Forever the misfit, tama janowitz feels like screaming
In her first book since 2005, Tama Janowitz examines the events that led her through the 1980s to where she is now: (almost) broke, (almost) divorced, attempting to raise a daughter, taking care of her ailing mother, peacemaking with her eccentric father, and learning the strange mythos and culture of upstate New York, which, while only a few hours north of New York City, might as well be on a different planet.
Once declared New York City’s literary “It Girl” hanging out with the likes of Andy Warhol and Lou Reed, partying at Studio 54, and coming of age alongside contemporary, edgy writers who together with Tama were deemed the “Literary Brat Pack” she has always been an original. She is a writer with many books under her belt, and her groundbreaking short-story collection Slaves of New York ushered forward a style that became emblematic of a New York City packed with sex, drugs, and urban grittiness. Tama left the glamour and glitz of the 1980s behind to be a wife, mother, and poodle wrangler only to find herself still searching for a sense of purpose.
Her traversal across memory, time, and place in Scream moving frantically back and forth between the city and the country, the eighties and today to uncover that purpose is a testament to her precision and capacity for soul searching. Crafted with humor, irony, and self-awareness, Scream is Tama Janowitz at her most candid and straightforward as she weaves memoir with her acutely unconventional voice.
About the Author
Tama Janowitz has published eleven books, which have been translated into twenty-two languages and made into several films. She lives in upstate New York with her dog, Zizou Zidane, now that the other seven have expired, and her quarter horse mare, Fox, with whom she studies under Stasia Newell.
Industry Reviews
"[A] giddily wacky memoir" -- Washington Post "Janowitz's greatest strength has always been her bluntness, and there's certainly no lack of it in Scream." -- The Guardian "The account of Janowitz's desolation...is genuinely affecting." -- Harper's Magazine "Although her life has been unique, there are universal elements, which she writes about with honesty and humor." -- Bustle "[This time] Tama turns the criticism on herself and offers insight, humor and detail in a way that's not afraid to touch on the strange parts of life." -- Buzzfeed "...grim, and hilarious, Janowitz's primal scream exposes...the highs and lows of her writing life, and the boons and traumas of fame and love." -- Booklist "...Scream, a sharp memoir that follows her life from '80s excess to a calmer, though no less astutely observed, present day." -- Town & Country "...first-rate memoir that cuts with razor-sharp insight through the truth about living life after youth." -- DuJour "In this fantastic mid-life memoir, Tama details everything from her mother's dementia to her daughter's angsty teenage years." -- Brit + Co
