Book Review:

Naked Sunfish – Best Bites

by: William M. Balson Jr.

Best Bites is a surprising first book of essays from Rick Brown. My appetite has been whetted and there needs to be more bites; we need more to make a complete meal. Rick has a unique view of current life and of the foibles we humans engage in. Not from a mean or misanthropic perspective, but from the vantage point of a sharply observant witness watching a ballgame through a knothole in left field. He sees the things in the game that the commentators in a skybox behind home plate can’t see. He sees where the player missed and spit on his uniform knee, he sees the shortstop adjusting his jock strap, the tick of nervousness on the third base man’s face. But it boils down to this; Rick; Rick sees the players as people, doing a job, living their life with all the opportunities we are presented with to fail or succeed. He gives us a human account of the real world we live in and makes us all more human by helping us see how we are active players in the game.

There are several themes that run throughout his book. One is the concept of the mundane. Mundane is often thought to be a fancy way of saying boring. In our current society anything that does not feature a light show, two back-up bands, surgically augmented breasts, a fleet of limos and a celebrity commentator to remind us what a scintillating time the participants are having, is considered boring. The mundane are the events that all of us share, the core of our human existence and just as each of us live a life that is uniquely ours, it is built of a number of common building blocks we all know. Rick has a scholarly understanding of what these common building blocks are and crafts rich observation into events we can all recognize and appreciate.

One of the more touching essays is one called “Sunday Solitude” which is nothing more than a terse list of what a married man with a dog does on a quiet Sunday at home alone. The terse list hints at a very connected, rich life. There was another essay called “Coming of Age” that brought a lump to my throat as it involved the complex relationship between a father and son, my father and I, all fathers and sons. “Mistah Wick” made me laugh about the way the human spirit sometimes chafes at the harnesses we all wear. A seldom seen truth was displayed with humanity and humor. Using a baseball metaphor I would say, “Good eye Rick, good eye”. For wry humor the essay “When to Buy a New Lawnmower”, made me laugh and recognize myself in this peek at a younger Rick.

“Best Bites” is an easy read but I have already gone back to a few essays to read again and I admit a few are disturbing and I can’t get out of my mind. It is more layered than a casual reading can reveal. If you do yourself a favor and read “Best Bites’ by Rick Brown you will be going back to it to reread some parts. It is a great book to own and would make a inspired gift for the right person.

Finally, Rick, I also regret …”tube tops ever went out of style”.

Book Review:

Naked Sunfish – Best Bites

by: Jimmy Mak - Head Writer, Shadowbox Live

Being familiar with nakedsunfish.com, I expected to like the book “Best Bites.” I was a little surprised, however, at how much I liked it. Rick Brown weaves stories, memories and (very) short theater scenes into a humorous and touching memoir. These stories are the kind we can all relate to … a little too well. They are funny, poignant and full of attitude – whether describing how to use a weed whacker as a threatening weapon, why it’s important to eat sardines with the guts or how to win a pencil-sharpening contest with a pen.

Robert Penn Warren once described Hemingway’s soul as a fist clutching a rose. I picture Rick’s soul as a middle finger with a heart tattoo. Good books are full of wisdom, complete with laughs and tears. “Best Bites” is a good book.

In many of the vignettes Rick casually mentions something and then adds "But that's another story." I, for one, hope there are many "other stories" to come.