1990s
Places:
Originally entered by James Schellenberg (Jun-02)
Rating: 10/10

Comments

This is perhaps the ultimate example of an examination of the local, with photographs by Roger Dorband and accompanying poetry by Ursula K. Le Guin. The photographs are of life along Thurman Street, a street in Portland which goes through many different types of neighbourhoods. Dorband has a keen eye for scenery, both the natural and human-made, and there are also many stunning portraits in the book -- the photos capture many interesting people and places along the street. Le Guin writes some great poetry to complement the pictures, she quotes from other sources, and also writes some more straightforward narrative. I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone who wants to see how a specific locale can be lovingly portrayed in all its beauty, grime, changeability, and essential humanity. A wonderful project from an author more noted for her work in creating realistic cultures in science fiction; here she displays the same attention to detail in her own neighbourhood.

Additional Comments

Jun-02 - Fiona Scannell gave the book 8/10 and wrote:

I found this book very interesting - it was not at all how I would have pictured Portland to look. Le Guin's work makes me look at the streets I walk along in a different way than I would have before reading Blue Moon over Thurman Street.

Jul-02 - James Schellenberg gave the book 10/10 and wrote:

If I may add to my comments above, I would like to say again how much of a sense of Portland I got from this book. I have never been to Portland myself, but I recently saw the movie The Zero Effect. Part of that movie is set in Portland and that's the city I guessed before the name of it was ever stated!

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