Books with author Cynthia Carter

“[Fire in the Belly is] unimprovable as a biography-thorough, measured, beautifully written, loving but not uncritical-as a concentrated history of his times, and as a memorial.” -Luc Sante, BookforumDavid Wojnarowicz was an abused child, a teen runaway who barely finished high school, but he emerged as one of the most important voices of his generation. He found his tribe in New York's East Village, a neighborhood noted in the 1970s and '80s for drugs, blight, and a burgeoning art scene. His creativity spilled out in paintings, photographs, films, texts, installations, and in his life and its recounting-creating a sort of mythos around himself. His circle of East Village artists moved into the national spotlight just as the AIDS plague began its devastating advance, and as right-wing culture warriors reared their heads. As Wojnarowicz's reputation as an artist grew, so did his reputation as an agitator-because he dealt so openly with his homosexuality, so angrily with his circumstances as a Person With AIDS, and so fiercely with his would-be censors.Fire in the Belly is the untold story of a polarizing figure at a pivotal moment in American culture-and one of the most highly acclaimed biographies of the year.

David Wojnarowicz was an abused child, a teen runaway who barely finished high school, but he emerged as one of the most important voices of his generation. He found his tribe in New York's East Village, a neighborhood noted in the 1970s and '80s for drugs, blight, and a burgeoning art scene. His creativity spilled out in paintings, photographs, films, texts, installations, and in his life and its recounting-creating a sort of mythos around himself. His circle of East Village artists moved into the national spotlight just as the AIDS plague began its devastating advance, and as right-wing culture warriors reared their heads. As Wojnarowicz's reputation as an artist grew, so did his reputation as an agitator-because he dealt so openly with his homosexuality, so angrily with his circumstances as a Person With AIDS, and so fiercely with his would-be censors.Fire in the Belly is the untold story of a polarizing figure at a pivotal moment in American culture-and one of the most highly acclaimed biographies of the year.

David Wojnarowicz was an abused child, a teen runaway who barely finished high school, but he emerged as one of the most important voices of his generation. He found his tribe in New York's East Village, a neighborhood noted in the 1970s and '80s for drugs, blight, and a burgeoning art scene. His creativity spilled out in paintings, photographs, films, texts, installations, and in his life and its recounting-creating a sort of mythos around himself. His circle of East Village artists moved into the national spotlight just as the AIDS plague began its devastating advance, and as right-wing culture warriors reared their heads. As Wojnarowicz's reputation as an artist grew, so did his reputation as an agitator-because he dealt so openly with his homosexuality, so angrily with his circumstances as a Person With AIDS, and so fiercely with his would-be censors.Fire in the Belly is the untold story of a polarizing figure at a pivotal moment in American culture-and one of the most highly acclaimed biographies of the year.

Readers will cruise through many human emotions that come alive in these stories involving animals and fish. Anticipation is prominent throughout your reading journey as you wonder what happens next. Humanization via emotions/motives/want/desires/curiosity is inserted into these imaginary animals. Their dialogue advances the understanding of their actions. It’s always like they have to talk only when absolutely necessary. This is a feel-good, satisfying read, and I believe that you will want to read these stories repeatedly and never get bored. Take this ride with Barry the Panda as he enters the forbidden forest—with his bamboo in search of mystery and more bamboo—and Root for Freckles the cat to find Sunshine the cat. Hope that Freckles and his owner can return Sunshine to his owner and his new home. Admire the devotion and connection that Jerry the Boy and Essie the Cow possess and follow their journey to understanding and closure. Enjoy the happy and surprise ending for an unselfish boy who accepts his fate but wants the best for others. Root for the Yellow Fish who prompted the boy to have hope and a wish for himself.

Readers will cruise through many human emotions that come alive in these stories involving animals and fish. Anticipation is prominent throughout your reading journey as you wonder what happens next. Humanization via emotions/motives/want/desires/curiosity is inserted into these imaginary animals. Their dialogue advances the understanding of their actions. It’s always like they have to talk only when absolutely necessary. This is a feel-good, satisfying read, and I believe that you will want to read these stories repeatedly and never get bored. Take this ride with Barry the Panda as he enters the forbidden forest—with his bamboo in search of mystery and more bamboo—and Root for Freckles the cat to find Sunshine the cat. Hope that Freckles and his owner can return Sunshine to his owner and his new home. Admire the devotion and connection that Jerry the Boy and Essie the Cow possess and follow their journey to understanding and closure. Enjoy the happy and surprise ending for an unselfish boy who accepts his fate but wants the best for others. Root for the Yellow Fish who prompted the boy to have hope and a wish for himself.

In December 2010, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington made headlines when it responded to protests from the Catholic League by voluntarily censoring an excerpt of David Wojnarowicz's A Fire in My Belly from its show on American portraiture. Why a work of art could stir such emotions is at the heart of Cynthia Carr's Fire in the Belly, the first biography of a beleaguered art-world figure who became one of the most important voices of his generation. Wojnarowicz emerged from a Dickensian childhood that included orphanages, abusive and absent parents, and a life of hustling on the street. He first found acclaim in New York's East Village, a neighborhood noted in the 1970s and '80s for its abandoned buildings, junkies, and burgeoning art scene. Along with Keith Haring, Nan Goldin, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Wojnarowicz helped redefine art for the times. As uptown art collectors looked downtown for the next big thing, this community of cultural outsiders was suddenly thrust into the national spotlight. The ensuing culture war, the neighborhood's gentrification, and the AIDS crisis then devastated the East Village scene. Wojnarowicz died of AIDS in 1992 at the age of thirty-seven. Carr's brilliant biography traces the untold story of a controversial and seminal figure at a pivotal moment in American culture.