Close to the Bone: Memoirs of Hurt, Rage and Desire

Close to the Bone is one of the best anthologies of its kind and it is a wonderful sampling of the modern personal essay. "We could all go on Oprah for some reason or other," editor Laurie Stone writes. "It's not enough that creepy things have happened, since everyone's life, prodded enough, looks like a crime scene with chalk outlines." In this collection, Stone includes authors who have found "the story in their experience." This is the first appearance of young J.T. LeRoy (here credited as Terminator). LeRoy is the author of the autobiographical novel Sarah, about a pre-teen transvestite prostitute who hustles with his mother at West Virginia truck stops. The essay "Baby Doll" functions as a prequel to that novel. There are other great essays by authors such as Phillip Lopate, Peter Trachtenberg, and Stone herself. Close to the Bone can be funny and disturbing by turns, but it is never boring.

This is a book where I found a lot of great writers! This is the book that first published JT LeRoy under the pseudonym "Terminator". His story "Baby Doll" is as powerful, moving and unforgettable as his novel "Sarah" which I bought after reading this book. Jerry Stahl's story in here is genius, anyone that knows a fledgling drug addict will benefit greatly by reading Stahl's story. Anyone interested in writing that is honest, moving and inspires self-examination, this THE book to get!