culture
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Buffalo Bookshelf: Buffalo Gal
BUFFALO'S HOTTEST LOCAL INTEREST BOOK
Released
in October '08, this great memoir is currently WNY's best selling local
interest book, but the author's scope is far beyond local interest.
Laura Pedersen started young, making her mark on the world (see author
feature coming soon). Her publisher's website advertises her writing
style as a sort of fusion of "David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell." I would
endorse that characterization.
Pedersen's
perspective on herself, her life, her environment and the larger world
is skewed to the humorous in a beautiful way. She reflexively sees the
humor in any and every circumstance and has the rare ability of telling
a joke on herself, on us, or even our sacred cows, without seeming
gratuitous or irreverent.
Her
treatment of Buffalo weather is especially illustrative of this talent.
Pederson would say weather is the great equalizer. Our weather
predestines us all to fail the What Not to Wear test, giving
cover to those of us with little fashion-sense. And those who would be
concerned with fashion on a nice day are strangely liberated by a bad
day, to focus on comfort and not give a crap about how it looks.
I
especially enjoyed her treatment of the inaccuracy of meteorology in
Buffalo. I did not realize this was a local phenomenon until I moved
out of the area and was shocked to discover that away from the Lakes
weather forecast got it right more often than not.
Not
herself a Catholic, Pedersen captures the Catholic dominance of local
culture masterfully, including the fact that teenage pranksters can
often get away with calling in a bogus weather closing as long as they
use the phrase "Saint" somebody as part of the announcement.
Pedersen's
summary of Buffalo's brief moment of glory around the turn of the
century is the most concise yet informative tutorial in Buffalo history
I've ever been privileged to read. She not only tells the story but
explains it, in less time than it takes to pray through the rosary. But
she is also equally skilled in summarizing the history she lived
through, including the day of her birth which she describes as "The
first event leading to my death."
The book continues by
paralleling the author's history with key moments in American history
as they impacted Buffalo, such as wives reminding their husbands not to
bring up "The (Viet Nam) War" whenever they left the house, or the
effects of the energy crisis on the average Buffalo family ("snowdrifts
by my window, inside").
Anyone who grew up or lived in Buffalo
at its Rustbelt best (or worst, depending on your perspective) will see
themselves in this story and will find a friend in its author. Laura, I
feel as if I've always known you.