Böcker av Jim Christy

Literary Nonfiction. BC Books for Everybody pick. CBC Radio Toronto selection, one of the Best Nonfiction Books of the Year (2008). In these pages you will encounter gamblers and adventurers, conmen and conwomen, rodomontades and ragamuffins, outright fools and outrageous liars. SCALAWAGS, the lot of them. But you can be an adventurer, a conman or conwoman, a fool, liar, gambler, rodomontade or ragamuffin and not be a scalawag. Many adventurers are not even interesting, come to think of it, let alone scalawags. There is an ineffable quality, an indefinable something or other that sets some people apart, places them in the special category that Jim Christy calls scalawag. You might call them something else; nuts, perhaps. And quite frankly in many instances--George Francis Train, for instance, or Louis De Rougemont--you'd probably be right. In 2008, it was a CBC Radio Toronto pick for one of the best nonfiction books of year. Christy's work reminds us that losers are cool, that the middle-of-the-road might be smoother but the ditches are more interesting, and that every rounder has a good story to tell. One is reminded of Blake: 'Improvement makes straight roads; but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius.'--The Globe and Mail These are larger-than-life characters in stranger- than-fiction stories. From the film star Tallulah Bankhead, 'a force of nature' whose sexual appetites almost matched her appetite for fame, to Lady Jane Digby, who changed names, ranks and countries as she changed husbands, ending her life as the wife of a Bedouin sheik; from Morris (Two Gun) Cohen, who went from being a hired gun to working with Sun Yat-Sen, to Florence Lowe (Pancho) Barnes, who faced off against the US Air Force, these are curiosity- piquing figures. Most readers will wonder why they hadn't heard of them before. In a way, Christy's columns, and this book, are something of a public service...--The Vancouver Sun If the proverb is correct and a life lived in fear is a life half lived, then these unapologetic oddballs knew nothing of doubt and fear.--The Westender

Literary Nonfiction. Biography. History. National Books for Everybody pick (Canada). Never before have as many outrageous and out-sized characters appeared in one place at the same time. Words like rogues, rascals, rapscallions, reprobates and rodomontades don't completely describe these individuals; they are more than each or any combination thereof. They are scalawags. People who claim to push the envelope are stamped, sealed and delivered compared with this bunch. They may be conmen or conwomen, adventurers, fabulists and/or delusional but they all share the extreme passion for life--always more Life! Some are of the modern era, some go way back, but their lust and spirit link them throughout the ages. This book, like its predecessor, SCALAWAGS: ROGUES, ROUSTABOUTS, WAGS & SCAMPS, is devoted to the celebration of that passion that refuses to be stifled by convention. Read about the adventurous lives and wild exploits of Caroline Otero, Andre Malraux, Lord Timothy Dexter, Suzanne Valadon, William Hunt, Mata Hari, Emma Hamilton, Bata Kindai Amgoza, and many more in this second volume of Scalawags! As noble and valorous as our favorite heroes are, many of us can't resist a good tale of villainy. Christy writes about real-life con artists, adventurers, and hedonists that span ages and continents to deliver us juicy stories of skullduggery and debauchery. And if you like this one, it's the sequel to another book that you could also devour--just, try not to break anything if it inspires you to practice swashbuckling in your living room, aye?--Book Riot, 5 Small Press Books to Read in January Words like rogues, rascals, rapscallions, reprobates and rodomontades don't completely describe these individuals. These are stories about con artists, adventurers, fabulists and the delusional--who all share an extreme passion for life. Some are of the modern era, some go way back, but their lust and spirit link them throughout the ages. This book, like Christy's predecessor, Scalawags: Rogues, Roustabouts, Wags and Scamps, published in 2008, is devoted to the celebration of that passion.--Coast Reporter Praise for SCALAWAGS: ROGUES, ROUSTABOUTS, WAGS & SCAMPS: Christy's work reminds us that losers are cool, that the middle-of- the-road might be smoother but the ditches are more interesting, and that every rounder has a good story to to tell.The Globe and Mail

Literary Nonfiction. Half-finished notes, scrawled snippets of conversation, observations made on the run, photographs of people known and unknown, scraps of paper with puzzling sketches on them, receipts, match packs, postcards, and other assorted paraphernalia...have all ended up in a Peek Frean's tin biscuit box. For nearly forty years, Jim Christy has thrown--willynilly, and with neither rhyme nor reason--such seemingly random items into the box. There has been absolutely no system to it; maybe, the author says, I thought 'I'll pay more attention to this later' or, perhaps, 'I've got to check that one out some day...give it the attention it deserves.' Being a restless traveller, investigative journalist and raconteur, many of these items have rich and alluring stories attached to them. The Peek Frean's biscuit box has provided the essential ingredients for a fascinating assortment of highly entertaining anecdotal tales called SWEET ASSORTED. Sweet Assorted, the latest book from former Gibsons resident Jim Christy, is like being at a cocktail party with strangers. You might hear something colourful - a shared anecdote, a travel tale or someone expounding on a thought du jour written in haste on a napkin. --Coast Reporter ... There was a shine to this eccentric work that I appreciated. Christy is being himself. His tin alternately brings back memories and reveals what he has forgotten. He lays out his successes and his failures and leaves us to form our opinions. I closed the book hoping to meet Jim Christy one day. His curiosity, convictions and thirst for adventure have lasted decades, and they don't seem to be fading with time. I admire that.--Coastal Spectator The richest moments in this book come when the objects become metonyms for events and people from Christy's past, points of reference that he augments with assessments, reflections, and even occasional sales-pitches for his current work...the sheer range of experiences and the quirky (and at times famous) figures from Christy's past intrigue and entertain. Simultaneously, Christy's significant temporal distance from the many figures and events raises the crucial question of autobiography: how factual are these recollections? Christy regularly admits his inability to remember particular details or events surrounding the objects, but at other times is seemingly able to offer decade-old conversations in detail. Thus, the book presents an archive of questionable oft-dissociated anecdotes that blend objects, events, and memories.--Canadian Literature

The exploration of the Canadian and Alaskan frontier still calls to the wonder of men's souls. Poet and novelist Christy explores the history of the building of the great Alcan highway through his personal experiences and the stories of residents and pioneers who came before him.