Christopher P. Dum is assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Kent State University. He is a contributor to Justice Quarterly and Children and Youth Services Review.His new book is Exiled in America: Life on the Margins in a Residential Motel.
Recently I asked Dum about what he was reading. His reply:
As a sociologist, I end up reading a lot of non-fiction scholarly books related to my fields of study. Because of this, I always make sure to have a fiction book on hand to provide some balance. I am currently reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I first encountered McCarthy's work when my father bought meLearn more about Exiled in America: Life on the Margins in a Residential Motel.The Road for Christmas. I really enjoy the McCarthy's writing style, especially the way that he writes dialogue and handles violence. He captures gruesome and depraved acts in a very simple and graphic way, and I find myself re-reading many of these passages. Blood Meridian is filled with them, due to its subject matter, and it reads in many ways like a horror novel that just happens to be set in the West. This is actually my second time reading this book, but I feel like I wasn't able to appreciate it and focus on it during my first read. However, this revisiting of the novel is very enjoyable. Each page captures my attention and I feel like I am really being transported into the story.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
