Chickenshits, Idiot Warriors, and Men of Letters

By

Daniel Crocker and Nathan Graziano

Men of Letters is so cool, it has its own website.  Check out: www.freewebs.com/menofletters

This review of Chickenshits by the editor of Bathtub Gin says it all.

"I was sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office to see if what I had felt the day before had been a mild heart attack, and only being 32 years old, I was a bit worried.  Knowing that waiting rooms are aptly named, I took along a copy of Chickenshits, which I'd received in the mail that day.  Before I know it, I'd forgotten about my heart because my gut was hurting too much from laughing.
   Crocker and Graziano continue the give and take style of writing they began in "Idiot Warriors".  Like a good comedic duo, they riff off of one another in fine fashion as they alternate chapters.  "Chickenshits" is the story of two young writers trying to make it in a world that couldn't care less...the scene of them traveling to a bookstore only to find it completely devoid of an audience is hilarious, but it's also told in a way that makes Graziano and Crocker out to be the underdogs that everyone wants to cheer for.  But this isn't just a book about writers, it's more about two friends who look to each other for support when dealing with the world around them, be it bookstores or their wives. Whether they are at their most macho (the theory that neutering dogs is afeminist plot) or self-deprecating (the knowing glances of their wives as they come home bragging from a supposed grocery store parking lot throw down with local punks), the authors spin some humorous, and dare I say it, heartfelt words.
   Oh, and the doc said I was fine, but that I should keep my stress levels down. After reading him a bit from the book, he suggested I read more like it. That's the best recommendation one could give."  ---Chris Harter, Bathtub Gin

 GBP 2004 (48 pages) :  ISBN 1-891408-34-8 (soldout)