Off the Shelf

Do Not Look Directly into Me

Daniel Crocker

$12.95

Paperback, 182pp.

ISBN: 1891408178

Green Bean Press

Pub. Date: May 2001

Again, local author Dan Crocker has drawn us into his mind with his new book of short, short stories, "Do Not Look Directly Into Me."

Crocker takes us on a journey through a group of small-town boys looking for a leader of their new gang, to the hard times of a man with "poor circulation" and no health insurance. We learn of the fears of a twenty-something man named Cracker and what will happen to his family after his mother gets arrested for passing thousands of dollars in bad checks.

Then there's Charlie and how he's lost his Charlie, but fear not - for in the end he finds out that he really is the "Charliest Charlies."

Crocker's writing is of such an eclectic manner that there's something in this book for all readers. Expect to hear the name Dan Crocker in literary class in years to come, because this author stands out among the other modern-day authors with images that are clear and concise, never getting lost to the reader. He mixes story telling that is reminiscent of a back-porch conversation with an old friend.

But you have a choice to buy this book - everyone has the choice, "even hermaphrodites have a choice."