shootings at Kent State. These were turbulent times in America, and influential years for those attending the University of Maine in Orono (UMO), where Stephen was a student. It is a celebration of King’s 50th anniversary of being a freshman at the school, with essays included by friends and fellow students at the school.
The centerpiece of the 370-page book is
“Five to One, One in Five” (the title drawn from a song by Jim Morrison of The Doors) a 50-plus page trip down memory lane for King, who cites the time period as the most pivotal in his lifetime. King entered UMO as a staunch Repub-
lican who supported the war in Vietnam, but after exposure many other viewpoints, his politics and opinions shifted. All of the stu- dents were shaken up by the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, happening within a couple of months of each other. The subsequent turmoil at the Demo- cratic National Convention in Chicago was another pivotal moment. Also, many of his high school friends returned from Vietnam physically and mentally broken, struggling to re-integrate into civilian life. King grew his hair and beard long and
joined the protest of the war, picketing, stag- ing sit-ins, participating in marches, boycotts and blockades, and helped to garner the at- tention of the administration by participating in an event known as the “Great Chicken Cri- sis.” (Read about it in the book!) Although angry, King managed to
channel most of his fury into his writing. He notes that his works during that time were total serious pieces of fiction, missing any hints at humor or fun that would later be- come a staple of his writing. The other twelve contributors to the
book reflect on the same time period. All of them knew King, either as roommates or classmates. Even then, King was sort of fa- mous, in large part because of his “King’s
Garbage Truck” column in the Maine Campus student newspaper. Several of those columns are reprinted in the book. This excellent book features a good
number of photographs and documents from the era. Readers may purchase Hearts in Sus- pension because it contains a new, long piece of King non-fiction, but they will also enjoy the insight into the author as a young man during a very important period in his life.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Without Getting Killed or Caught The Life and Music of Guy Clark Tamara Saviano (Texas A&M Univer- sity Press)
Written by
Grammy-Winning record producer Tamara Sa-
viano, Without Getting Killed or Caught is a fascinating look into the life of one of Ameri- cana music’s finest songwriters and trouba- dours. Saviano goes deep into the friendships between herself and Clark as well as Clark and his wife Susanna’s shared love for leg- endary Texas songwriter Townes Van Zant. The author completed the 406-page bi-
ography just before Clark’s death on May 17, 2016. In the book, she speaks of the massive body of work created by Clark as well as Townes Van Zant. Clark penning “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “The Randall Knife,” “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” and “L.A. Free- way,” to name a few. He was a master of adding characters to his songs, both fictional and real. His songs caught the ears on count- less contemporary artists, and his music has been covered by many greats including
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