A Jerry Springer style biography
Cutting a drunken path, Bukowski shows people how to say "no" to the would-be puppet masters that would make them dance.There are, of course, other great writers who have carved their own place in literature but this biography gets so tangled in gossipy shallow stories and drunk escapades that I honestly think Howard Sounes has missed the point. I think he shoots only ankle-high on his subject. Obviously a great amount of research went into this book. Sounes can turn up facts the way some can turn up lawn trimmings. With the magnificent material he had to work with I was disappointed in his fixation with the sensational. Who cares if Bukowski drunkenly plowed it into some guy's rump mistakenly thinking the guy was a woman? I guess this sells books. If you really want to know the life, great humor, and importance of Charles Bukowski my advice is to go directly to the source. In years to come there will certainly be a much better biography than this effort.