NPR commentator Gillespie follows her debut collection of autobiographical essays (Bleachy-Haired Honky Bitch
) with more tales from Atlanta's dark side. This latest installment of entertaining but uneven pieces uses as fodder Gillespie's friends, family, work as a flight attendant and neighborhood of "drug addicts, whores, and crack dealers." The author's straightforward writing style does not limit her subject matter, and she finds humor in the bleakest subjects, like her mother's death from liver cancer or her neighbor's house being set on fire. The pieces range from lighthearted to downright depressing, and as a collection can feel repetitive, as Gillespie retells her family's history whenever she writes about them. Her strongest writing appears when she's talking about her young daughter, Milly (e.g., in "The Dead Guy," she relates trying to distract Milly as they drive by a dead person on the side of the road—which is evidently not an uncommon occurrence in her neighborhood). Gillespie's work may appeal to readers in the Atlanta area and fans of her NPR commentaries and previous book, but might be too grim for a wider audience. (July)
