Good Washington Reads?
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Anonymous
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I'm in the mood for a book set in or on Washington, DC...either fiction, historical fiction, or non-fiction.
I read "Henry and Clara" years ago about the couple who was in the Ford's Theater booth when he was assassinated. It was very good. What are your favorites? |
Anonymous
| I really enjoyed Katharine Graham's autobiography. |
jsteele
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Site Admin Offline
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If you are interested in fairly light reading, try books by George Pelecanos. Sometimes scenes in his novels take place right in my neighborhood. I also really like Gore Vidal's "Washington, DC".
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Anonymous
| Edward P. Jones' short stories are wonderful. Most are placed in DC somewhere from the 50s till the 90s. The Known World is the collection I read. |
Anonymous
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Susan Coll is a local author who wrote a novel called ... wait for it ... Rockville Pike. I liked it. It's about a mom who's a bit adrift and has a son at Georgetown Day. It's not chick lit, it's a step above that. I don't know Susan Coll, in case you're wondering, but I think she deserves to be more widely read. She has some other novels that are locally-based that I'm planning to check out when I have time.
In her book I learned that F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald are buried in Rockville. Apparently they died almost penniless and were buried in a relative's plot. I forget the name of the church graveyard, but you can find it on Google, it's right off Rockville Pike. You can just walk in (we took the kids!), usually there is a bottle of wine or flowers on the gravesite. |
Anonymous
| ^^^ I meant Georgetown Prep, not Georgetown Day. |
Anonymous
I second the George Pelecanos recommendation. He is a lifelong Washingtonian with a vast knowledge of all neighborhoods in the city. I would start with "Hard Revolution". http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Revolution-Novel-George-Pelecanos/dp/0316608971. He was also one of the writers of the terrific HBO series "The Wire". |
Anonymous
| Try Ward Just's "Echo House." |
Anonymous
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Margaret Leech's Reveille in Washington (about WDC during Civil War time) is considered a classic:
http://www.amazon.com/Reveille-Washington-1860-1865-Review-Classics/dp/1590174461/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320715024&sr=1-1 Breena Clarke writes about Civil War era free blacks in Georgetown; that period of time was when G'town was mainly a black community: River Cross My Heart Stand the Storm All interesting and good reads. |
Anonymous
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I really enjoyed "Innocent Spouse." Written by the woman who was married to the guy who owned Nathan's in Georgetown. He dropped dead unexpectedly when their child was 5 (this was in the 1990s), and she thought they were loaded, turns out it was all a sham and he owed $3 million in debt that she was responsible for.
Book is all about how she dealt with it - really good. |
Anonymous
| For chick lit, try Sarah Pekkanen's books (non-political) or Nicolle Wallace's (political). |
Anonymous
Carol Joynt. I met her once and she is a nice person. |
Anonymous
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The Fitzgeralds are buried at St Mary's (I'm pretty sure that's what it is) at the corner of 355 right by the Rockville Metro (corner 355 and Viers Mill Rd).
I read a novel that was kind of in the area (the main character lives in Bethesda, although it doesn't get into too many local landmarks or anything). Called I'd Know You Anywhere, forget the author. My dad suggested I read one of Dan Brown's books that takes place in DC. It was horrible, but he was correct in thinking that I'd find the completely unrealistic use of Metro as a getaway vehicle amusing. I'd look up the name, but it was so bad, I don't want to be responsible for anyone actually attempting to read it. |
Anonymous
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Jeb and Dash-- about gay dc in the 1920s http://www.amazon.com/Jeb-Dash-Diary-Life-1918-1945/dp/0571198473
Diary of the Republic- about garfield's life, assassin, assassination http://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Republic-Madness-Medicine-President/dp/0385526261/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320720410&sr=1-1 |
Anonymous
You're right. She's really nice and as real as they get. |