Love Dance of the Mechanical Animals: Confessions, Highly Subjective Journalism, Old Rants and New Stories

Never have I read a collection of such incisive, heartful, eclectic, poetic, hilarious essays and stories as this one. By the second entry I was hooked; a few more pages in and I felt I would choose Maggie Estep as my one companion on a desert island, just so I could have her wry, penetrating, yet compassionate insights on every event and creature that might befall us. A bargain at any price. Bring me more Maggie Estep!

This collection is a must-have for any die-hard Estep fan - and if you're not yet a fan, you soon will be after reading an assortment of columns, interviews, articles and spoken word pieces. Estep is a writer with a heart as big as the planet, and she possesses an honesty and down-to-earth-ness that seems to be rare among today's writers. In the introduction to the section of spoken word pieces, she writes, "The greatest thing about spoken word is its lack of elitism and its ability to speak to people from a wide variety of economical, educational, and racial backgrounds.... What I want most as a writer is to transport people away from pain and depression and show a light at the end of the tunnel." In this collection as well as her other works, Maggie accomplishes this with flying colors. This book is entertaining, intense, vivid, funny, poignant, and real. A fantastic read.