Reviews (Page 2)

Lunch With Jan Wong, Doubleday Canada, $29.95, by Jan Wong, BA'74.

In August 1996, CanLit queen Margaret Atwood unexpectedly agreed to be interviewed by The Globe and Mail. The assignment fell to Jan Wong, "presumably," she says, "because I was the only one not on my way to the cottage." Her editor suggested Wong rewrite the article to make readers feel "as if they're right there sitting with you." The result, with "atmospherics and attitude" included, showed a frosty and slightly paranoid Atwood who fussed about table placement and never did order lunch. Readers loved it, and "Lunch With" became a popular weekly column. This book is a collection of some of Wong's favourites.

She often induces indigestion among lunchees, some of whom threaten legal action, although none have actually sued. She insists on knowing height, weight and birth date -- even bra size for those with what Wong calls "careers in cleavage." She provokes with pointed questions (clothing manufacturer Peter Nygård terminated the interview when asked about child support payments) and sometimes with the location of the lunch (the chairman of McDonalds was offered a choice of Burger King or Wendy's). She even challenges her guests physically, once arm wrestling the Miss Canada titleholder who lost her crown after being involved in a barroom brawl.

Wong says most "Lunch With" subjects are afflicted with "celebrityitis ... characterized by an avowed desire for privacy while actively participating in a national publicity tour... They hate it when everyone already knows all about them, yet they also hate when you don't."

She does learn that Canadian Alliance party leader Stockwell Day once raised chickens in a car, that sex counsellor Dr. Ruth Westheimer was a sniper with the Zionist underground at the age of 17, and that architect Frank Lloyd Wright employed a young Anthony Quinn and paid for an operation to cure the actor-to-be of a debilitating speech impediment.

A disturbing piece is her encounter with the family of Ron Goldman, the young man allegedly murdered by O.J. Simpson along with Simpson's ex-wife Nicole. Goldman's father, stepmother and sister are swept up in their own dubious "fame." Wong met them on a day when they did eight interviews to promote a book, and noted that they were choked up when on-camera during a TV appearance, but joked during the commercials. In true star style, before arriving at the studio they had issued an ultimatum from their limo: either provide an escort from the parking lot or the interview was off. She observes after her allotted time with the Goldmans, "We never talked about Ron."

Wong, who's surprised that publicists still call to arrange lunch for their clients, says her years as a foreign correspondent taught her "to poke holes in the well-constructed façade." As readers, our guilty pleasure is enjoying what she uncovers.

DIANA GRIER AYTON

Books received

'Designing Women': Gender and the Architectural Profession, University of Toronto Press, $19.95, by Annmarie Adams, BA'81, and Peta Tancred, BA'58.

This book by two McGill professors, one an architectural historian and the other a sociologist, examines women architects in twentieth-century Canada, their roles and their lack of recognition within the field. Starting with a historical analysis, Adams and Tancred move on to look at the profession's perspective -- or lack of one -- on women architects, their overlooked contributions to design in Canada, and their transformation of the traditional architecture career. They finish up with what they see as the "distinct experience" of women architects in Quebec, "an 'extreme case' scenario where changes took place at an overwhelming pace."

Feeling Naked on the First Tee, GA Kelly Publishing, $12.95, by Ann Kelly, BEd(PE)'64.

The remarkable exploits of Tiger Woods have ignited a huge interest in golf. Many women are taking up the sport for the first time, but with all its rules -- many of them unwritten -- and particular etiquette, getting in the game can be intimidating. Ann Kelly has produced a really basic guide to help new women golfers feel comfortable on the links as quickly as possible. The down-to-earth, 60-page primer covers everything from how to buy equipment, dress (conservatively), play hazards (also conservatively), and reserve a tee time. She emphasizes that beginners should not take lessons from friends or spouses, but go to a pro. Kelly's book is great to tuck in a pocket, although since it's pink, women might be hesitant to consult it until they hit a ball into the trees.

The Soap-Box House, Epic Press, $15.95, by V. Joyce Winser, DipEd'46.

This book is written, in the words of the author, "to explain my generation," young people who experienced poverty and deprivation, then were faced with the even grimmer reality of World War II. The short novel, a blend of poetry and prose, is told through the voice of the author as a young girl growing up in Montreal. She describes the joys and struggles shared with friends and family in what were the twentieth century's most uncertain times.

Trudeau: His Life and Legacy, Maclean's Special Commemorative Edition, $9.95, edited by Michael Benedict, BA'68.

Work began on this publication as soon as it was known that Pierre Elliott Trudeau's illness was serious. Following his death, frenzied preparations went on late into the night and the special edition was in bookstores just weeks after the funeral. However, it's more than a hurried rehash of material from the Maclean's magazine archives. In stories and pictures (a number of them published for the first time), journalists, friends and politicians remind us why we were so fascinated by the man whom contributor Geoffrey Stevens credits with doing "what no politician before or since has done: he touched the dreams of an entire generation of Canadians."

The 160-page magazine, made more durable by stiff covers, is a great keepsake for admirers of Trudeau, although it is not mere tribute -- the character flaws and political failures are there, too, along with some surprising vignettes. His former communications director recalls a day when Marlon Brando dropped by Trudeau's office, hoping to get financial backing for a film about native people. Trudeau, after suggesting Brando had enough money to fund it himself, spent time chatting with the actor. When Brando emerged, he said, "That's the most frightened I've ever been in my life. He's the most intimidating person I've ever met."

Realia, Random House Canada, $29.95, by Will Aitken, BA'76.

A tall, lusty Alberta woman named Louise Painchaud ends up in Japan, where her height, her bulk and her Western directness make her the subject of giggles and stares. Louise is hired as an English language dialogue coach by the School of Heartfelt Purity, an institution dedicated to staging kitschy musicals with all-girl casts. Realia mixes Japanese pop culture and Greek myth, cross-dressing Japanese girls, wild monkeys, speeding Maseratis and earthquakes, as it recreates the Japan of the eighties: flush with money, wild with possibility and afflicted with a severe case of self-worship.