Lump It or Leave It

Opinionated and entertaining, King ( Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye ) here discourses widely and vigorously on American ways. Little escapes her stiletto wit: the prevalence of the ``slangy suffix, -istok?/not sure what you've done, but given that it is you who has done it, I'm sure it is ok.gs ''; the best 15 years of a woman's life, ``from 50 to Social Security''; the ``graves of academe'' where college professors masquerade as teachers; fellow countrymen whom she divides into ``whatters'' and ``whyers.'' Personal agitations to which King also applies her nonconformist slant include traditional southern values and book reviewing, the latter topic evoking a tart acknowledgment of being wrong in her judgments once in a while. These scattershot essays reach their targets. (June)