DIRT

April 13, 2009
Inspired in part by "the prime cleaner," her mother, essayist Lewis (Life Inside: A Memoir) brings Malveaux together with an impressive range of opinions and related issues regarding keeping house in the 21st century. In "Cleaning Ambivalence," Julianne Malveaux calls keeping house "a dreaded chore for some, a cheerful obsession for others, and a fact of life for most of us." Other standouts include Joyce Maynard, who traces the correlation between housekeeping arguments and the dissolution of her marriage; and Rebecca Walker, who imagines the efforts her grandparents, sharecroppers who "could be evicted without as much as a week's notice," put into creating a stable environment: "They must have grasped at whatever rituals they could...keeping clothes and linens sparkling clean and freshly ironed, displaying fresh fruit... to ease a pervasive feeling of powerlessness." It seems significant attention was paid to finding not just a talented collection of writers (also including Louise DeSalvo, Kyoko Morri, Richard Goodman and Louise Rafkin) but a diverse set of perspectives, keeping this collection fresh despite narrow subject matter.

May 15, 2009
In this anthology of 38 pieces, by writers ranging from Rebecca Walker to Ann Hood to Joyce Maynard, essayist Lewis ("Life Inside: A Memoir") turns her attention to housekeeping. Dirt in our homes and the process of cleaning it up is a universal task that all of us can appreciate. But while some of us enjoy housekeeping and excel at it, others abhor it and ignore it as long as possible. The contributors discuss their cleaning experiences and how those experiences have shaped them; clutter, neatness, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, hoarding, and dust bunnies are all covered here. This book certainly differs from the usual how-to manuals. Indeed, even though it offers no direct help with cleaning, its heartening prose could encourage even dedicated slobs to raise their standards. It is effectively a cumulative story about our lives and a great read to pick up now and then: the short entries and interesting points of view make this a pleasing and accessible volume.Holly S. Hebert, Rochester Coll., Rochester Hills, MI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2009
Dirtas in older than, poorer than, common as. Is dirt the lowest common denominator by which everything is measured? Lewis, the editor of this dirt-versus-cleanliness essay collection, revealsand considers the emotional engines attached to this ongoing struggle. Lewis feels thatour housekeeping styles express who we are on the most intimate psychological level, likening them to writings that help us sort outmesses and restore order. Outstanding contributions range from professional housecleaner Louise Rafkins reflections on the emotional nuances of homes(I am alert to a cleanness of spirit in a place), to Karen Salyer McElmurrays sadness that her moms rule of clean is slippingas her mothers unruly stacks of notes to herself increase with the onset of dementia, to Teena Apeles delightful description of the Teena shuffle . . . a cleaning danceperformed in contiguous two-foot squares while listening to NPR, indie rock, orR&B. Homemakers, sociologists, and all who harbor mixed emotions about housecleaningwill line up (in neat, orderly fashion) for this unique and thoughtful compilation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)